We spent Thanksgiving over in Maryland yesterday at the home of my 94-year-old mother-in-law. And a fine time (naturally!) was had by all.

We made sure to do all the cooking this year so that she wouldn’t have to do anything more than eat and rest—she’s pulled together more than enough Thanksgiving feasts in her lifetime!

One thing we did while there was to gather together her stamp collection so that we could help her evaluate it. Back in the ’20s, ’30s, and ’40s, Margaret had been an avid collector of first day covers, but it’s been many decades since she’s had the time to devote her attention to it. So we’re trying to understand her collection and figure out what she actually has.

As with any sort of collecting, many of these items can be appreciated only by the cognoscenti, such as with envelopes which mark the first day of air-mail delivery to certain small towns in Canada. But there are some items in the collection which can be enjoyed even by a general audience.

Take the first one that caught my eye, which commemorates a visit by the 11th Bombardment Squadron to Midland, Texas on May 12, 1931. Ordinarily, such an obscure military event wouldn’t excite me, but look more closely at the top-hatted, cigar-smoking character in the circle above. You might recognize him. That’s the character of Jiggs from the comic strip Bringing Up Father (also known as Maggie and Jiggs) with a bomb tucked under one arm. It turns out that the squadron insignia was designed by cartoonist George McManus, who in addition to creating that strip, was also a member of the unit. (more…)