This is a view of postal history through the appreciation of covers. To stamp collectors, covers are the envelopes whose stamps have already done their jobs and whose faces hold their history. Together, these covers tell the history of the mails.



This crash cover shows damage from both the fire and the water that were used to extinguish the flames. It also illustrates the peril of flying the mails in the early days of air mail when "crash and burn" connoted finality. Even with the tragedy of the crash,, the letter was on its way again after only a day.