Commems Collection Classic: 1936 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Philatelic Tie-Ins

The official celebration day for the Arkansas Statehood Centennial took place on June 15, 1936. One hundred years to the day since US President Andrew Jackson signed the legislation that officially welcomed Arkansas into the Union as the 25th state. A variety of events took place following this date, however, as parades, pageants, exhibits, etc. were staged across the state and in Little Rock, the Arkansas capital, between June 15, 1936 and December 5, 1936. In total, 547 celebration events were registered by the Arkansas Centennial Commission (ACC); it's likely additional, small events were also held, even before the official June 15 kickoff date.

Collectors of classic US commemorative coins are familiar with the two types of souvenir half dollars produced for the centennial - the "Miss Liberty" and "Senator Robinson" types. The Miss Liberty type was produced at all three US Mints operating at the time (Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco) each year from 1935 through 1939. The Robinson coin was produced only in Philadelphia and only in 1936.

Arkansas Statehood Centennial Half Dollar - Lady Liberty


Arkansas Statehood Centennial Half Dollar - Senator Robinson Type


The various centennial events were managed by the Arkansas Centennial Commission, a fairly large group that over time grew to 158 members; it was divided among multiple sub-committees and a nine-member Executive Committee. Albert R. Rogers, of Boston, was brought in as a Director to assist the Commission with overall organization of the celebration. Director Rogers has direct ties to the subjects of this post.

In addition to the coins, the ACC also successfully engaged the US Post Office for the issue of a commemorative stamp for the statehood anniversary; the stamp was issued on June 15, 1936. As stamps were sold directly by the Post Office at face value and thus did not generate profits for the ACC, the Commission chose to entice the active philatelic community with a series of ten official first day covers (FDCs), each with a different cachet, that it sold to raise funds. Each of the FDCs featured the imprint, "Arkansas Centennial Celebration Official First Day Cover" to make it distinct from the dozens of privately-produced FDCs for the event.

Here are the ten FDCs that make up the official Arkansas Centennial set. All are addressed to "Mr. Albert R. Rogers / Director Arkansas Centennial Celebration." The addressee information appears to have been printed on the envelope vs. being typed. I can imagine it being added at the time the various cachets were being printed on the envelopes. I do not know how may of these "Rogers" sets were produced, but I know my set, though scarce, is not unique as I've seen individual covers addressed to "Albert R. Rogers" over the years. (possibly from sets that were broken up).

Enjoy!

Arkansas Statehood Centennial Official First Day Covers Set












For more about the two type of Arkansas half dollars, check out:

- 1935 Arkansas Statehood Centennial
- 1935 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Ephemera
- 1935 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Senator Robinson Type
- 1935 Arkansas Statehood Centennial - Design Discussion


For more of my posts about the Arkansas Statehood Centennial half dollar, as well as other for commemorative coins and medals, check out: Commems Collection.