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SCHENECTADY STAMP CLUB
ORGANIZED
SCHAU-NAUGH-TA-DA
1930
APS Chapter 153
Meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 1st Monday
at Union Presbyterian Church, 1068 Park Ave.
Ronald K. Ratchford, 1105 Union St., Schenectady, NY 12308-2805
ronaldkratchford@yahoo.com, 518-374-3776
Club Particpated in Washington Observances
The bicentennial of George Washington’s birth was observed in 1932. On January 1, the
U.S. Post Office Department issued a series of 12 stamps — each with a different depiction
of Washington. This was followed by numerous other philatelic observances.
One observance involved a cachet sponsored by the Schenectady Chamber of Commerce
and the Schenectady Stamp Club to mark the sesquicentennial of the second visit
of Washington to Schenectady on June 30, 1932. There was extensive publicity for the
printed cachet that would be applied — apparently without charge — to stamped and
addressed envelopes submitted by collectors. There was great variability in size, shape,
paper quality, and color for the envelopes, as well as in the stamps affixed. The entire set
of 12 Washington Bicentennial stamps might have been used on a single cover.
Based upon a newspaper account, it would appear that the destinations for the special
cacheted envelopes included every one of the then 48 states, Canada, Germany, Switzerland,
Italy, France, Poland, South Africa, India, Australia, Japan, China, and the Philippines.
“Those sending for covers with the cachet were asked to leave the envelopes unsealed
and those who complied with this request are receiving a copy of an address given recently
by Hanford Robison of this city, secretary of the St. George’s Lodge, before the Sons of the
American Revolution. It has been printed on a sheet of paper of a size to fit on a stamp
album page.” (The Schenectady Gazette, Thursday, June 30, 1932, page 8)
It appears that 10,094 cacheted items were handled for the event. I believe that a sequential
number may have been applied to the reverse side of each. I don’t know whether
the count may have included any postal cards or postcards. This was at least the third
cachet for the club since its founding only slightly more than 18 months earlier.
54 Stamp Insider