Space Cover 800: Space-Gram AdvertisementThe cover this week is a Space-Gram. But what is a Space-Gram you might ask?
It is an oversized 8.5-inch diameter moon-shaped advertising mailer. This example was postmarked March 2nd, 1962 in St. Louis, Missouri and is an early commercial use of Scott #1193 Mercury 4-cent stamp issued on February 20th, 1962 celebrating John Glenn's successful orbital flight on Friendship 7. It was mailed within St. Louis to a prospective local business, possibly in need of an advertising service or merely the recipient of an unsolicited piece of junk-mail. Its unique size and shape probably made an impact on its own in 1962. Either way, due to its existence today, someone thought enough to save it.
I am happy it was preserved, because what makes this cover special to me is that St. Louis was the home to McDonnell Aircraft, the manufacturer of the Mercury capsule. Their manufacturing plant located in St. Louis was no-doubt the inspiration for this beautiful cover that it is also printed on the back. The reverse image of the moon and text reminds the recipient of the historical nature of the attached stamp. In 1962, we are in the early days of manned spaceflight, an important stepping stone in space travel which by the end of the decade ultimately culminates in manned lunar landings and further exploration of the lunar surface in the early 1970's.
The Space-Gram folds open via a paper hinge at the top to expose a bold advertisement, with an artistic rendering of the Mercury capsule complete with a shaped cut-out for the recipient's address.
The company which produced the cover and is promoting their "standout" work is Commercial Letter which employs self-proclaimed "ingenious talents" who for already 50 years have designed and printed advertising for direct mailing. Research into this company reveals that they celebrated their 100th year in 2012, which is consistent with their claim from 1962 of being in business since 1912. To this day they remain located in St. Louis as Commercial Letter, Inc. Their focus in this century has been to integrate traditional direct mail efforts with new media, such as email, websites, and mobile marketing. I find it interesting that a direct-mail business over 100 years old has found a successful transition to social media while still providing the traditional direct-mail services it has always been known for. A refreshing success story brought to life by this mailer I found in a dollar bin.
Hopefully you enjoyed reading about this non-traditional cover and maybe even saw something new.
Do you have any space themed printed advertising covers to share? Thank you!!
posted 04-06-2025 08:09 AM
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