1909 Society of the Sons of the American Revoluti

Updated August 7, 2026

1909 commercial cover from the Illinois Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), franked with a common 2¢ Washington stamp.IdentificationCorner card / return address: Printed “ILLINOIS SOCIETY / SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION” with the blue SAR insignia (eagle atop a cross/medal design). Secretary listed as J. D. Vandercook, Room 407 Stock Exchange, 108 La Salle Street, Chicago, Ill. (with the standard “RETURN AFTER 5 DAYS TO” wording).J. D. Vandercook was a long-time officer (Secretary and later Registrar) of the Illinois Society SAR, documented in Society yearbooks and bulletins of the period.Stamp: Scott 332 — 1908 2¢ Washington, carmine, double-line watermark, perforated 12. Correctly pays the domestic first-class letter rate. Machine cancel “CHICAGO, ILL. / OCT 9 / 12 30 P / 1909” with horizontal bars.Address: Handwritten to “Mr. Jas. W. Northrop / Evanston / Ill. / c/o Y.M.C.A.”Reverse: Manuscript list of names with rankings and abbreviations:James C. [Pyneheon?], Hobart 1st, Miller 2nd, Hovey 3rdBronson r.s., Northrop l.s., Bruder h.f., Burg r.f.(Possibly a roster, committee ranking, or informal sports/team lineup notes; “Northrop” appears on both sides.)The cover is a typical early-20th-century organizational mailing with a distinctive society emblem. Local Chicago-to-Evanston usage, clean overall appearance in the photos. The philatelic interest lies almost entirely in the SAR corner card and blue emblem rather than the stamp or cancel. Early fraternal / patriotic society covers of this type (SAR, DAR, Masonic, etc.) typically retail in the $10–25 range when clean and with a clear society imprint, depending on buyer interest (SAR members/collectors, Chicago postal history, or general patriotic themes).Ordinary condition examples without special markings or content often sell closer to the lower end ($8–15).Stronger demand from a dedicated SAR or Illinois Society collector could push the upper end of that range. Nice representative society cover from the Illinois SAR with authentic period corner card and emblem. Modest specialist value in the low double digits; suitable as a collectible example or for a thematic/local history holding rather than a high-value piece.

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