Note the two CDS's - the lower one being July 20 - could this have possiblly gone up before the stamp was added?
When I was unreasonably young and resonably put away in a military school ;(, I had the great fortune to be introduced to stamps and collecting when an adult there gave me a gift subscription to ArtMaster First Day Covers (as I remember it from 37 years ago).
For several months (I didn't have enough cents to renew the subscription) it brought every new postage stamp issued by the United States right to me, wonderfully mounted on an envelope with an additional picture (cachet) and often a text addition explaining more about the meaning of the issue...all-in-all a nice way to while away a few hours (probably kept me out of jail too...).
From there I went on to general worldwide collecting - including coins by then - (a seemingly possible task at the time) and after a few years found that my collection amazed (amazingly) those friends and family who took the time to look at it... 1000's and 1000's of little bits of colored paper and bits of metal arrayed in albums or stock books and cards or in little see-through envelopes (aka: 'glassines') and, for the coins, 2 X 2 enclosures stapled shut, labeled and filed neatly (unlike my bedroom) in, mostly, old shoe boxes...and, no doubt, the state of my bedroom being the best form of insurance against the incursion of my sister and her boyfriends...at least as long as I was there to keep the state of the mess at fever pitch. But the day came when military service and other 'adult' affairs claimed their taxes and postage due...
Well, now it's 1999 and I've decided to start again! And, like another recent re-start, Marshall Williams, has mused - it's ways to display that are still the biggest pain.
Now, there's an area that does inspire me....we'll see won't we?
In any event, I like covers (especially signed 1st editions) and the September 1, 1971 affair has a portion of my current philatelic interest...and Linn's (Philately's best known news organ) is usually informative for beginners and experts.
Read and enjoy!
Here is a story for beginners: Stamp Collecting Is Fun! (the choise of which reveals a bias)
|
July 1, 1971 was the date of the change from the old US Post Office Department to the new US Postal Service. Scott Stamp #1396 (Postal Service) was issued with first day cancels available at all 39,521 named facilities. A cachet envelope was given FREE. For the price of the eight-cent stamp with any postmark, this became a First Day Cover. A limit of one envelope per person and one day only was imposed. |
| Harold Babb (hbabb@logicsouth.com), one the foremost experts on the 7-1-71 affair and postal history, through Sunbelt Covers and Stamps (sunbeltcovers.com) offers a catalog, The 7-1-71 Affair, which lists over 19,000 of the possible 39,521 covers from offices that have been identified as having issued FDC's on this date. (makes a good checklist - PO Box 2211, Columbia, SC 29202) |
Note c.2007: Mr. Mooney has retired and Mr. Dave Wallman, P. O. Box 22526, Lincoln, Nebraska 68542-2526, has taken over the 'REM Catalog'.
A few other favorite FDC links:
RKA (and DYNAMITE) Covers ( and
auctions ) - check out 's 1a and 1b
Brookman, Barrett &
Worthen; claims to be biggest with FDC's!
James T. McCusker - auctioneer.
Joe Frasketi's Space Covers - cool!
John Muir Stamps and First Day Covers, The Sierra Club exhibit.
Barry and Gerry Barry retired
but Gerry was the man who assembled the famous 'House of Farman'
collection and has over 2,000 first edition FDC's in stock! ;( now '404' c.2009)
Now, Bill,
a net-gent I met, likes to create 'FDC' envelopes... the one above is
where he fell into it... and here are copies
of a few emails that explain how I came to own it. - He also works with
the boys at ASPS - and when you figure out where
this came from - let
me know!
(his stamp sales on stampoffers.com)
..and then there's James McKellips'
stampsite
- My 2nd favorite
FDC done by his wife Ann, is a space cover (my favorite is above and I
own that one) ... and I had the pleasure of having him say about an order
I made, "...that's a first."...
Jim's (I assume) a printer ('404' c.200909)
- as well as a stamp dealer - who's site claims they are a "small company
that cares enough to treat each customer and each project as special and
unique, not just an invoice number. " - Haven't tried his printing service yet
(doubt he even knows I've checked him out a bit) but when I find a need
for that kind of service (especially if it involves stamps) I intend to
try him first.
And
here is for baseball fans from John White (now FDC USA) ...a 1st edition at that! - Go Babe!
(I ordered it). John also hosts the
AFDCS Mentor Program - AFDCSers who "have all agreed to make
themselves available to any newcomer in the AFDCS, or
any old timer who wants to expand their horizons." Over time his site has turned into quite a resource!
(Oh, well, the cycle of life... - aj c.2009)
Artmaster hosts (hosted; c.2009) a page for 'Brookman' Cover Company, their - other than Artmaster - FDC's; but it din't work ...
A Few (well, more then a few) links to the
stamp world...
(AKA: A.J.'s Encyclopedia of Stamps and Philatelic Links)
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First created late 1998, last update c.2009
