Did you know that the Hope Diamond was mailed to the Smithsonian through the United States Postal Service with $2.44 worth of stamps.
When New York jeweler Harry Winston donated the famous Hope Diamond – all 45.52 carats of it – to the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., he chose a familiar, trusted carrier to transport the jewel: the
Post Office Department. “It’s the safest way to mail gems,” Winston told The Evening Star (Washington,
D.C.). “I’ve sent gems all over the world that way.”
On November 8, 1958, he sent the precious stone via registered, First-Class Mail, from New York City to
the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The postage cost him $2.44, plus $142.85 for $1
million worth of insurance.
On November 10, Letter Carrier James G. Todd picked up the diamond at the City Post Office and drove
to the Natural History building. He entered by a side door, took the elevator to the Gem Room, and
delivered the package to Leonard Carmichael, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. Todd admitted to
being a little “shaky,” according to a story in The Washington Post the next day, not because of the
diamond’s value or reputed curse but because he was unused to so much attention when he did his job.
The Hope Diamond was mailed to the Smithsonian through the United States Postal Service with $2.44 worth of stamps
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