Description: The Air Force was established as a separate branch of the United States Armed Forces on September 18, 1947. The first Chief of Staff of the Air Force was Carl Spaatz. Spaatz left this office in April, 1948. The only Christmas season he was Chief of Staff was 1947, so given his name on this card we can date it to 1947, the first year of the Air Force. It is a historic first. This appears to be a hard to find card - extensive eBay history searches find none. The card itself is of heavy card stock. It is an off-white, perhaps toning with age, perhaps it is the original color. The seal of the Air Force is embossed, with the highlights in a silver ink. The black text has some texture - some height to it, while the green of the ivy background does not. The card measures about 4-5/8" x 6". The back is blank, with only the back of the embossed seal visible. This is just a two sided card, no folds. Regarding the name on the card. "Capt. Martinucci" was Dr. August Martinucci, who joined the Army Air Corp at the end of WWII, and early on was likely a flight surgeon. This card was found in his estate sale in a book that contained other Christmas cards and that had an inscription also dating the collection to 1947.I have no idea whether this was sent to him, sent by him (perhaps to his wife, who had inscribed the book it was found in), or if his name was written for some other reason (for instance, Capt. Martinucci may have ordered a number of cards so that he could send them out, and they were delivered with his name written on one for identification). Dr. Martinucci died the day after Christmas, 76 years after the Christmas this card celebrated, in 2023. His obituary is at: https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/30223467/dr-august-martinucci-md/joliet/farkas-funeral-home-new Photos are of the actual card. See the photos for additional insight into the condition of this highly collectible piece of US Air Force history, created just months after the Air Force itself. Will ship in cardboard stiffened bubble wrapped envelope or better. I'll make every effort to get your military memorabilia to you in great shape.
Price: 25.75 USD
Location: Lisle, Illinois
End Time: 2025-01-27T22:19:31.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.25 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
topics: Correspondence, Mail, United States
topics2: Christmas Card, Holiday Card, Seasons Greetings Card, Postcard
Original/Reproduction: Original
Theme: Militaria
