Free Franks and Related Covers continued...

VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF JOHN ADAMS'S FREE FRANK AS EX-PRESIDENT TO FELLOW SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, THOMAS McKEAN.

Thomas McKean retired as Governor of Pennsylvania in 1812. This cover from one Founding Father to another was sent a year after McKean's retirement. (Image Magnifier)

EXTREMELY FINE. A MAGNIFICENT COVER WITH THOMAS JEFFERSON'S PRESIDENTIAL FREE FRANK.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was trained as a physician, but is better known as the first professional naturalist in the U.S. He authored the first textbook on botany written in the U.S. (Image Magnifier)

EXTREMELY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL AND RARE THOMAS JEFFERSON FREE FRANK AS PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

This is the most desirable form of Jefferson's free frank, because it includes the executive office designation. It is scarce in this exceptional condition. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE. ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE JEFFERSON PRESIDENTIAL FREE-FRANKED COVERS EXTANT.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was trained as a physician, but is better known as the first professional naturalist in the U.S. He authored the first textbook on botany written in the U.S. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE. A BEAUTIFUL COVER WITH JEFFERSON'S SHARPLY-DEFINED PRESIDENTIAL FRANKING SIGNATURE.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was trained as a physician, but is better known as the first professional naturalist in the U.S. He authored the first textbook on botany written in the U.S. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE. EXCEPTIONALLY BOLD JEFFERSON PRESIDENTIAL FRANKING SIGNATURE AND WASHINGTON D.C. POSTAL MARKINGS.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was trained as a physician, but is better known as the first professional naturalist in the U.S. He authored the first textbook on botany written in the U.S. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE. AN IMMACULATELY PRESERVED COVER BEARING THOMAS JEFFERSON'S PRESIDENTIAL FRANKING SIGNATURE.

James Pemberton was a member of the prominent Philadelphia Quaker family and active in business and political circles. (Image Magnifier)

A FINE COVER FRANKED AND ADDRESSED BY PRESIDENT JEFFERSON TO THE FRENCH MILITARY SCHOLAR, LOUIS DE TOUSARD.

Louis ("Lewis") de Tousard served under Lafayette in the Revolutionary War and later became a well-respected teacher of military principals. Tousard's American Artillerist's Companion, published in 1808, was a standard training manual, and his ideas for a military school helped shape the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, which was established in 1802. Jefferson was fascinated by the concept of mass production and use of interchangeable parts in weaponry, an idea promoted by Lieutenant-Colonel Tousard. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE. A MOST ATTRACTIVE COVER WITH BOLD JEFFERSON PRESIDENTIAL FREE FRANK.

Benjamin Smith Barton (1766-1815) was trained as a physician, but is better known as the first professional naturalist in the U.S. He authored the first textbook on botany written in the U.S. (Image Magnifier)

VERY FINE APPEARANCE. A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF THOMAS JEFFERSON'S PRESIDENTIAL FREE FRANK.

John Dickinson (1732-1808) was a militia officer during the Revolution War, a delegate to the Continental Congressman and Constitutional Convention of 1787, President of Delaware, and President of Pennsylvania. Among the wealthiest men in the colonies, he was known as the "Penman of the Revolution," for his Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, where he argued the cause of American liberty. Although refusing to vote in favor of the Declaration of Independence, he supported the establishment of the new government during the American Revolution and afterward in many official capacities. (Image Magnifier)

FINE. A BOLD JEFFERSON FRANKING SIGNATURE APPLIED DURING THE FIRST MONTHS OF HIS PRESIDENCY.

Jefferson's presidential franks usually include the title "Pr. U.S." after his name. It is unclear to us why some have the title, and others do not. (Image Magnifier)