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Sale 272
The Ron L. Scott Collection
of United States Stamps
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Photo |
Description |
Lot 2001 |
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1912 H.M.S. Titanic Mail Facing Slip, United States government imprinted facing slip with "Philadelphia, Pa./ From Sea Post No. 2 Letters" and well struck "Transatlantic. Post Office 7/Ap 10 (19)" 12 postmark, plus clear straightline "O.S. WOODY" and "TITANIC" hand stamps, some light staining from contact with sea water mainly at top.
Estimate 5,000 - 7,500
Facing slips were commonly used by postal clerks after sorting the mails in order to identify a particular packet of mails, city of destination and/or mode of transportation.
Oscar Scott Woody, mail clerk on the Titanic, prepared a quantity of facing slips in advance of sorting the mails. Each bears the "Transatlantic Post Office 7" circular postmark dated on April 10, 1912, the day the Titanic sailed from Southampton, plus handstamps with the ship's name and postal clerk O.S. Woody's name to show that he had been responsible for sorting that particular bundle.
Such was postal clerk Woody's dedication to duty that as the Titanic was sinking on the night of 15 April 1912 he placed a quantity of these facing slips (as well as his letter of assignment) in his breast pocket, apparently anticipating that he would need them to continue sorting the mails.
Remarkably, these paper items survived the damage to a considerable degree because the cork life jackets in use at the time were very buoyant and kept most of the upper body above water. An entry in the diary of F.H. Lardner, Captain of the Mackay Bennett, the ship which recovered Woody's body, states: "Monday, April 22d. This day we picked up 27 bodies…Everyone had on a lifebelt and (the) bodies floated very high in the water…"
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