Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Vintage original WWII V-mail stationery

UPDATE:


Now I really do have these back in stock, and a few sets to sell so more than just one. I love these things!!

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WWII V-mail stationery

More shop listings promised, and now I'm finally delivering. I am so, so, so excited about these WWII V-mails!! I've been writing letters on them for a while, but I just came into a fresh stock of them, and have more than I can use, so now I'm selling lots of 4 in my etsy shop:

Vintage original WWII V-mails

WWII V-mail

During WWII, one of the best ways for U.S. soldiers to correspond with their loved ones back home was a new-fangled invention called the V-mail, short for Victory-mail. One wrote on the sheets included in this listing, and in order to save space on airmail planes, the V-mails were microfilmed, sent on film via airmail, and then reproduced at the destination.

V-mail's victory V

My etsy listing is for four (4) original WWII V-mail letter sheets. They are still usable in the postal service -- I've written many letters on them myself! They function as an aerogramme or fold-and-mail; you simply write on the writing surface (shown unfolded in the last photo), and then fold and seal as directed. My items include the original gum, which should still be good (but for modern postal sorting machines, I do recommend reinforcing the seal with tape or something, just to be on the safe side - and I tape the sides shut, too, so they don't get caught in the sorting machines).

These are NOT reproductions, but actual papers from the 1940s printed during WWII. There is even a field for the censor's stamp. They take fountain pen ink beautifully, and the paper is of a good quality for all kinds of writing instruments.

V-mail unfolded

They measure 5 5/8 x 9 3/8 folded as shown, and I will send them folded as shown (original packaging folds) in a large envelope.

Write a letter on a piece of history!
Vintage original WWII V-mails

If you want to see examples of some of the letters I've written on them, check out these past blog posts:
Modern letter on vintage V-mail
V-mail with vintage stamps