Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1105

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.5 linear feet (1 box)

Language Note:

The bulk of the collection is in English, with only one letter in French.

Preferred Citation:

Sanford Sorkin philately collection, 1806-1960, Ms. Coll. 1105, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1806-1960 (inclusive)

Creator:

Sorkin, Sanford

Form:

Correspondence, Postcards, Envelopes, and Postage stamps

Abstract:

Sanford Sorkin graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 1963 with an interest in collecting stamps and other items of philatelic value. The collection consists of correspondence, miscellaneous documents, and ephemera such as postcards, tradecards, and stamped envelopes that Sorkin and his father collected more for their stamps and other evidence of early postal service than for their content. The materials are largely unrelated to one another aside from their philatelic interest.

Sanford Sorkin is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (1963) with an interest in collecting stamps and other items of philatelic value. The collection was assembled from a variety of sources and includes items collected by Sorkin himself as well as his father. It focuses on 19th and 20th century items sent through the United States Postal Service, with a few exceptions. Postal services, including that of the United States, have used various forms of markings to record dates, location, and payment information relating to a given piece of mail. Postmarks indicate date and location, while adhesive postage stamps, which were introduced in England in 1840 and the United States in 1842, indicate pre-payment of a letter. Both postmarks and adhesive stamps have become items of interest for collectors and philatelists--those who study postal history. In addition to the United States government's Postal Service, some competing private mail services have existed in the past. One letter in this collection preserves stamps from one such mail service--Blood's Penny Post, which was formed by Daniel Otis Blood in 1845 and served the Philadelphia area until 1862.

The collection consists of various sets of items that Sorkin collected more for their stamps and other evidence of early postal service than for their content. The materials are largely unrelated to one another aside from their philatelic interest. They are arranged into four series: Abraham Liddon Pennock correspondence, Collected correspondence, Collected documents, and Collected ephemera.

The Abraham Liddon Pennock correspondence contains 27 letters to or from Abraham dating from 1851 to 1857. The letters are largely business related and are addressed either to Abraham at his home in Upper Darby, PA or to "Pennock and Bros." in Holmesburg, Philadelphia, PA. A few letters are from Abraham to his sons. One letter (from May 29, 1854) is stamped by Blood's Penny Post, which was a local private mail service that ran from 1845 to 1862.

The second series consists of a set of miscellaneous correspondence, arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name. Collected for their philatelic value, these are a collection of largely unrelated letters. The contents of a few letters are of special interest and include: one business letter from civil engineer to Benjamin Henry Latrobe, architect of the United States captiol; one example of a "crossed letter" (sent to Isaac Reinhardt for Ann Reinhardt); and one letter sent from Samoa to London (via Sydney, Australia) in 1837 that describes the Samoan people and customs as observed by Peter Turner.

The third series consists of miscellaneous documents, arranged alphabetically by subject, including a notice relating to the postponed auction of Mrs. (Mary Todd) Lincoln's clothes, and the articles of association of the "Rough and Ready Club" that pledges support for the presidential campaign of Zachary Taylor.

The final series contains collected ephemera saved for their stamps and postal related information, arranged alphabetically by subject. Items include envelopes, postcards, tradecards, and a mailed pamphlet containing a handwritten message. Some envelopes, including the Stephen Elliott items as well as those in the "censor" folder, have been marked as having been examined by a censor. Researchers will find the largest number of items sent to a single person or family within the Adolf Pasterz and Jennings family folders.