FD481_web

FIRST

DAYS

March-April 2025

Volume 70, No. 2. Whole number 481

ArtCraft Variety Spotlight:

Scott 1062

George

Eastman

Centennial

FDCs

The Journal of the American First Day Cover Society

www.jamesmccusker.com

The One-Stop Web Site for First Day Cover Enthusiasts!

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to buy outright, our On-line Shopping area is the Net’s largest. Currently over 80,000

different items are available and growing. Log-on today to browse our auctions and

shopping area, or enter our FDC Library to read up on a wealth of FDC information.

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Here’s how it works: Whenever you purchase something from

our on-line shopping area, you will receive a merchandise credit

equal to 10% of that purchase. We will e-mail you a quarterly

certificate equal to 10% of the previous quarter’s total purchases.

For example, if you made 3 purchases in the previous quarter

equal to $345.00, you will receive a credit for $34.50. It’s that

easy! Simply go to our retail shopping section and use it just

like cash! Each quarterly credit certificate is good for 90 days.

Buying &

Consignment

We are the leading buyer of U.S. First Day Covers. We will

travel to view larger collections, and pay you on the spot. We

are interested in better individual covers, specialized collections,

cachet maker and dealer stocks, etc. A no-nonsense cash offer

is just a call away. If an auction is more to your liking, we can

offer you a world wide clientele second to none!

Remember, be sure to take the same care when selling your

collection as you did when building it.

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This unique feature allows you to enter your want list

electronically. By doing so, you will receive E-mail notifications

from us when items matching your want list are first offered at

our site! The unique feature to this service is that you modify

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Visit our sister site

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U.S. FIRST DAY COVER SPECIALISTS

James T. McCusker, Inc.

P.O. Box A

Raynham, MA 02767-1797

http://www.jamesmccusker.com

E-mail: mail@jamesmccusker.com

Licensed & Bonded Auctioneers

Member: ASDA • APS • AFDCS • ATA

Please see our other ad on the center spread.

FIRST DAYS

PROLOGUE

FEATURES

EPILOGUE

The Journal of the American First Day Cover Society

March - April 2025 — Volume 70, No. 2 — Whole No. 481

The President’s Perspective ................................................................................ 4

Member Exchange ...................................................................................................7

Call to Convention................................................................................................10

From the Editor .................................................................................................... 12

By Way of Introduction: Jason Youngblood, Assistant Editor ............................ 16

Society News ....................................................................................................... 18

Awards and Honors ......................................................................................................... 25

First Day Errors

Mark Gereb ...........................................................................................................23

Updating the AFDCS Cachet Catalog for the 1950 3-cent

Statue of Freedom (Scott 989)

Richard Bajenski ..................................................................................................... 34

The Opportunities Offered Scholars by Baffling Cachets

Saul Zalesch ............................................................................................................. 39

Quick Check List for the World Stamp Expo 2000

Cancellations and Cachets. Part 2

Victor Tan ................................................................................................................ 47

Clocking In

Lloyd A. de Vries ............................................................................ 46

First Day Covers Elsewhere in Print: US Stamp News, Linn’s, ASCD and More ...... 54

Question Box: Whose Cachet is This? .......................................................................... 56

ArtCraft Variety Spotlight: Scott 1062 - George Eastman Centennial ..............2257

Great Britain Covers Corner: The Royal Observatory Greenwich .......................... 66

Chapter News: Catching up with Chapters 54, 56, 67, 72, 78 & 79 .....................70

Closed Album: Charles David Eeles .......................................................................76

Membership Report ............................................................................................................... 77

Advertising & Index of Advertisers .................................................................... 79

Membership Application ..................................................................................... 80

The American First Day Cover Society publishes First Days(ISSN:

0428-4836 • USPS 196460) bimonthly at PO Box 57, Somerset, WI

54025-0057. The subscription price is included with membership.

©2025, American First Day Cover Society. All rights reserved. No

portion of this journal may be reproduced without the written

permission of the editor. Opinions expressed in First Days are those

of the authors and not necessarily of the society.

Every effort is taken to ensure accuracy, but validity is not guaranteed.

Some names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are

used for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe.

The AFDCS logo is a registered trademark of the American First Day

Cover Society.

Printed in the United States of America. Periodicals postage paid at

Madrid, IA, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster: Send address changes to AFDCS, PO Box 57, Somerset,

WI 54025-0057.

AFDCS CENTRAL OFFICE

Membership Services

Deb Gibson, Executive Secretary

afdcs@afdcs.org

American First Day Cover

Society

Post Office Box 57

Somerset, WI 54025-0057

(540) 940-1629

FIRST DAYS

Editor

Tony Bard

25 Myrtle Grove, East Preston,

BN16 2SW, UK

AFDCS LEADERSHIP

AFDCS EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (exec@afdcs.org)

AFDCS BOARD OF DIRECTORS (board@afdcs.org)

editor@afdcs.org

+44 7977 989812

Advertising Manager

Mark Thompson markrobbin@bellsouth.net

1709 Russell Street

Nashville, TN 37206

Lloyd A. de Vries Chris L. Lazaroff Tony Bard

President Immediate Past President Editor

president@afdcs.org clazfdc@yahoo.com editor@afdcs.org

Ralph Nafziger Tris Fall Foster Miller

Executive Vice President General Counsel Sales Department

nafziger@peak.org tfall3@gmail.com fmillerfdc@gmail.com

Doug George

First Vice President

bosshogg55@yahoo.com

Mark Gereb

Recording Secretary

gereb@aol.com

Mark Thompson

Treasurer

markrobbin@bellsouth.net

Michael Lake

Education Department

mlake7@gmail.com

Patrick Morgan

Membership

pjmorgan622@gmail.com

Martin Kent Miller

Executive Secretary

afdcs@afdcs.org

Cynthia Scott (2027) Michael Lake (2027) Ralph Nafziger (2027)

Board Chair

cynscott2011@gmail.com mlake7@gmail.com nafziger@peak.org

Lorraine Bailey (2027) Foster Miller (2023) James Tatum, Jr. (2025)

alsaceleb@aol.com fmillerfdc@gmail.com reelonefilms@earthlink.net

Lloyd de Vries (2025) Tony Bard (Editor) Eric Wile (2026)

president@afdcs.org editor@afdcs.org ericowile@gmail.com

Tris Fall (General Counsel) Patrick Morgan (2026) Mick Zais (2025)

tfall3@gmail.com pjmorgan622@gmail.com mickzais@gmail.com

Jeffrey Hayward (2026) Michael Moticha (2025)

jeffhaywardafdcs@gmail.com michaelwmoticha@verizon.net

Time To Renew

If your journal mailing includes an insert, your membership has expired. Renew by mail

or on the AFDCS website at: www.afdcs.org/renewal.

2 FIRST DAYS | MARCH - APRIL 2025

Autographed FDC’s

and Covers

The bulk of our stock is FDC’s

signed by the designers and

engravers. They have proved to

be very popular among

exhibitors of FDC’s and US

issue collectors! Also included

on this list are covers signed by

other notable individuals that are

associated with issue such as

Governors, dignitaries, other

statesmen, Postmasters, heads of

organizations as well as Artists,

Athletes, Nobel Prize winners

and Aviators.

Price list available on request

FDC’S? We Can Help!

One of America’s largest and varied FDC’s

stocks! Almost anything you might want

• Unusual Printed Cachets

• Hand Painted and Unusual Cachets

• Foreign Destinations

• Material you didn’t even know existed!

Whether you are a beginner, an advanced collector

or an exhibitor – contact us first for friendly,

helpful, prompt service! All inquiries and want

lists welcomed!

Thinking of a new Scott number to collect or

exhibit? We would be happy to guide you!

Need common FDC’s in quantity for framing or

gifts? Try us!

We Buy! We buy all better FDC’s, Aerophilately

and Postal History of the U.S. and the World.

US Issue Collectors!

Cachet Artwork

Artmaster Archives: Amazing stock from 1948-2001 that has

both the original Artwork used for the cachets and the metal

plates.

Art Craft Archives: The artwork and plates being sold are from

the period between 1939 and 2002.

Colorano Silk Cachets: The Artwork is absolutely stunning! A

price list is underway!

Jack Davis: Original Artwork from the 1970’s and 1980’s.

Kolor Kover: These cachets are on colored envelopes, and the

artwork is lovely. Ask for your free price list!

Ralph Dyer: One of the early cachet makers, we offer the

original artwork used as a template for his hand painted cachets.

Please inquire about your area of interest!

Photo Essays and

Autographed PB’s

A significant portion of this material is

from the estate of Sol Glass. Most of his

material is extremely scarce.

Photo Essays - Photo essays were

photographed proposed designs of stamps

that were never issued and often contain

topical elements not found in the issued

stamp. Approved photo designs are also

listed and some are signed by the designer.

Autographed Plate Blocks - These are mint

plate blocks generally autographed by the

designer, lettering and frame engravers.

Also there are plate blocks that are signed

by the famous individuals who inspired the

issue.

Price list available on request!

And Much More!

Including: Photographs used for design,

Souvenir Programs, Press Releases, Letters

relating to the issue, USPS sheet pad and box

issue labels, 20th century Fancy Cancels,

Postal History, Errors and the unusual!

Now Available! Enormous stock of better and unusual FDC’s organized by Scott # Want lists

invited! Let us know what interests you!

U.S. Dignitary Presentation Albums

These specially prepared albums were given to dignitaries, prominent legislators, and high postal

officials and were produced in very small quantities. Presented by postal authorities, each contains a

sheet of the newly released stamps or postal stationery. Earlier issues (the 1950’s into the 1960’s) were

autographed by the PMG. In addition, the name of the recipient is inscribed in gold or silver on the

cover. Many contain an accompanying letter specially related to the issue which will be noted. Most for

1988-2009 were presented to (Ret) Congressman, Gary Ackerman

Henry Gitner Philatelists, Inc. Philately - The Quiet Excitement!

53 Highland Ave., P.O. Box 3077, Middletown, NY 10940Toll-Free: 1-800-947-8267) •

Tel: 845-343-5151 • Fax: 845-343-0068

E-mail: hgitner@hgitner.com • http://www.hgitner.com

MARCH - APRIL May 2025 / June 2020 | FIRST • First DAYS Days 273

The President’s Perspective by Lloyd A. de Vries

Go Ahead, Push That Button.

Nothing Can Go Wr@#!!

Every time a technical person has said,

“Go ahead. Try it. You can’t hurt the

system” — computers, broadcasting

equipment, anything — I’ve managed

to crash them. I wasn’t trying to cause

malfunctions. I guess I just “pushed the

envelope” (sorry) a little too far.

Thus, I figured I knew enough in early

February to send a group email to just

the dozen members of the Executive

Committee. I mean, I’d done it before, and

what could possibly go wrong? If you have

allowed the AFDCS to send you email,

you got the answer to that in your inbox.

Instead of sending a link for an online “poll” (balloting) to just “Exec”, I sent it to every

member. It contained information about an innovation that was not yet public. Until

then. I’ll tell you more about it later in this column.

My wife once asked me how I’d learned so much about using computers. I told her, “I

try something to see if it will work, then after the computer crashes, I reboot and try

something else.” I now know how to restrict AFDCS emails through our data system.

Personnel News

Jason Youngblood.

That innovation mentioned above:

We have now retained Jason

Youngblood and Kristopher Wile

as assistant editors. Their primary

focus will be First Days: editing

articles, soliciting material, laying

out ads and other parts of the

magazine and more.

Kristopher Wile.


• POR - all are done as one-of-a-kind or in small numbers

• Volume discount offered for quantity purchases

• Most are Add-Ons

John Mattler

5441 Heather Bluff Ct, St. Louis, MO 63128

(314) 729-7256

However, they will also work on our website, new publications, our YouTube channel

and our data management system (Wild Apricot). Here in the third decade of the 21st

century, we have the tools to do so much more than we have up to this point.

This also paves the way for a smooth editorial transition when the time comes.

I think hiring these two young men will not only benefit the members of the AFDCS,

but philately in general. Publishing a journal like this now requires skills, software

and equipment that were unimaginable 20 or 30 years ago. The pool of philatelic

editors with all this is aging; the “millennials” with the skills are mostly restricted by

their employment.

The AFDCS is in a good financial position now and many of our leaders have been

wondering what we would do with our money for the betterment of the AFDCS, FDC

collecting, and philately in general. I think this is one answer.

Email Etiquette Essentials

We don’t want to send out mass emails to our

membership too often. I think if we do, many of you

will add the AFDCS to your spam filter or otherwise

ignore us. The only regular mass email from the

AFDCS will be to let you know when a new issue

of First Days is available online; that happens about

every two months. Other types of AFDCS mass email

are listed later in this column.

Even though several people are able to send out mass email, all such mailings must

be approved first by the “traffic cop,” which I have assigned to executive secretary,

Deb Gibson.

Now, having promised you we won’t abuse or overload your inbox, if you have an

email address, you should provide it to us. The Wild Apricot-based website uses email

addresses as user IDs. If yours is in WA, then you can take advantage of the website’s

features, including current and back issues of First Days, the Member Connect area

to make contact with other collectors with similar philatelic interests, discounts on

the FDCs and publications in the Marketplace, and so on. And “and so on” should be

getting bigger in the next few years!

You can limit the types of email from the AFDCS:. The categories which you can stop

are event notices such as the AFDCS at shows in your area; and news, such as the latest

issue of First Days is available for downloading. Everyone will get messages specific to

membership, such as time-to-renew and receipts. We won’t share your email address

with any other organization.

6 FIRST DAYS | March - April 2025

AFDCS members are entitled to two FREE non-commercial exchange ads per year.

Ads should include a subject title and the body text must be 75 words or less. Please

submit all ads as unformatted text. Ads will run for two consecutive issues unless

otherwise requested.

Submit your ads to Mark Thompson at 1709 Russell Street, Nashville, TN 37206,

phone: 615-945-6450; email: markrobbin@bellsouth.net.

WANTED

Picture post cards that can be used for First Day Cancels for

upcoming Battlefields of the American Revolution issue.

Especially for the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. Either

commercial cards or hand made cards. Will trade what I’ve

found for yours. Tris Fall, 507 Kent Place, Berwyn, PA 19312,

tfall3@gmail.com (482)

5-cent 1964 Kennedy Stamp

Wanted: 5-cent John F. Kennedy stamp (Scott 1246), postmarked

on May 29, 1964 from cities other than Boston. This stamp was

released nationwide on this day and I collect postmarked covers

from as many cities as possible. Uncacheted envelopes are also

of interest. Just as long as the postmark is May 29, 1964. Henry

B. Scheuer; P.O. Box 535; Madison Square Station; New York,

NY 10159-0535 (482)

Unofficial First Day Covers

MacArthur, Thayer, Partridge

Wanted: Unofficial first day of issue covers Scott no. 1424

(MacArthur) postmarked January 26, 1971, at MacArthur, WV,

or at West Point, NY. Also, Scott no. 1852 (Thayer) postmarked

June 7, 1985, at West Point, NY. Also, Scott no. 1854 (Partridge)

postmarked February 12, 1985 at West Point, NY. Please send

photos and prices to Jay Joyce, joyce062274@gmail.com. [481]

Wanted: Beacon Air Mail C11 FDC Postmark

Times

Need Beacon Air Mail (C11) FDCs postmarked at the following

times: 10;00 AM / 11:30 AM / 12:30 PM / 1:00 PM / 4:00 PM

/ 4:30 PM / 5:30 PM / 7:30 PM / 8:00 PM / 8:30 PM. Please

contact me with pricing: Steven Altman, altmansa@duck.com

Thanks! [481]

MARCH - APRIL 2025 | FIRST DAYS

7

We do sell our mailing list, but only with USPS-mail addresses, and you can opt out of

that, too. We don’t get many requests for it. I don’t believe we have ever had a request

for an emailing list.

Don’t Procrastinate

In looking over this column, I realized there are

no nags about Great American Stamp Show/

Americover 2025. I can’t allow that!

So don’t wait until the last minute to reserve the

frames for your exhibit. Space is more limited this

year.

Don’t wait to reserve your lodging!

The number of rooms set aside for GASS was much smaller this year. Chances are, you

are on your own now: practically all the rooms in the GASS block at the headquarters

hotel are taken. While there may be cancellations, if you have not yet made your

reservations, at the hotel of your choice, do so now. Prices in the travel industry go up

the closer it gets to your travel dates.

The same goes for transportation: If you are flying, taking the bus or the train, the

experts say the best time to make reservations is about two months in advance,

but for summer travel? Earlier may be better. Remember the airline that said it

would roll out another plane if the first one filled up? Those days are gone; so is

that airline.

Don’t wait to tell programming chair Rick Gibson that you want to give a talk. By my

count, there are only 25 time slots during the day for meetings and seminars, and only

so many meeting rooms. Do you really want to have your meeting at 6 a.m. in the lobby?

Email Rick at smokeynav@comcast.net

Don’t wait to volunteer. Both the APS and the AFDCS need your help, before,

during and after the show. Ralph Nafziger (nafziger@peak.org) is coordinating the

AFDCS volunteers.

Don’t forget the AFDCS Annual Membership Meeting: Friday morning, 9:00

a.m. Central Time. We will try to put it on Zoom for those not in Schaumburg.

The Board of Directors meeting Wednesday evening at 8:00 p.m. is open to the

public, too. e

m president@afdcs.org


The Twelfth International Philatelic Exhibition

of the United States proudly presented by

Boston 2026

World Stamp Show, Inc.

May 23–30, 2026

at the Boston Convention & Exhibition

Center at the Boston Seaport

Boston 2026

Founding Funder

Boston 2026 Seed

Funding Provider Boston 2026

Major Society

Sponsor

Boston 2026

Society

Sponsor

Scan Our QR Code

• The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

is located fifteen minutes from Boston Logan

International Airport. It is ten minutes from

South Station and Amtrak Acela Express to

New York City and Washington DC.

• All show hotels will be within walking distance.

• In a 352,000 square foot contiguous exhibition

area, BOSTON 2026 WORLD EXPO

will be hosting a large dealer and postal

administration bourse, as well as a large society

presence and hundreds of meetings/events.

• There will be a competitive exhibition of

approximately 3,500 frames, plus other

special/court of honor exhibits, as well as a

large literature competition.

Stay Up-to-Date on All the Show News,

by visiting

www.Boston2026.org

Contact us at

Boston 2026 World Stamp Show, Inc.

P.O. Box 904, Sudbury, MA 01776

See You in Boston!


9


BOSTON 2026 Online Hotel

Reservation System Activated

Hotel reservations have opened for Boston 2026 World

Expo, taking place in fourteen months.

Eight official show hotels have been selected from throughout the Boston

Seaport district representing Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Omni and Yotel

chains. All are three or four-star rated, fully wheelchair-accessible and

within walking distance of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.

The show headquarters hotel, the Westin Boston Seaport District, and

the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport, are physically attached to the

Center itself.

Reservations are being accepted for check-ins a few days before the

show’s opening, during, and a few days after the close from Tuesday, May

19 through Monday, June 1.

Per night room rates run from $229 to $333. Rates shown are for single

and double occupancy. Triple and quadruple occupancy is available at

some show hotels. These discounted prices are only available by making

reservations through the Boston 2026 web site link to onPeak, (https://

compass.onpeak.com/e/012606939/0#hotels) the show’s contracted

housing management firm. Negotiations continue to add one or two

properties to the list outside of the city center. These, too, will be found

on the Boston2026.org hotel page when confirmed.

Hotel rooms are offered on a first-come basis with no guarantee that

additional room blocks will be released once full. In all cases a credit card

or check deposit of one night’s stay is required. Reservations must be

cancelled 72 hours prior to the day of arrival to avoid a late cancellation

fee of one night's room and tax.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston

Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at

Boston2026.org and on X and Facebook. Sign up to be added to the

Boston 2026 email list and receive updates when available.


11

That’s One Under My Belt!

From the Editor by Tony Bard

Firstly, a big thank you to those readers who reached out and said kind things about my,

somewhat rushed, first First Days. An editor’s job is not one that generally receives much in

the way of feedback. Normally, most responses to a new edition consist of various folks pointing

out that they are better proofreaders!! That goes with the territory, as I do the same thing myself

as a reader - I notice the typos. I suppose it’s a little like reading reviews of hotels when you’re

planning a vacation. You scroll through what looks like a great choice, based on the number of

5-star reviews, essentially looking for the 1-star and 2-star brickbats which make you (or more

particularly, me) feel more convinced by the hotel’s ranking, because the negative comments make

the excellent ones seem real. Maybe that’s just me!

Anyway, I don’t think the perfect proof reader, or proof reading software, actually exists. Nor

will AI necessarily ever be able to create such a program. It can’t, because it isn’t a case of just

checking spellings or punctuation. With a journal like First Days, you need knowledge of the

subject matter and the personalities involved. There’s no way, in my opinion, that AI would

ever pick out that ‘Doreen Knapp’ should actually read ‘Dorothy Knapp’. Despite my own lack

of knowledge of cachetmakers (as I think I said in my last editorial, the category - or even the

description - just doesn’t exist in British philately), I’m sure you will be quick to correct any

fundamental errors on my part. But don’t be too worried, the only place that I could end up

with any egg on my face is within the confines of this column.

The good news is that there is going to be a team behind First Days, going forward. The two

people who will make up the new editorial trio, are Jason (who introduces himself in this

issue) and Kristopher (who will do so in the next issue). I can now relax, knowing that there is

absolutely no chance of any errors, typographical or otherwise, creeping into the journal. No

pressure, guys! I’ll almost definitely make the odd mistake, you just have to do the correcting

before we go to print. You may have noted a few changes to some aspects of First Days’ appearance

in my first issue. There will be more, particularly given the broader involvement in putting each

edition together, but they will only happen gradually - I promise.

I have to agree with Lloyd, that adding young blood (literally, in Jason’s case!) to the editorial

team is really important. I have seen many journals cease publication either because of a lack

of contributions, or more frequently because nobody wants to take on the editorial role. For

me, despite my hatred of the necessary typesetting software, I do love the creativity that comes

with the process. I also enjoy the problem-solving that goes with laying out a journal, which

can be anything from getting the text to fit properly, to removing things like somebody’s bag

or a rogue chair from a group photo. Even when I’m ready to push the button and send off

the finished pdf to the printers, I am always convinced that some small improvements can be

made. So it’s a good thing that we have deadlines, otherwise I’d never be happy.


SAVE THE DATE!

Schaumburg

AUGUST 14 – 17

Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center

1551 North Thoreau Dr., Schaumburg, IL 60173

Reserve your hotel rooms: Special show rate $169/night + tax

FREE ADMISSION

Sign-up information is now available for Dealers, Exhibitors,

Society Booths, and Meetings/Seminars

Sponsored by the United States Postal Service. Hosted by the American Philatelic Society,

American First Day Cover Society and American Topical Association

Visit www.stamps.org/GASS for current information


13

In general, editing - in its purest form - is a different type of challenge compared to layout.

In some ways it’s the poor relation compared to the most obvious element of a magazine,

namely the layout and the illustrations. Apart from correcting grammar and spelling,

sometimes editing involves rejigging the sequence of a contribution so that it flows better,

and occasionally (though not yet with First Days) I have had to rewrite complete sections of

an article submitted by someone whose first language isn’t English.

I see my job as making the content come across more clearly whenever necessary, while at the

same time retaining the author’s ‘voice’. This can be particularly complicated when the article

is concerned with a subject that I know absolutely nothing about. However, every journal’s

readership ranges from those who might be considered experts in their field in specific areas

of philately to the novice or general collector who basically just wants to learn more. So when

editing, I have to put myself in the latter category (and it’s totally accurate when it comes to

most of the articles in First Days), and consider the “greater good”.

I’ll be completely honest with you that prior to becoming an editor, there had been scores

of occasions when I received magazines from various societies I belonged to, where I flipped

through the pages and decided that there was absolutely nothing that grabbed my attention.

Nothing which remotely connected with my admittedly less than mainstream areas of

collecting. So the hours of work put in by both editor and contributors to bring the particular

publication into existence had produced exactly what, in my opinion? Something fir for the

recycling bin, essentially. Shame on me!

I have a completely different approach now, as I fully appreciate just how much effort

actually goes into the process: from a collector taking the germ of an idea for an article

and turning it into something that firstly an editor’s going to be happy to publish, and

secondly for it to actually appear in print. And you know what? Reading articles about

things you knew nothing about is actually really enjoyable.

Now my main problem is that many of these random articles that I read, or the

contributions on hitherto unknown topics that I might get sent to publish, end up

making me go straight to eBay to see if I might be tempted into starting up yet another

new collection!

Still, all in all editing can actually be jolly good fun, don’t you know? (as some stereotype Brit

might have said one hundred years ago!)

Ta-ta until next time. e

m editor@afdcs.org


Colorano

Silk Covers

Collectors’ Favorite since 1971

Wally Jr Cachet

Celebrating 51 years

Reg. Issues, Events & Space

Pictorial Cancels & DCP

David Dresdner

Publisher

Gomer99dd@gmail.com

Available by subscription & Ebay

United States First Day Covers and Event Covers

Walter Douglas George

67 Pomeroy Lane, Amherst MA 01002

Telephone # 413-727-5856

Email: Wallystamps2022@gmail.com

Website:

https://www.hipstamp.com/store/wallystamps2022

GRAEBNER CHAPTER CACHET

Betty White

Anon E. Mouse

Cachets

Anita Mouse

Photo Cachets

Indy Mouse

Hoosier Cachets

Machine or hand cancel - $3.00 Digital

Color Postmark - $4.00

GRAEBNER CHAPTER #17

Box 44

Annapolis Junction, MD 20701-0044

Everything Online: all hand

drawn cachets and computer drawn

cachets— selling as single covers, or

in wholesale packets at discount.

Check out the website!

www.anonemousecachets.com

Cynthia Scott

4505 Chapel Drive, Columbus, IN 47203


15

By Way of Introduction Jason Youngblood, Assistant Editor

I

’m writing to introduce myself to you, the reader of First Days. As you may have

seen in the recent press release published on the website, I’ve been hired as part of

the editorial team as an assistant editor along with Kristopher Wile. I will also assist

with newsletters, ad design, the website and a few other things as they come up. I’m

excited to join the team and look forward to sharing what I can with the organization.

A young Jason ‘stamping’ with his father, Wayne.

From an early age I regularly sorted

stamps at the kitchen table with my father,

Wayne Youngblood (left). I attended

my first stamp show, Indypex, with him

in 1988, and remember meeting some

collectors, getting some stamps from

the kids’ booth, and eating dinner at the

Bombay Bicycle Club. As a 6-year-old,

some of these experiences remain larger

in my memory, particularly the burrito I

ordered - the biggest I’d ever encountered!

And just to prove my First Days’ ‘credentials’, between the late 80’s and early 90’s I

even made a few cachets!

A small selection of “early Youngblood” cachets.


Despite my father’s best efforts, stamp collecting only caught on for me a few

years ago when I started working on stamp magazines and I ended up reading

and enjoying many of the articles published. Around this same time a friend

was moving out of state and as I was helping him pack up I noticed a beat-up

looking metal suitcase and asked him about it. He said it was his grandfather’s

stamp collection. As he had no interest in it he offered it to me for $10. When

I got home and opened it up, I was delighted to find some FDCs, a couple of

albums and some loose stamps in glassines along with a few books. I spent hours

looking up the stamps in the Scott catalogs my father had given me.

Although I wouldn’t call myself a serious collector (certainly not compared to

my father), I enjoy spending time with my collection. I’ve considered making

cachets again if there is a stamp design that speaks to me. My father and I are also

currently in pre-production on a stamp podcast that we hope to start releasing

this year, stay tuned!

In 2010, I moved to the Austin area from Wisconsin and started a video

production company, Youngblood Productions, which involved me in directing,

shooting, editing, and color grading all sorts of videos for the first decade of

my business. Over the last few years, I’ve become more involved in multi-cam

directing, mostly concerts and festivals. Sometimes these shows are broadcast

and other times they are just displayed on a huge screen next to the stage to

enhance the experience of those attending.

In addition to my video production and post-production work, I do layout and design

for a few philatelic magazines, which began during the start of the pandemic, when my

wife was pregnant with our son and business slowed. I took on layout and design for

a few titles, including the German Postal Specialist, Civil War Philatelist and Collectors’

Club Philatelist. I’ve really enjoyed this and am happy to add First Days to the stable of

publications I have a hand in helping to produce.

Outside of my professional life I also enjoy playing disc golf, corn hole, and writing

music. I am a multi-instrumentalist but primarily play the piano/keyboard. Sometimes

my son Wyatt (4) joins me in these activities. My wife Jessie is a classically trained

pianist who decided to become a lawyer after undergrad, and works for the Texas

Legislative Council. I also really enjoy cars and have a couple of old SAABs that help

keep my project bin full. e

Kristopher Wile’s introduction will appear in the next issue of First Days - Ed.

March - April 2025 | FIRST DAYS

17

Society News

(Practically) No Rooms at The Inn

The Great American Stamp Show block of rooms at the Renaissance Schaumburg

Convention Center Hotel is all but sold out, but rooms may become available because

of cancellations. The American Philatelic Society is not reserving a block of rooms at any

other hotels this year, but there are many other hotels in the area. The APS has put a link

on its website to Hotels.com with the show’s period and location. The GASS 2025 travel

page is https://www.stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/travel

Note that the Hotels.com link is preset to five nights, starting Wednesday, August 13. You

do not need to use those dates or book for that many nights.

Getting Around at GASS/Americover 2025

Another change for those attending GASS this year: Parking at the convention center and

hotel (same ownership) is free. In past years, parking has cost as much as $42 a night!

The Renaissance hotel does not provide a free shuttle to O’Hare Airport, even though it is

less than 15 miles away. (About half that as the crow flies.)

The Village of Schaumburg has a free shuttle service, “The Woodfield Trolley,” which makes

a circuit to several shopping malls, the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg Chicago, an Ikea store,

and a bus depot. It does not run around the clock, however, and the schedule may change.

More details can be found at

https://www.villageofschaumburg.com/government/transportation/woodfield-trolley


Box 44


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19

Expose Yourself at GASS

Your collection, that is. The Americover exhibition is lagging among the three, as has been the

case at this point every year. However, what is different this year is that there are fewer frames

available overall than in past years. If you wait too long to sign up, you may be shut out. The web

address for that information is https://stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/exhibits

Volunteer Yourself at GASS

As mentioned in the “President’s Perspective” in this issue, both the AFDCS and APS

need volunteers to make the show a success. The APS especially needs help putting up and

taking down (“mounting” and “dismounting”) exhibits, but also checking in dealers and

collectors and operating a couple of booths. You’ll find more information, including detailed

descriptions of what each job entails, at stamps.org/great-american-stamp-show/volunteer

The AFDCS of course needs people to staff our booth: not just selling covers but to sell cover

collecting and the AFDCS. However, if that’s not of interest, we’ll need help setting up on

Wednesday and then packing it up on Sunday. Also, we will need people to buy new issues at

the USPS sales area, to affix the stamps and to take them back to the USPS Cancellations booth.

First Days at GASS 2025

The U.S. Postal Service will release three issues. On Thursday, it will have a first-day ceremony for

two stamps promoting Boston 2026. On Saturday, immediately after the APS general membership

meeting, the latest in the series of lepidoptera stamps for the non-machineable (greeting card) rate,

will emerge from its cocoon: the Luna Moth. Friday’s issue has not yet been announced.

The United Nations and Rattlesnake Island Local Post also will have first-days at GASS

and Boston 2026 will release a new label promoting the show. It was designed by AFDCS

member Chris Calle, who will spend most of the show at the AFDCS booth, signing and

selling his FDCs and related work.

Cachetmakers’ Bourse

As of early March, most of the 12 tables at the GASS 2025 cachetmakers bourse have

been taken. It will be held in a prime location, adjacent to the U.S. Postal Service sales

area. Hundreds of collectors attend this show every year. Many will never browse the FDC

listings on eBay or HipStamp but the cachets on display at this bourse may catch their eye.

AFDCS 2026 Convention

Americover 2026 will not be a part of Great American Stamp Show — because there is no

GASS 2026, due to the Boston 2026 international show in May. Instead, the AFDCS plans its

own, smaller show at the American Philatelic Center in Bellefonte, Pa., in October 2026. We

do not yet have the exact date, because we do not yet know the Penn State football schedule.

Hotel rates soar when the team has a home game, and are quite reasonable when it is on the

road. Rest assured, however, the AFDCS will have a booth and events at Boston 2026.

AFDCS 2027 Convention

Americover will again be part of GASS in 2027, in Albuquerque, N.M., August 19-22.

Neither the APS nor the AFDCS have held their conventions in New Mexico before.

Office Closed

Executive secretary Debbie Gibson will be cruising with her husband Rick for much of the

month of April. Other people will try to keep tabs on email and anything that can’t wait,

but there may be some delays. Thank you for your understanding..



21

Edward Pieper (right) and AFDCS’s Foster Miller at St. Louis Stamp Expo.

Photo credit: Lloyd A. de Vries.

AFDCS Member Number 30,000 Signed Up!

Edward Pieper of the St. Louis area is the 30,000th person to join the American

First Day Cover Society. He was signed up at the St. Louis Stamp Expo on Saturday,

March 22, by Foster Miller at the AFDCS table at the show.

Edward now has a credit with the AFDCS of 30,000 pennies — $300. He can spend

it on the AFDCS.org website, buying FDCs, catalogues and handbooks; renewing or

upgrading his membership; paying for successful AFDCS auction bids; and more.

Foster, as the person who recruited member #30,000, also was awarded a $300 credit,

which he will be donating to the AFDCS Endowment Fund.

The AFDCS today does not currently have 30,000 members, that number is closer

to 1,000. Some numbers may have been skipped; some people may have received

more than one number over the years; and, of course, some former members have

passed away or no longer collect. Either way, it is a milestone to be celebrated, and

we welcome Edward to the AFDCS family. e

Don‛t forget to mention

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Awards & Honors by Alan Warren

As might be expected, the Southeastern Stamp Expo held in Peachtree Corners, Georgia

in January, was the venue for several outstanding FDC exhibits. Charles O’Brien won a

large gold, the AFDCS award, and the Clark Federation award for his “Georgia Bicentennial

1933.” He took another large gold along with the APS post-1980 medal of excellence with his

“Joint Issues with the United States 1959-1994.” At the same show Todd Ronnei received a gold

and the APS 1940-1980 medal of excellence for “Great Britain’s Winston Churchill Centenary

Stamps and First Day Covers.”

Charles O’Brien won a large gold and the APS Post-1980 medal of excellence at the San Diego

Stamp Show in February with his “The Eagle Has Landed.” e

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henkle@pobox.com

March - April 2025

| FIRST DAYS

23

First Day Errors

Mark Gereb

When it was announced that the 2022 Great American Stamp Show would host the first

day ceremony for the Pony Cars, I began looking for sets of other previously issued

automobile stamps. The first of several sets of 5 were issued on November 3, 1995, in New York

City at the ASDA Stamp Show. They are titled Antique Automobiles. I found a well-priced set

on eBay and promptly purchased it. Upon arrival I found that the 1901 White (3023) (Figure 1)

had a hand cancellation dated November 3, 1994. Exactly one year earlier. On that day, the James

Madison Souvenir Sheet (2875) was issued in New York City at the ASDA Stamp Show. (Figure

2). This cover also has a hand cancel. My mind was racing as to how this could have happened.

Figure 1.

Figure 2.


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25

Several possibilities come to mind. In preparation of each New York City first day ceremony,

Stamp Fulfilment Services (SFS) sends the cancellation devices, usually a hand cancel, and

a bullseye cancel to the first day city. Afterwards they are supposed to be sent back to SFS.

Innocently, the NYC post office may have forgotten to send back the 1994 cancellation and

if so SFS never followed up asking for the cancellation device. Come 1995 they may have

accidentally taken the 1994 cancellation to the show and unknowingly cancelled some covers

with the 1994 date. There is another possibility to consider. At this time there was a NYC

philatelic employee who was known to do all types of cancellations for friends. This cover may

have been one of them. We will never know for certain. The person in question has passed away.

The incorrectly cancelled automobile cover had me thinking. Are there other first day covers

with an incorrect date? It is certainly a possibility, as there are so many first day cancellations

each year such a mistake in not inconceivable. The first place I looked was my own collection.

This would be restricted to Artcraft and Colorano Silk, the two cachet lines I specialize in.

Figure 3.

Figure 4.


Figure 5.

On October 13, 1980, a stamp honoring Philip Mazzei (C 98) was issued in Washington

DC. (Figure 3). One year later on October 13, 1981, two stamps were issued in

Washington DC honoring White House architect James Hoban (1935 and 1936).

Shown are the incorrect 1980 dated cover (Figure 4) and the correctly dated 1981 cover

(Figure 5). My guess is that someone mistakenly took the 1980 cancel device when

cancelling the 1981 cover. An innocent mistake as the date and city are the same.

Figure 6.

On April 3, 1998, a stamp honoring one of the founders of Time magazine, Henry Luce (2935),

was issued in New York City. (Figure 6) This was part of the long-running “Great Americans”

series of postage stamps that began in 1980. On July 16, 1998, another stamp in the series was

issued honoring Lila and DeWitt Wallace (2936), the founders of Reader’s Digest. The stamp

was issued 35 miles north of New York City in Pleasantville, NY, a town in Westchester County

(Figure 7). These two covers have machine/metal cancellations which were done at SFS.

The incorrect cover (Figure 8) has a hand cancel. Either the decedent referenced above in

paragraph one did a friend a favor or the canceller on July 16 used the wrong device.


27

Figure 7.

Figure 8.

Figure 9.


Figure 10.

Figure 11.

On October 18, 2001, James Madison (3545) was commemorated on a stamp honoring the

250th anniversary of his birth. The stamp was issued in New York City during the ASDA Fall

Stamp Show. Shown are the correctly dated 2001 cover and an incorrectly cover dated October

18, 2000 (Figures 9 and 10). Exactly one year earlier, the White House Stamp (3445) was issued

on October 18, 2000 (Figure 11), appropriately issued in Washington, DC. What caused the

Madison cancellation to be used with the 2000 date? Each cancel has a machine/metal cancel

referring to the model D machine that SFS uses. It is a manual process needing the date and city to

be manually adjusted when used for the cancellation of first day covers. In all likelihood the SFS

clerk accidentally set the date incorrectly.

Apples (4727-4730) were commemorated on January 17, 2013 (Figure 12), The correct date

is used. While going through covers, I found a similar cover with an incorrect January 19, 2012,

cancellation (Figure 13). On this day the Aloha Shirts (4592-4596) was issued. The clerk from

SFS used the wrong bullseye cancellation. These covers were prepared by the late Hideaki

Nakano. After his passing, it became known that he prepared thousands of multi-canceled covers.


29

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

On January 20, 1978, a pair of stamps was issued to honor the 200th anniversary of

Captain James Cook’s Pacific explorations (Scott 1732-33). Stamps were issued in both

Anchorage, Alaska and Honolulu, Hawaii. While looking through covers at the 2023 Great

American Stamp Show I came across a cover (Figure 14) with half of the cancel missing.

The next cover (Figure 15) had half a cancel on the left side and the full cancel on the right

side. When putting the two covers together (Figure 16) they make up a complete cancel.

I was fortunate to find the two covers at the beginning of the show. Had I looked a day

later the covers would have likely been shuffled and may not have been found. Other such

covers are for the Balloon Jupiter (Scott C54) issued on August 17, 1959, and the Eastern

Chipmunk (Scott 2297) issued on June 13, 1987. Each cover was either misfed into the

cancellation machine or had a foreign object in its path causing some of the cancellation to

be missing (Figures 17 and 18).


Figure 14.

Figure 15.

Figure 16.


31

Figure 17.

Figure 18.

Figure 19.


Figure 20.

While not a cancellation error, I find the covers for Four Chaplains (956) and Lyndon Johnson

(1503) interesting. In each case the preparer forgot to affix the stamps (Figures 19 and 20).

I would like to know if you’re aware of other misdated ArtCraft or Colorano covers. As these

are two of the most prolific FDC producers, my guess is that there are many more such

covers out there. e

mgereb@aol.com

Thinking of contributing an article to FIRST DAYS?

Yes? Then please note the following:

1. Prepare your manuscript as a PDF or in Word, with no fancy

formatting, please! Any image captions should be on a separate

page, and don’t forget to provide references if relevant.

2. Email it to editor@afdcs.org

with any images. If the email

content is large, you can alternatively send it to the same email

address using WeTransfer.com which is a free service.

3. Please make sure that any images are in jpeg, tif, png or PDF

format, and not less than 300 dpi resolution.

4. Make sure you are not infringing the copyright of any images

supplied. If you are unsure, please get in touch.

Many thanks!

Tony Bard, Editor


33

Updating the AFDCS Cachet Catalog for the

1950 3-cent Statue of Freedom (Scott 989)

Richard Bajenski

This is an update to the “AFDCS Cachet Catalog” article by Monte Eiserman in the

SeptemberOctober 1971 issue of First Days, cataloging three basic elements of First

Day Covers – known cachets, plate number position uses, and cancellation types.

This report adds to the listing of known plate number position uses and the illustrations

of cancellation types. These are based on the author’s holdings of Scott 989 material;

images of related FDCs observed on the internet, principally eBay and HipStamp; and

the contents of the AFDCS archive at the American Philatelic Research Library.

Omitted from this report is a listing of cachets. It is estimated there are over 100 cacheted

FDCs for this issue. This far exceeds the 38 cachets listed by Eiserman in 1971 and the

48 cachets illustrated by Mellone’s in 1999, which largely overlap the 1971 list. This is a

project to be taken up at some future date.

The 1950 3-cent Statue of Freedom Stamp

On April 20, 1950, the Post Office Department released the first of four 3-cent stamps

commemorating the 150th anniversary of the transfer of the offices of the federal

government to Washington, D.C. The first of the series, the Statue of Freedom stamp

(Scott 989), honored the 150th anniversary celebration itself while the subsequent three

issues honored the establishment of the executive (Scott 990), judicial (Scott 991), and

legislative (Scott 992) branches in turn.

Plate Number Uses on Scott 989 FDCs

The Statue of Freedom stamp was printed with six plate numbers: 24183, 24184, 24185,

24186, 24187, and 24188. Table 1 repeats the particulars of the Plate Blocks table of the

1971 catalog updated for recent finds. The updated record has added seven new “found”

positions to the prior schedule, with known uses now totaling 18, or 75%, of the 24

possible positions. These additions are based on FDCs in the author’s collection, images

from APRL archives, and as observed on internet sites.


Figure 1. 1950 3-cent Statue of

Freedom stamp (Scott 989)

Table 1. Plate # Uses on Scott 989 FDCs

Plate Blocks

Plate # Upper

Left

Lower

Left

Upper

Right

Lower

Right

24183

24184

24185

24186

24187

24188

Key

1971 AFDCS Catalog listing

Recently found

Currently unknown

All six approved plates for Scott 989

went to press in March 1950 (PO

Release No. 683, May 23, 1950), well

before the April 20, 1950, first day of

issue, and would be expected to be

found on FDCs. The 1971 Cachet

Catalog for Scott 989 showed 11

plate number positions as having

been found on cover. Missing from

that tally, made 21 years after the

stamp’s issuance, were any recorded

uses of positions for plate numbers

24186 and 24188.

For this issue, less than 0.3% of the stamps produced were used on FDCs (371,743 on FDCs of

the 132,090,000 stamps printed) (see references “Scott 2013a” and “Scott 2013b”). This low-use

rate calls into question whether panes with all plate numbers were made available for First Day

application. Were panes of stamps with plate numbers 24186 and 24188 possibly not available

for first day cancellation?

With the passage of time, that uncertainty has been resolved. Among the newly found plate

positions appearing in this updated survey are two for plate number 24186 and one for plate

number 24188. These additions would imply the possibility that all plate number positions

were available for FDC use, with the remaining six “unknown” positions waiting to be located.

A special shout-out to the FDC servicer who presented a cover using all plate positions for

plate 24185. (Figure 2). Composed of four single plate number stamps arranged in a block, this

staging provided the recipient all positions for this plate number on one FDC and confirms

panes containing all positions for this plate number being available on April 20, 1950.

Figure 2: FDC with all four positions for Plate Number 24185. Plate number singles arranged in a block. Cachet by

Harris & Ewing for ArtCraft.


35

Cancels on Scott 989 FDCs

The 1971 AFDCS Cachet Catalog lists six known cancellations for this issue with

illustrations. This update shows a total of eight cancellations, supplementing the original

six with two newly found variations. The eight cancellations are presented in an order

different from the 1971 listing, pairing those with the same major elements to bring

attention to both similarities and variations. For the purpose of this review the eight

cancels are labelled “A” through “H” (Table 2).

Table 2. Cancellations used on Scott 989 FDCs

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

Hand cancel.

Cds dial: 33mm. Time stamp: Stacked month /

day / time / year.

Killer: 4-bar, 67mm.

Slogan: “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE”

Universal machine cancel.

Cds dial: 21mm. Large, wide-spaced type face.

Time stamp: with hyphen.


Slogan: “-- FIRST DAY OF ISSUE --”


Cds dial: 21mm. Small, close-spaced type face.

Time stamp: no hyphen.


Slogan: “-- FIRST DAY OF ISSUE --”


Cds dial: 21mm. Large, wide-spaced type face.

Time stamp: with hyphen.




Cds dial: 21mm. Small, close-spaced type face.

Time stamp: no hyphen.



International machine cancel.

Cds dial: 21mm. Time stamp: “9-AM”.


Slogan: “NATIONAL CAPITAL /

SESQUICENTENNIAL/

1800 1950”


Cds dial: 21mm. Time stamp: “1030 AM”.



SESQUICENTENNIAL /

1800 1950”


Cds dial: 21mm. Time stamp: “1-PM”.



SESQUICENTENNIAL /

1800 1950”

Note. Illustrations are reduced in size.


The cancellations illustrated in Table 2 include one hand cancel, and three distinct

machine cancels, each with variations. The hand cancel, style “A”, is a rubber composition

cancel, supplied by the Post Office Department and containing a “First Day of Issue”

(FDOI) slogan in the killer. Introduced on January 29, 1940, for use on the initial

stamps of the Famous Americans series, (USPS, 2007) this hand cancel has been made

available since then by the Post Office Department for First Day purposes.

Machine cancels “B” through “E” have the expected FDOI slogan in the killer and were

imprinted by Universal electric cancelling machines, manufactured by Pitney-Bowes Inc.

of Stamford, Connecticut (Kimball, 1969). Cancels “B” and “C” include the five-bar FDOI

killer introduced in 1937. They differ in the typeface spacing and time stamp treatment in

their respective cds dial. Cancels “D” and “E” include the four-bar FDOI killer, adopted

in 1948, which continues in regular use today (McFarlane, 2024). They share the same

differences in their cds dials as found between cancels “B” and “C”.

Machine cancels “F”, “G”, and “H” have an event slogan in the killer, and were imprinted

by International Postal Supply Company cancellers. The event slogan mirrors the wording

on the Scott 989 in the ribbon below the statue: “National Capital / Sesquicentennial /

1800 · Washington · 1950”, without the “· Washington ·”. This slogan killer was prepared to

commemorate the sesquicentennial-related celebrations in Washington, D.C. (Presidential

Proclamation No. 2986, June 27, 1950) and throughout the country during 1950 (New

York Times). In addition to its use on the first day of Scott 989 (April 20, 1950), it has been

recorded in use, in the author’s collection or online, as early as March 5, 1950, and as late as

December 18 of that year on mail items unrelated to the Scott 989 First Day, and always with

a Washington, D.C. cds.

Cancels “F”, “G”, and “H”, with the event slogan, appear on Scott 989 FDCs with three

variations, each having a unique time stamp and cancelling machine number included

in the dial. These are, “9-AM” and numeral 31, “1030 AM” and numeral 19, and “1-PM”

and numeral 13.

The “1030 AM” and “1-PM” time stamps appear to be outliers. Every cancel type in the

1971 catalog is illustrated with a “9 AM” time stamp. Every FDC in the author’s collection,

with these two exceptions, also shows a “9 AM” time stamp. In addition, every example of

nearly 200 recent listings for Scott 989 FDCs found at internet sellers eBay and HipStamp

shows a “9 AM” time stamp.

What makes these cancel variations even more exceptional is the infrequent use of this

cancel with its event killer as a FDOI cancel. In a survey of over 375 cancellations on Scott

989 FDCs found in the author’s collection and on the internet, less than one percent show

a cancel like “F”, “G”, and “H” (Table 3).

Table 3. Observed types of cancellations on Scott 989 FDCs

Cancel Count Percentage

Hand Cancel “A” 20 5%

Machine Cancel “B” and “C” 160 43%

Machine Cancel “D” and “E” 192 51%

Machine Cancel “F”, “G” and “H” 3 1%

Total 375 100%


37

Summary

The prior FDC cachet catalog for the 1950 3-cent Statue of Freedom stamp, Scott 989,

was published in 1971 with no apparent amendments since then. The information needed

refreshing. This updated catalog adds several newly found plate number position uses and

cancellation varieties on FDCs of this issue.

The author welcomes comments from readers regarding this update. He is interested

in receiving information on the missing FDC plate number positions and other FDC

cancellations or varieties for this issue. In addition, the author is preparing a library of

FDC cachet images for this issue and is interested in receiving by email images of FDC

cachets for a future illustrated cachet catalog. e

References

Eiserman, Monte (1971). “AFDCS Cachet Catalog Part I,” First Days, Journal of the American First

Day Cover Society, [September-October], p.33.

Kimball, Robert (1969). “United States Machine Cancellation Varieties on Pre-1937 First Day

Covers”, First Days, Journal of the American First Day Cover Society, [March-April], p.20.

McFarlane, Andrew (2024). First Day Cover Philatelic Exhibiting: A Master Class, p.103, Silver

Spring, MD.

Mellone, Michael A., ed. (1999). Mellone’s Specialized Cachet Catalog of First Day Covers of the

1950’s, 1st edition, 2nd Printing, pp.7-10, FDC Publishing, Stewartsville, NJ.

New York Times (1959). “Freedom Fair Exhibit Set. Major Project for New Year to Open Here on

April 15”, January 3, p.18.

Post Office Department Information Service (1950). Release No. 683, 23 May.

Scott (2013a). 2014 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers. First Day Covers, p.408,

Scott Publishing Co., Sydney, OH.

Scott (2013b). 2014 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers. Commemorative Stamps,

Quantities Issued, p.549, Scott Publishing Co., Sydney, OH.

Truman, Harry S. (1950). Proclamation 2896—Independence Day, 1950, Washington, D.C., June 27.

United States Postal Service (2007). “Celebrating with Pictorial Postmarks”, Publication 186, Stamp

Services, , Washington, D.C.

mRBajenski@hotmail.com

Did you know?

You can download the

AFDCS Directory of Current Cachetmakers,

edited by John H. White

directly at

https://afdcs.net/resources/Documents/

CM_Directory_202401.pdf


The Opportunities Offered Scholars by

Baffling Cachets

Saul Zalesch

How many collectors deliberately seek to buy covers because their messages

are baffling? I do. When I taught art history, I told students that if a work

of art did not make sense, we lacked knowledge that the artist assumed the

intended audience would bring to the work, or we simply did not think the way

people of that age did, or both. Patrons commissioned art to achieve certain

goals—usually to communicate some message. They wanted audiences to

understand works. Should we expect the same for cover cachets, which are, after

all, miniature works of art whose creation requires the expenditure of time or

money or both?

Could a collection of baffling covers improve historical research by forcing

scholars to realize that they do not understand the past or think as its people did,

meaning that their beliefs and methodologies are unsuitable, even misleading,

when applied to surviving sources from or the circumstances of earlier eras? If

a cachet baffles us, can we get closer to thinking as its maker’s contemporaries

thought by conceiving circumstances or states of mind in which the cover makes

sense? Ideally, in fact, we should aspire to achieving that state of mind in which

the cover not only makes sense but seems exactly right to accomplish the maker’s

goal[s]. Achieving this is usually still beyond our powers, but let’s use some

World War II era covers that puzzle me to see how this process might work.

Figure 1.


39

These covers fall into two categories: those with clear messages, but

which leave us wondering why the maker used specific imagery, or text;

and those that seem to make no sense. Figure 1 shows a cover whose message

is crystal clear, but its imagery, or iconography, is mysterious. It clearly refers

to someone’s having been unprepared for war, but how does the man shown

contribute to this message?

He reminds me of Dickens’ Mr. Pickwick, but I suspect that the cachetmaker

was cruelly caricaturing someone whom viewers were most likely to associate

with lack of preparedness for war, the appeaser-in-chief, the man who claimed

“peace in our times” in 1938: Neville Chamberlain. Although he looked

nothing like this, he always carried an umbrella and often wore a top hat. The

cachetmaker probably now felt free to ridicule Chamberlain, the war in Europe

having ended. How better to do so than by portraying him as this old fuddy

duddy, thick spectacles suggesting his blindness to Hitler’s machinations. Of

course, this is pure guesswork.

I submitted this and all four of my succeeding images to https://images.google.

com/ No other examples of these designs, or even images close enough in

appearance to shed light on the covers they grace, turned up. I have no doubt,

however, that this and other image sites will within a few years be accessing

much larger databases, using improved search engines aided, no doubt, by AI.

I suspect that sites will eventually be telling us who the man in Figure 1 is

supposed to be and possibly name its artist and supply additional examples of

this figure or the artist’s work.

Figure 2.


Our second cover, Figure 2, employs imagery that seems almost the antithesis of

its textual message. By what logic does a scarecrow that actually seems to invite

birds rather than scaring them away evoke a “100% fighter” who’s “fool-proof,

scare-proof ”? For that era a scarecrow naturally brings to mind the Wizard of

Oz film. Its scarecrow lacked and yearned for a brain. This being a Quigs Queen

City Quips cover we must expect a note of humor, but would any cover suggest

that only brainless soldiers could meet the cover’s specifications?

The cachet designer had some patriotic message in mind, but I cannot conceive

any context in which the scarecrow contributes to cultivating a desirable

response. I hope future scholars will do better.

Figure 3.

What should we make of Figure 3, showing a man, whose head is clearly the

globe, standing on letters spelling “WAR”? The question mark tells us he is

pensive. His weight does not compress the letters on which he stands—meaning

that he is not crushing (i. e. eliminating) war. Would his costume or the circling

birds mean something to contemporaries? I draw a blank. I perceive no way to

tell what he is thinking.

Another cover bearing a question mark shows someone ordering a man washing a

floor to “KEEP BUSY FLATFOOT!” (Figure 4) Then and now the term “flatfoot”

means a policeman. Flat feet meant something else, however, during the War. Seriously

flat feet kept some men from being drafted, especially into the infantry. Does this cover

suggest that a sailor ended up in the navy because his feet were flat? Is the kneeling man

a sailor or does the “P” on his back stand for prisoner? Such an inference is reinforced

by the standing figure’s hand on his holster, thus suggesting a guard. But what then

would be the significance of flat feet?


43

Figure 4.

This cover looks like many cartoon covers of the era. This scene would only

read as funny if the kneeling figure was once a policeman who had arrested

the man now guarding and ordering him around. We just can’t know what is

intended here.

My most baffling cover, Figure 5, may, paradoxically, prove highly enlightening

by introducing us to an unsuspected(?) kind of cachet. I paid more for it than

I like to spend on covers because it is so mysterious. Neither the imagery nor

the caption suggests why this fairly elaborate cachet was created. I see no

connection between torpedo boats, a deep-sea diver, and a merman wearing a

beanie cap, something then associated with the hazing of freshmen. And why

is the merman black?

This is the only cover I am aware of from the war years that shows any black

figure apart from village chiefs engaged in barbaric conduct, often cannibalism.

The merman exhibits the stereotypical characteristics, complete blackness,

exaggerated lips, etc., typical in racist imagery of the pre-war years.

While editing the above paragraph I acquired a second copy of this cover. Both

were mailed on March 18, 1943, from military bases in Port Chicago, CA and

Bruning, NE. Both are addressed to people named Warner. This cachet was

apparently created or commissioned by one or more members of the Warner

family, to be seen by and mean something to them. Should we consider this

imagery a private “family” cachet? Are there many “family” cachets? This

deserves serious study.


Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Scholars rely ever more heavily on online resources and search engines. These expanding

databases and improving search engines will lead scholars to kinds of primary sources,

such as postal covers, not traditionally consulted by historians. Scholars, I hope, will

routinely reference the postal covers of the era they study. Baffling covers that turn up

will, I hope, make them realize, as I suggested earlier, that if they want to understand

past eras, they need to conceive the circumstances and ways of thinking whereby these

covers not only make sense but use imagery and text best calculated to accomplish their

makers’ goal(s). e

mszalesch@gmail.com


45

Clocking In

Lloyd A. de Vries

There is a saying that when life gives

you lemons, make lemonade. For

most of its 26 years as an independent

show, the American First Day Cover

Society’s “Americover” event rarely got

the first days of top-of-the-line issues.

Mostly, it got what a former director of

USPS Stamp Services called “the sort of

stamps we issue at stamp shows.” That is,

mail-use definitives.


The coil version of the 10-cent American

Clock stamp (Sc. 3762) was issued at

Americover 2006, held in Independence,

Ohio, just south of Cleveland.

A trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was part of the weekend’s activities. Most cachetmakers

and collectors chose designs and combinations on the theme of Rock Around The Clock, a 1954

rock and roll hit song. Andrew McFarlane chose a clock as his theme. A real clock.

He serviced six to eight cards that could be inserted into clocks. “At one point I did have

the physical clocks for all the dials I had, but never got around to putting them together,” he

told me in an email. “When I finally did, I could only find two of them, and Westclox went

bankrupt around 2000 so I can’t get any more physical clocks.”

A few months later, though, he did find the others.

I have Number Two of those first two. The first-day postmark is at the 12 o’clock position.

The Americover postmark for the first day of the show is at 6 o’clock, and the cancels for

Saturday and Sunday are at 9 and 3, respectively.

The clock works — it even came with an AA battery to power it — and for several months

kept time in my home office. Andrew, who has written several books on exhibiting, including

the new First Day Cover Philatelic Exhibiting: A Master Class, provided some tips on how I

might include it in my “Weird Stuff ” first day cover exhibit, even though the clock is several

inches thick and won’t work well if flattened.

What I did for the version of my exhibit that was shown at Great American Stamp Show

2024 was dismantle the clock and put the face in a cut-down page protector on a page, along

with a photograph of the clock assembled. e

mpresident@afdcs.org

Quick Check List for the World Stamp

Expo 2000 Cancellations and Cachets.

Part 2

Victor Tan

The USPS issued several souvenir sheets during the 2000 World Stamp Expo to

commemorate the achievements in space exploration. After twenty plus years, I think it

would be worth discussing my findings. The various first day cancellations and official pictorial

cancellation, as well as the cancellations found at other locations as serviced by cachetmakers,

stamp dealers and collectors will be presented.

Part IIA. Cancellations

Exploration Moon Landing Escaping Gravity

Cachet

Scott #3412 Scott #3413 Scott #3411a-b

FDCP (signed) Sheet Sheet Sheet

WSE Cards

complete six issues

AFDCS

Alto 1 1 Set of 2

Anagram 0 1 1

Aquarian Silk 1 1 1

ArtCraft 1 1 Set of 2

ArtCraft (L) Sheet Sheet Sheet

Artmaster 1 1 Set of 2

Artmaster (L) Sheet Sheet Sheet

Artopages 1 1 Set of 2

Artopages 0 2 diff.

ASDA souvenir Card Sheet 1 2 Cards

B'nai B'rith 0 1 0

BGC-1 1 1 Set of 2

BGC-2 (L) Sheet Sheet Sheet

Big AL 1 1 Set of 2

Cachet Wunders 0 0 Set of 2

Cachets by Clements 1 1 Set of 2

Collective Cachet-1-5 5 diff. 4 diff. Set of 2

Collective Cachet-astronaut (6-7) 2 diff. 0 Set of 2

Collective Cachet-planet (8-11) 4 diff. 0

Collective Cachet-nebula 1 0

Fred Collins R3201 Q3201 R3201 S3201; T3201

Colorano "Silk" 1 1 Set of 2

Cover Craft 1 1 Set

Cover Craft (L) Sheet Sheet Sheet

Coverlovers Cachets 0 1 3 diff.

Custom Creations-2 2 duo hologram Sheet Sheet

Cuv Evanson Sheet Sheet 2 diff.

Dargis Velvatone 1 1 Sheet

DGW Cachets/Dwight Wallace 1 1 Set of 2

Edken 1 1 1

Edsel Masonic Covers 0 3 diff. 0

Edsel Masonic (crew patch) 0 2 diff. 0

Edsel Masonic combo 3D 0 3 diff. 0

Fine Design Cachets Sheet 1 Set of 2

Fleetwood 1 1 Set of 2

Melissa Fox Sheet Sheet Sheet

Frank Ellis Cachets 1 1 Set of 2

GAMM Covers 1 1 Set of 2

GAMM Covers Sheet Sheet Sheet

GAMM Covers Uncut Uncut Uncut

GAMM Covers (WSE pictorial) 1 1 Set of 2


47

Part IIA. Cancellations, coninued


Cachet


David Ellis Garrett 1 2 diff. Set of 2

Paul R. Gerwitz Sheet Sheet Sheet

gg Cachets-1 Sheet 1 Set of 2 ISS

gg Cachets-2 Sheet 1 3 diff.

gg Cachets-2 0 duo C76 0

gg Cachets-4 0 Uncut Uncut

Jack Ginsburg 1 1 Set of 2

Great Southern Cover Co. 0 0 Set of 2

Heritage Cachets 1 1 Set of 2

Hobby Link 1 1 2 diff.

Homespun Cachets 1 1 Set

House of Farnam 1 1 Set

House of Farnam (L) Sheet Sheet Sheet

House of Farnam (L)

Complete 6 issues

Jet Boy Cachets 1 1 Set of 2

Juvelar 1 1 Set of 2

Limited Edition-G2,4,7,8,11 5 0 rocket; Glenn (2)

Limited Edition-S1a-S1e Set of 5 0 Gemini (Set of 2)

Limited Edition-S2a-S2e Set of 5 0 Apollo (Set of 2)

Limited Edition-V-S1a-S1e(5) Set of 5 0 Skylab; shuttle (Set of 2)

Limited Edition-V-S2a-S2f (6) Set of 6 0 Magellan; Hubble(2)

NASA KSC Exchange (AP-11) 0 1 0

NASA KSC Exchange (ISS)

5 diff.

Norwood Cachet 1 1 Pair

Panda Covers 1 1 Pair

Postal Commemorative Society 1 1 Set of 2

Pugh's Cachet 1 1 Pair

C. W. Ray 1 1 Pair

RKA Covers 2 Sheets 1 Set of 2

Raymond Robinson 0 1 Pair

RRAGS 0 0 Set of 2

Riverdale Covers/RVD Cachets Sheet 1 Set of 2

Pedro Sarmiento - Tan 1+Sheet 2 diff. Set of 2

Space Voyage-blue 0 1 3411a KSC

Space Voyage-blue combo 1912 0 Combo

Space Voyage-brown Houston pict. 1 Set of 2 (brown; green)

Space Voyage-brown Combo #2941 Combo #1435 Set of 2 (brown; green)

Space Voyage-green 1 1 Set of 2

Space Voyage-green 0 Combo #1435 3411a Pasadena pict.

Space Voyage-purple Combo #1434 combo Set of 2: KSC; Anaheim

Space Voyage-purple

3411b Houston CTC pict.

Space Voyage-purple combo #2632

3411b-Uncut

Stamp Collectors (WSE 2000) 1 1 Set of 2

Tan-4 (Richard Sheaff) 1 1

Tan-4 (ISS on white env.) Sheet 2 combo

Tan-5 Sheet Sheet

Tan-5 Uncut Uncut

Tan-4 (WSE pict.) 1

Tan -1 combo 1981 (L)

Uncut

Transcendental Art Council Set of 2

The Stamp News Network 0 1

Therome Cachet 1 Set of 2

Unknown - McCusker

4 diff.

Frank Urnick 1 1 Set of 2

Tan – PITTPEX '81

Pair

Tan - USPS WSE 2000 Card 1

Tan - USPS info Card Sheet Sheet Card

Tan - USPS info Card Uncut Uncut Uncut

Via Cachets 0 1 0

William Smith II 1 1 Set of 2

Wilson Covers 1 1 Set of 2


Figure 7. House of Farnam with all six issues

Figure 8. Tan handcrafted with uncut sheet of $11.75 Space Achievement and Exploration.


49

Part IIB

Vastness Solar System Stampin’ the Future

Cachet

Scott #3409a-f Scott #3410a-e Scott #3414-3417

FDCP Autos Autos

USPS WSE card Set of 6 Autos

GAMM Covers Pre-date (7/6/2000

Houston)

Set of 5 (PR-1)

POLKAPEX-73 Pre-date

PR-1

Space Voyage pre-date

PR-1

AFDCS-1 Sheet Set of 5 Set of 4

AFDCS-2 (Carnegie, Pasadena) Set of 6

AFDCS-3 (4 FD; 2 WSE pictorial) Set of 6

Alto Set of 6 Set of 5

Anagram

Block

Aquarian Silk

Block

ArtCraft Block Set Set of 4

ArtCraft (L) Sheet Sheet Set of 20

ArtCraft (color variety) Block Set

Artmaster (L) Sheet Sheet

Artmaster Block Set Set

Artmaster Set of 6 Set of 5 (PR-1)

Artmaster (Carnegie, Pasadena) Set of 6 Set of 5 (CA1)

Artopages Block Set

ASDA WSE Set of 6 cards Card

ASDA Stamp Festival (1983) 1

B'nai B'rith Set of 6 0

B'nai B'rith Block 0

Bedford Cachets/Chuck DeNinno Set of 6 Set of 5

Bennett Cachetoons ( Joma Greta) Set of 4

BGC Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

BGC (L) Sheet Sheet

Big AL 0 Set of 5

Jim Brady

2 diff.

Cachets by Clements Set of 6 Set of 5 Set

Carol Gordon Cachets combo 0 Set of 5

Carol Gordon Cachets 0 Set

CNYFDCS Set of 4

Collective Cachet-1 Set of 6 Set of 5

Collective Cachet-2 Set of 6 Set of 5

Collective Cachet-3

5 diff.

Fred Collins U3201 3409a, d, e Set Set of 2

Fred Collins V3201

3409b, c, f

Color Copy Cachets Set of 6 Set of 5 3 diff.

Colorano "Silk" Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Cover Craft (L) Sheet Sheet

Cover Craft Set of 6 Set of 5 Set

Cover Craft

Set

Coverlovers Cachets

2 diff.

Custom Creation (L) Sheet Sheet

Custom Creations -magnet 2 diff. #3409a

Custom Creations-3 (#10) Combo #3414+Multiple


Part IIB, continued

Vastness Solar System Stampin’ the Future

Cachet

Scott #3409a-f Scott #3410a-e Scott #3414-3417

Custom Creations-2 #976 3409c, d Set

Custom Creations-2 duo #976 3409c, d 2 diff.

Custom Creations-2 duo #976

3409a,c,d

Custom Creations -Volunteers 3 diff. WSE pict.

Cuv Evanson Set of 6 Set of 5

Cuv Evanson

Set

Dargis Velvatone Set of 2 Set of 5 Set of 4

Dargis Velvatone

combo

Desert Cachets Set of 4

DGW Cachets/Dwight Wallace Set of 6 Set of 5 Set

A. C. Doback Set of 6 Set of 5

Dynamite Covers

Set

Edken 2 strips of 3 Set Set

Fine Design Cachets Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

The Finger Lake Stamp Club Set of 4

Flamingo Cachets- S1 Set of 4

Flamingo Cachets -S2 Set of 4

Fleetwood Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Fleetwood-5

Set

Fleetwood-6 (L) Block of 8

Melissa Fox Block Sheet Set

Frank Ellis Cachets 2 diff Set Set

Bonnie Fuson

3 diff.

GAMM Covers (L) Sheet Sheet

GAMM Covers (L) Uncut Uncut

GAMM Covers Block Set

GAMM Covers (WSE pictorial) 1 1

David Ellis Garrett Set of 6

Paul R. Gerwitz Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Paul R. Gerwitz (L)

Sheet

gg Cachets (L) Uncut Uncut

gg Cachets S1 Set Set of 6

gg Cachets (1A-1F) Set of 6

gg Cachets (3A-1H) Set of 8

gg Cachets (4A-4D) Set of 4

gg Cachets (5A-5C) Set of 3

gg Cachets (6A-6H) Set of 8 Set

gg Cachets

12 diff

Jack Ginsburg Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Jack Ginsburg - daughter Set of 4

Great Southern Cover Co. Set of 6 Set of 5

Great Southern Cover Co.(gold) Set of 5

HAM

Set

Heritage Cachets-1 Set of 6 Set of 5

Heritage Cachets-2 Set of 5

Heritage Cachets-3

Special

Hobby Link Set of 6 1 Set of 4

Homespun Cachets 2 strips of 3 Set Set


51

Part IIB, continued


Cachet


House of Farnam (L) Sheet Sheet Duo pict. Set

House of Farnam Block Set of 5 Set

Jet Boy Cachets Set of 6 Set Set of 4

Jonal Artcovers 2 diff. (a, f) Sheet

JPL (Carnegie, Pasadena) 4 diff 3 diff. (CA1)

Juvelar Set of 2 Set of 2 Set

Junction Cachets -Lonegoat

2 diff.

Ki'I Cachets/Barbara Gibson Set of 4

Lary Cachets Set of 6 Set of 5

LEB Set of 6

LEB (Carnegie, Pasadena) Set of 6

LEB (WSE pictorial) Set of 6

Limited Edition – S1 (McCusker) Set of 6 Set of 5

Limited Edition – S2 Set of 6 Set of 5

LEB Set of 6

LEB (Carnegie, Pasadena) Set of 6

LEB (WSE pictorial) Set of 6

Lock-in-Art Set of 5

Lock-in-Art

Set

Michael Wunderlich Duo $11.75

Miller (Eagle GP) Set of 6

Mystic Stamp Co. Set of 4

Ralph H. Nafziger

3409b

Nancy Ladd Cachet Set of 4

Norwood Cachet Block Set Set

Panda Covers Set of 6 Set

Polish Philatelic Society

3410c

Postal Commemorative Society Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 2

PCS 22K Gold Set of 4

Pugh's Cachet Set Set Set

C. W. Ray Block Set Set of 2

RRAGS Set of 6

RKA Covers Set of 6 Set of 5

RKA Covers-2

3410d

RRAGS

Set

Riverdale Covers/RVD Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Riverdale Covers (#10)

Set

Sofia Sanchez

4 diff.

Pedro Sarmiento – selvage 3 diff 4 diff.

Pedro Sarmiento Set of 2

Pedro Sarmiento (WSE pict.)

Set

Pedro Sarmiento -Ramkissoon

4 diff.

Space Voyage-blue combo 3409a (#1919) 3410a (#1915) (MD1)

Space Voyage-blue 3409f (#1759) 3410b (CA2)+c (TX1)

Space Voyage-blue 3409b; 3409e 3410b (TX1)+1990 KSC E1

Space Voyage-blue 3409b (MD1)+3409e (CA1) 3410d (TX1)+1990 KSC E2

Space Voyage-blue

3410e (TX1)+1990 KSC E3


Part IIB, continued


Cachet


Space Voyage-blue combo IGY

3410a (FL1)

Space Voyage-brown combo IGY

3410a (FL2)+selvage

Space Voyage-brown combo 3409d+966+1919 (FL1) 3410a (FL1)

Space Voyage-brown 3409a+3409d 3410d(CA1)+e (O3)

Space Voyage-brown (uncut)

Uncut 3409b (CA1)

Space Voyage-brown (uncut)

Uncut 3409b (FL1)

Space Voyage-green 3409a (TX2)+3409d (FL2) 3410b+c (CA1)

Space Voyage-green+selvage

3409c (#1919) (TX4)

Space Voyage-green+selvage 3409c (#1919) (MD1) 3410b+c (CA1)

Space Voyage-green (uncut) KSC uncut 3409e (#1919) 3410b (CA2) +1980 Barstow

Space Voyage-green (uncut) Pasadena uncut 3409e (#1919) 3410b (FL1) +1980 Barstow

Space Voyage-purple (uncut) KSC uncut 3409a (Hubble) 3410e (FL1) +1980 Pasadena

Space Voyage-purple (uncut) Pasadena uncut 3409a (Hubble) 3410e (CA1) +1980 Pasadena

Space Voyage-purple 3409a; 3409d (TX4) 3410a (FL1)

Space Voyage-purple 3409c(TX1)+3409f (CA2) 3410c; 3410e (CA1)

Space Voyage-purple

3410e(CA1)+Pasadena E4

Space Voyage-2 duo Hubble+(#1919) 3409a;3409e KSC+

Space Voyage-3 (1976 Viking)

3409f, Pasadena

Space Voyage-4 (1989 Voyager) 3409b, Pasadena

Stamp Collector Series #14 Set of 4

Therome Cachet Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Ted Tompkins (T.N.T.) Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Tan – 4 (ISS) Set of 2 Set of 5 Auto: Hill; Young

Tan (L) handcrafted Sheet Sheet 7 diff. single

Tan (L) handcrafted Uncut Uncut

Paste-on hologram

3 sets of 4

Tan - handcrafted combo Uncut combo Uncut 2 sets of 4

May Day Taylor #3416

Tom's cachet Set of 6

Transcendental Art Council Set of 6 duo Set of 5

The Stamp News Network Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

The Stamp News Network Sheet Set on #10

Unknown Disney- McCusker Set of 6 Set of 5 #3417

Frank Urnick Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

USPS info card Set of 6 Sheet Set of 4

USPS promotion card Sheet Sheet

USPS promotion card Uncut Uncut

Via Cachets #3409a Set of 5

Vintry House Set of 4

Wild Horse #3409e, f Set

Wild Horse combo #976 #3409d

Wild Horse (combo Hubble) Set of 5

William Smith II Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

Wilson Covers Set of 6 Set of 5 Set of 4

USPS-Sandy, UT (2000-07-14)

Auto

Tan (7/14/2000 FL pict.) 1

Tan (7/14/2000 NY pict.) 1


53

First Day Covers Elsewhere in Print by Alan Warren


In the February U.S. Stamp News, Richard Pedersen

illustrates many uses of the 7¢ Prexy depicting

Andrew Jackson, Scott 812. He includes an FDC with a

Harry Ioor cachet dated August 4, 1938. He also shows

the USPOD postcard announcement of the new issue,

as well as an FDC of the electric eye version of the

stamp cancelled October 28, 1941 on a Fidelity cachet.

Andrew Kelly reports in the February The United

States Specialist that an EDU certificate for Sc 535 is

not valid. On close examination of the cover bearing

a stamp, it was discovered to be a trimmed copy of

Sc 529 made to look like an imperf. Therefore the

September 30, 1918 is not an EDU for Sc 535, and

Kelly asks for readers who might provide one.

Rodney Juell continues his series of articles on U.S.

stamp issues with those of the year 1952, in the

February The American Stamp Collector & Dealer. He

shows an ArtCraft FDC of the 4-H Club anniversary

issue, Scott 1005, and a first day use on a parcel label

of the 80¢ airmail issue, Scott C46. In the same issue

of that journal, Edward Mendlowitz contributes his

concluding article on FDCs of the Presidential series,

13¢ through the $5. A variety of cachets are shown.

Lewis Bussey continues his series in the January-

February Postal Stationery, published by the United

Postal Stationery Society, on the Patriot series of U.S.

postal cards. For the 1977 Nathan Hale 9¢ card, Scott UX

72, he shows first day cards with ArtCraft and Fleetwood

cachets. With the 1978 non-denominated John Hancock

card, Scott UX74, he uses first day examples of ArtCraft

and Artmaster cachets, and with the 10¢ inscribed

version of the card released a month later, Scott UX75,

he shows ArtCraft and Fleetwood cachets.

Lloyd de Vries’s column in the February 24 Linn’s Stamp

News is devoted to the FDC exhibits of Todd Ronnei.

His best known displays are those of the U.S. and Great

Britain Winston Churchill issues. Todd has won many

high awards with these exhibits. He has other exhibits

“in the works” as well.

Richard Martorelli reveals the impact on first

day covers due to the death of President John F.

Kennedy, in the first quarter 2025 issue of La Posta.

Two U.S. commemoratives scheduled for release late

in 1963 were delayed after Kennedy’s passing. The

John James Audubon stamp, Scott 1241, originally

intended for release on November 29, was moved to

December 7. The Sam Houston issue, Scott 1242,

was to issue December 19, but actually came out

January 10, 1964. Commercial firms used FDCs of

both those stamps to promote their businesses and

had to adjust the letters enclosed accordingly.

Jens K. Handest is a contributer who writes an

occasional column on Danish varieties in Dansk

Filatelistisk Tidsskrift, journal of the Danish Philatelic

Federation. In the 1-2025 issue he describes first day covers

of the 2009 old maps of Denmark set. The release date was

delayed and as a consequence there are essays of the stamps

on “first day” covers postmarked June 10, and FDCs of the

actual stamps on July 7.

Paul Holland discusses the 1944 steamship Savannah

commemorative issue, Scott 923, in the March issue of

The United States Specialist. He shows a favor FDC sent by

PMG Frank Walter to well-known philatelist Sol Glass, and

another sent by President Roosevelt to Assistant PMG Roy

North. A nicely cacheted one sent to FDR by the Foreign

Commerce Department of the United States Chamber of

Commerce is also seen. Two more illustrated FDCs were

sent from the Merchant Marine Academy.

In his FDC column in the March 24 issue of Linn’s Stamp News, Lloyd de Vries laments the

lateness in announcing details of coming new issues by the United States Postal Service.

Years ago they often released a list of the new issues for the coming year at the APS Great

American Stamp Show in August (formerly StampShow). Now announcements are in

November, and then for only the early part of the new year. This greatly handicaps those

who like to acquire related stamps in advance to prepare combination covers. e

m alanwar@comcast.net

31

That’s the number of active AFDCS Chapters

See the complete list and their contact info at

https://afdcs.net/AFDCS-Chapters


55

Whose Cachet is This?

The Question Box by Alan Warren

Figure 1

Most First Day Cover collectors want to know who the cachetmaker is when they

acquire a new cover. Although there are many cachet catalogs, most of them are in

sad need of updating. AFDCS member John Berg asked whose cachet is seen in the Figure

1 image of a stork and baby.

Figure 2


The cover is not an FDC as the 6¢ orange Scott C19 was issued

the day before, on June 30, 1934. The cover was cancelled the

following day July 1, which was the first day of the new airmail

rate of 6¢. Berg was thorough with his request, adding the Figure 2

image from the back of his envelope. J.W.S. was the abbreviation of

cachet maker Joseph W. Stoutzenberg (1887-1937), i.e. the answer

to his question.

Stoutzenberg was an accomplished designer of cachets and worked for a printing company.

However, he kept this design for use when he learned too late about a new issue or event

to prepare a more pertinent themed cachet. According to his wife Dorothy Stoutzenberg,

Joseph was unable to work the last two years of his life and instead devoted his time to his

hobby as a servicer and dealer. His main focus was airmail.

Stoutzenberg’s first cachet was for the 1928 George Washington at Valley Forge issue, Scott

645. In 1931 he started the Cachet Cover Club which he used to distribute his airmail and

first day covers. Some of his covers can be identified with the interesting borders he designed.

Reference

Heins, Clark. “Artists of the Beautiful – Joseph W. Stoutzenberg,” First Days, January One

1983, pp.115-117. e

m alanwar@comcast.net

ArtCraft Variety Spotlight by Michael Lake

Scott 1062 - George Eastman Centennial

George Eastman was a pioneering entrepreneur and industrialist who is widely

regarded as the inventor of modern photography. He was born on July 12, 1854,

in Waterville, New York, the youngest child of George Washington Eastman and Maria

Eastman. But the family soon relocated to Rochester, New York, where Eastman would

remain for the rest of his life. Tragically, his father died when he was just 7 years old, as

well as an older sister when he was 15. Eastman had to drop out of high school to begin

working and supporting his widowed mother and siblings.

Eastman became interested in photography when he was working as a bank clerk in the

1870s. Photographers at this time used glass plates to capture images, and Eastman developed

a machine to coat those glass plates, resulting in the formation of the Eastman Dry Plate

Company in 1881. But his most notable achievement was his invention of roll film and a

corresponding camera to use with it, eliminating the need for the cumbersome dry plates. In

1888, he introduced the Kodak camera, a name he invented. He was quoted as saying:

“I devised the name myself. The letter ‘K’ had been a favorite with me -- it seems a strong,

incisive sort of letter. It became a question of trying out a great number of combinations

of letters that made words starting and ending with ‘K.’ The word ‘Kodak’ is the result.”

That initial camera (and its successors) revolutionized modern photography, making

it more accessible to the average person. The first cameras were preloaded with film

for 100 exposures that could be sent back to the Eastman Kodak Company for $10,

who would develop and return the prints plus the camera with a fresh roll of film.

The company eventually refined its focus away from cameras to the manufacturing

of film, becoming the leading supplier of film internationally by 1896. The Eastman

Kodak Company was headquartered in Rochester, New York and was the city’s largest

employer, at 23,000 workers by 1934. George Eastman remained one of the city’s

most celebrated figures, though he had given up daily management of his namesake

company in the mid-1920’s.

Eastman never married, and sadly, amid declining health, died by suicide at the age of 77.

In addition to his contributions to photography, Eastman was also a noted philanthropist

who gave generously – a $100+ million fortune – to numerous causes, including education,

healthcare, and the arts, particularly in the Rochester area. In 1918, he established the

Eastman Trust, which funded research in medicine, education, and public health. Eastman

also founded the Eastman School of Music as well as schools of dentistry and medicine

at the University of Rochester. He founded the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and

donated his home to become the International Museum of Photography and Film. Though

he avoided public notoriety and chose to tightly control his image, his name and legacy of

accomplishments live on today.


57

Brigadier General Oscar N. Solbert, Director of the George Eastman House, led the efforts

for George Eastman to be recognized with a US postage stamp. Solbert was backed by

industry luminaries including Adolph Zukor, Chairman of the Board for Paramount

Pictures; Spyros Skouras, President of 20th Century Fox; Eric Johnston, President of the

Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA); and Walt Disney, President and Founder

of Walt Disney Studios. Even Kodak’s competitors – from DuPont, Bell and Howell, Argus,

and Victor – lent their support. G.C. Whitaker, President of Graflex, said in a letter:

“Although it may seem unusual for competitors of the Eastman Kodak (Company),

which Mr. Eastman founded, to endorse such a request, we definitely want you to

know we enthusiastically favor such action.”

After months of intense lobbying with Congressional Representatives Kenneth B. Keating

(R, NY-40) and Harold C. Ostertag (R, NY-37) as well as the USPOD directly, on April

26, 1954, official word came down from Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield that a

George Eastman postage stamp would be released.

On Monday July 12, 1954 – the 100th anniversary of his birth and on what Rochester Mayor

Samuel Dicker declared as “George Eastman Day” – the US Post Office Department held

the first day of issue exercises for the 3¢ George Eastman commemorative stamp, Sc 1062.

Figure 1. Reserved and public seating

tickets to the FDOI Ceremony.

Nearly 3,000 ticketed attendees

(Figure 1) packed the Eastman

Theater in Rochester, New

York for the official release. A

1921 portrait by N.E. Luboshez

(Figure 2) served as the central

vignette for the stamp, which

was similarly designed and

formatted as those of the

“Famous Americans Series” of

1940 (Figure 3).

Figure 2. Portrait of George Eastman taken in 1921 by Nahum E.

Luboshez, the basis for the stamp.


Attendees received

the FDOI ceremony

program, shown in

Figure 4, enclosed

within a first day

cover envelope. Local

newspaper accounts

indicated that the post

office received 300,000

requests for first day

of issue cancellations,

triggering the 40

additional temporary

postal workers to

begin cancelling covers

nearly a week prior

to the stamp’s official

release.

The Washington

Press’s ArtCraft cachet

received “Official First

Day Cover” status

from the Eastman

House, an inscription

borne on all the covers

produced.

Figure 3. USPOD publicity photo for Scott 1062.

Figure 5 shows SEV# 1, the general market cachet, which features the same George Eastman

portrait as the stamp, along with an inset depiction of the Eastman House. ArtCraft cachets received

promotion beyond philatelic circles, as shown in the Figure 6 ad in the Democrat & Chronicle from

Scrantom’s, Rochester’s go-to books and stationery store, offering serviced covers for 15 cents.

Beyond the thousands of covers prepared by collectors, there were many sent by industry

leaders (Figure 7 from competitor Graflex, mentioned earlier as a vocal proponent for

the stamp) as well as local Rochester businesses (Figure 8 from local graphics supplier

H.H. Sullivan Inc.). The Rochester Chamber of Commerce (Figure 9) sent a mailing,

signed by all of their officers, acknowledging Eastman’s gift of the Chamber headquarters,

a Beaux-Arts style building constructed in 1916. Even Henry Berman, an active member

of the Rochester Philatelic Association, touted his involvement with the stamp’s release

to friends and family, mailing ArtCraft FDCs containing the Figure 10 letter on a custom

letterhead adorned with a facsimile of both the framed portrait and “1854-1954” date

text from the ArtCraft cachet.


59

Figure 4. FDOI Ceremony program.

Figure 5. Scott 1062 SEV# 1 general market (with ArtCraft trademark).

Figure 6. Local

stationery

store ad.

Figure 7.

Graflex

FDC insert.


Figure 8. H.H. Sullivan FDC insert.

Figure 9. Rochester Chamber of

Commerce FDC letter.

Figure 10. Henry Berman FDC letter.


61

Figure 11. Scott 1062 SEV# 2 (without ArtCraft trademark).

SEV# 2, shown in Figure 11, is identical to the general market cachet, but without the

ArtCraft trademark. This variety was used primarily by Kodak for its distribution, though

it has been seen with other unrelated, non-Kodak commercial mailings. The Figure 12

stuffer card is the most common version from Eastman Kodak’s domestic headquarters in

Rochester, conveying the company’s best wishes. An alternate domestic variety – Figure

13 – includes messaging referencing a specific sender at Kodak and also includes a line at

bottom right for the sender to write his/her name.

Figure 12. Kodak FDC

insert (generic).

Figure 13. Kodak FDC

insert (personalized).


Figure 14. Kodak Limited FDC insert (Great Britain).

The final stuffer from Kodak’s headquarters (Figure 14) bears a facsimile signature of

Thomas J. Hargrave, Chairman of the Board for Kodak. The card was sent primarily to

recipients affiliated with Kodak’s United Kingdom offices, with most of the covers sent

airmail with appropriate franking (Figure 15). The insert discusses the history behind the

company’s London presence. Note the header text for the Figures 12-14 stuffer cards; all

use the “George Eastman Commemorative Stamp” language in the same cursive font.

Figure 15. Scott 1062 SEV# 2 Kodak Limited FDC (Great Britain).

Another international usage from Kodak’s offices in Belgium used an insert in Dutch

(Figure 16) that translates to:

This is an official “First Day Cover” for the special stamp commemorating the 100th

anniversary of the birth of George Eastman.

The stamp was issued in recognition of his achievements in the field of photography

and in memory of the benefits he has rendered to humanity.

In the belief that you will appreciate the possession of such an envelope, we are

pleased to offer you one.


63

Figure 16. Kodak N.V. FDC insert (Belgium).

Figure 17. Eastman Chemical Products FDC insert.

The final Kodak-related insert came from Eastman Chemical Companies, Tennessee

Eastman, and Texas Eastman Companies – as shown in Figure 17. These were sent to

domestic recipients. The author would like to hear from readers who have seen inserts

from any other Eastman Kodak Company divisions.

Figure 18. Vintage postcard

showing an aerial view of

the Kodak Park Works,

Rochester.


From the Kodak camera to the development of roll film, George Eastman’s contributions

have had a lasting impact on how we capture and share images today. His commitment

to making photography accessible to the masses has democratized the art form and

empowered individuals around the world to document their lives in ways that were once

unimaginable. George Eastman’s vision and passion for photography will continue to

inspire generations of photographers and enthusiasts for years to come.

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Kathy Connor and Angela Possemato at the Eastman Museum

as well as the Local History & Genealogy Division of the Central Library of Rochester and

Monroe County for their assistance.

References

Beeney, Bill (1954). “Rochester Enshrines George Eastman.” Democrat & Chronicle, [13 July].

Brown, Judith-Ellen (1954). “Eastman Day: Rochester Observes 100th Anniversary of Its Most

Famous Citizen’s Birth.” The New York Times, [4 July]. p.144.

“Centennial.” George Eastman Papers 1854-1932 D.138. Dept. of Rare Books, Special Collections,

and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester, n.d.

“Commemorative Stamp.” George Eastman Papers 1854-1932 D.138. Dept. of Rare Books, Special

Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester, n.d.

Democrat & Chronicle (1954). “National Spotlight on City: 3-Cent Stamp to Honor Eastman,” [27

April].

Democrat & Chronicle (1954). “Solbert Lauds Eastman As Truly an Amateur,” [7 July].

Democrat & Chronicle (1954). “C. of C. Pays Its Tribute to Eastman,” [8 July].

Democrat & Chronicle (1954). “Elaborate Ceremonies Today Climax Eastman Centennial,” [12 July].

Eastman Kodak Company (2024). “George Eastman,” Eastman Kodak Company, [May], <https://

www.kodak.com/en/company/page/george-eastman-history/>.

“George Eastman Legacy Collection.” Eastman Museum. Rochester, NY, August 2016.

Getty Images. “Inventor George Eastman by Bettmann.” May 2024. Getty Images, https://www.

gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/george-eastman-in-1921-portrait-by-his-friend-andcolleague-news-photo/515547094

Litvak, Michael (1987). “Not Without a Program,” First Days, [15 April], pp.357-58.

Rochester Philatelic Association (2022). “History & Archives of the Rochester Philatelic

Association,” Rochester Philatelic Association, [April], http://rpastamps.org/archives/index.html

Stamps (1953). “News, Views, & Comments: A Visit to Rochester on June 11-12, 1953,” [27 June],

pp.437-439. e

m mlake7@gmail.com


65

The Great Britain Covers Corner by Michael Dodd

The Royal Observatory Greenwich

Figure 1.

Irecently read that Royal Mail will be issuing a set of stamps in June this year to

commemorate the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, London. At the time of writing

the designs are not available but no doubt you will see them in due course. It occurred

to me this would make a good topic to write about and show some covers and stamps

associated with Royal Observatory issues from past years.

But some history first. The Royal Observatory was founded by King Charles II by way of a Royal

Warrant in 1675, and shortly after John Flamsteed was appointed as the first Astronomer Royal.

He was directed by the King “to apply himself with the most exact care and diligence to the

rectifying of the tables of the motions of the heavens, and the places of the fixed stars, so as to find

out the so much desired longitude of places for the perfecting of the art of navigation.”

The Observatory was built as both a working site and as a home for the Astronomer

Royal and his family, developing and expanding over the centuries to accommodate

the growing staff and remit of the Royal Observatory. The original building’s name is

eponymous with its first occupier and to this day is known as ‘Flamsteed House’.

Following Flamsteed’s death in 1719, nine successive individuals were appointed to the

post of Astronomer Royal, continuing the work into the twentieth century. It was then

decided that the Observatory would need to be relocated. Issues caused by air and light

pollution, and the vibrations from new train lines which interfered with the precision

instruments, meant that the original site was no longer viable. Operations were removed

first to Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex in 1958 and then to Cambridge in 1990.


Figure 2.

Perhaps like me you do not know the names of those who have over the years been

appointed to the position of Astronomer Royal, except for maybe one, namely

Edmond Halley. Halley made many important scientific discoveries, and is perhaps

best known for discovering and predicting in 1758 the return of Halley’s Comet.

Although not featuring the Observatory, I thought I would start by showing the 1986 cover

in Figure 1 which was issued to commemorate the appearance of Halley’s Comet. The image

on the 17p value stamp depicts Halley as the comet.

The first GB issue showing the Royal Observatory was issued in 1975. This

commemorated the European Architecture Heritage Year (Figure 2). The Observatory

featured on the 8p value in this set is shown on its own Colorano FDC in Figure 3.

Figure 3.


67

Figure 4.

On June 26, 1984, Royal Mail issued a set of four stamps to commemorate the

Centenary of the Greenwich Meridian. (Figure 5.)

The Greenwich Meridian is an imaginary line that runs from the North Pole to the

South Pole, passing through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, as shown on the

stamps and on the First Day Cover. It is also known as the Prime Meridian, and is used

as a reference line for measuring longitude on Earth.

From 1884 to 1974, the Greenwich meridian was the international standard prime

meridian, used worldwide for timekeeping and navigation. The modern standard is

the IERS Reference Meridia (International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems

Service), or IRM, (International Reference Meridia). A fascinating topic which you

can easily google to read more about. And yes, as you might expect, the research of

one of the Astronomers Royal, namely Sir George Airy, resulted in him defining the

Prime Meridian at the Observatory in 1851 using the Airy Transit Circle telescope

which he designed. The first observations were made on January 4, 1851. The 28p

value shows the Royal Observatory and the 31p value shows Airy’s Transit telescope.

Figure 5 shows one more cover with these stamps, which I hope you like. It has a

rather interesting US link – the cover bears a US 20c with a special “100th Anniversary

/ Greenwich Mean Time” cancel dated the same day as the British stamps were issued.

This cancel was applied at Meridian Station, Greenwich, CT.

Finally (Figure 6), the 31p stamp from an October 16, 1990 Royal Mail set

commemorating the centennial of the British Astronomical Association, shows the

Royal Observatory and some early astronomical equipment.


Figure 5.

Figure 5.

Figure 6.

I welcome feedback and ideas for future first day cover articles. e

About the Author

Michael can be reached at cddstamps@gmail.com and welcomes feedback and ideas for

future articles in The Great Britain Covers Corner.

His talk on GB Covers can be seen on the AFDCS YouTube channel at

youtu.be/-_yxOEx9CSM. e

m cddstamps@gmail.com

“Night work at Greenwich Observatory: the Great Equatorial Telescope”, from The Illustrated London News,

December 11, 1880


69

Chapter News by D. A. Lux

As a reminder, chapter information is always available on the AFDCS website at

www.afdcs.org/chapters.html. For chapter representatives, send your announcements

of chapter activities to D.A. Lux, PO Box 1831, Allen TX 75013-0062, or email

dalux2041@gmail.com.

Chapter 48, Claude C. Ries

Figure 1.

The Claude C. Ries

Chapter 48 held its

34th annual Tuber-

Fest on December 8,

2024, at the beautiful

Christmas themed

home of Chapter

members Annie and

Bob Lewin. The Lewins

provided the tubers

(baked potatoes),

and the other chapter

members brought ham,

chicken, assorted sides,

drinks, and desserts.

Following the eating, a business meeting was held to discuss chapter events for 2025. Mike Moticha

then gave a presentation on the error and freak Holiday Elves Christmas booklets, Scott 5722-5725,

issued September 15, 2022, that he discovered and purchased at a local Post Office. The findings

were written up and published in the January 30, 2023, and April 24, 2023, issues of Linn’s Stamp

News; examples were brought to the Tuber-Fest to show to the chapter members. After the business

meeting, the Annual Tuber-Fest Live Auction began with Michael Litvak as the auctioneer. The

54 lots this year prompted competitive bidding both from members present and phone/proxybidders.

This year’s auction raised $1,036.00 for the chapter’s activities and donation program.

Attendees received Dave Bennett’s Tuber-Fest event cover, Figure 1, franked with a 2024 Holiday

Joy stamp. Figure 2 shows the Tuber-Fest attendees. Ries Chapter 48 information is available from

club representative Michael W. Moticha at michaelwmoticha@verizon.net

Figure 2.


Chapter 56, Fred C. Sawyer North Texas

The Fred C. Sawyer North

Texas Chapter 56 normally

holds its monthly chapter

meetings on the second

Saturday of each month

(except during the summer)

at the Wineburgh Philatelic

Research Library located on

the campus of the University

of Texas at Dallas (UTD)

but due to construction and

manning issues at the library,

we are temporarily holding

Zoom meetings.

Figure 3.

For the October meeting, we had a presentation on the Owney Mail Dog stamp, Scott 4547, by

D.A. Lux. For November, we had a combined meeting with the Graebner Chapter where we had a

Show-and-Tell where each member presented 2 or 3 of their interesting covers. For December, we

did not have a meeting but rather a Christmas Party at Spring Creek BBQ in Richardson, TX. We

had Dr. Thomas Allen, the University’s archivist and part of the Special Collections Department

at UTD, join us at the gathering as our guest. Figure 3 shows those who were able to attend, from

left: Dr. Thomas Allen, Dave Richmond, Darcy Richmond, Tricia Richmond, Bob Mc Dermott,

Betty Covey, Jesse Covey, Charlie Goodman, and Theresa Goodman. Chapter 56 information,

including membership and chapter covers, is available from me at the email listed below.

Chapter 54, The JAPOS Study Group (Journalists, Authors and Poets on Stamps)

The JAPOS Study Group's Winter 2025 edition

of The JAPOS Bulletin, Figure 4, announces new

officers, Michael Hennessy as president and

Mark Winnegrad as vice president. Cynthia

Scott assumes the duties as Secretary-

Treasurer while retaining her positions as

editor and webmaster. Also announced was

the journal’s award of a Large Vermeil in the

2024 American Philatelic Society’s Star Route

Competition. Editor Cynthia Scott reprises

author Clete Delvaux’s article about the Literary

Arts 2000 stamp honoring Thomas Wolfe, Scott

3444, issued on the centennial of Wolfe’s birth.

Wolfe’s short life, only 38 years old when he

died, did not lessen his impact on the American

literary landscape. His first novel, Look

Homeward, Angel, was published in 1929 and his

last, You Can’t Go Home Again, was published

posthumously in 1940.

Figure 4.


71

Delvaux shows FDCs of the Wolfe stamp including AFDCS Cachetmakers Series,

Artmaster, Collins, Colorano Silk, Fleetwood, and Anon E Mouse. Check out the JAPOS

chapter at https://www.authorsonstamps.org/

Figure 6.

Figure 5.

Figure 7.

Chapter 72, the Gay & Lesbian History Stamp Club

The January 2025 issue, Figure 5, of the Gay and Lesbian History on Stamps Journal, the

newsletter of Chapter 72, the Gay & Lesbian History Stamp Club announces the journal’s

award of a Large Vermeil in the 2024 American Philatelic Society’s Star Route Competition

and a Gold in the 2024 Star Route Website Competition. Congrats to editor Lisa Foster

and webmaster Arthur von Reyn. Author John Stefanek researched and provided over 60

possible LGBTQ-related anniversaries for 2025; what remains to be seen is how many

stamps will be issued—worldwide, not just U.S.—from the names and events on this list.

Editor Foster provides details for ordering First Day cancellations of the latest (73¢) Love

stamp, Scott 5953, featuring Keith Haring’s 1985 drawing Untitled, Figure 6, in the non die

cut version. Figure 7 shows the USPS FDC of the stamp with a DCP cancellation. Chapter

details and information is available from Lisa Foster at glhstamps2@gmail.com

Chapter 67, the Maximum Card Study Unit

The Oct/Nov/Dec 2024 edition of North American Maximaphily, Figure 8, the journal of Chapter

67, the Maximum Card Study Unit, was dedicated to the memory of the late Terry Watson,

beginning with his award-winning “Celebrate the Century with Maximum Cards” exhibit to

illustrate his favorite stories in American History and continuing with a celebration of Terry’s

religious life with “Mille Cherubini.” The former showcased maximum cards highlighting events

and personalities from the start of the twentieth century to the present. It starts with Teddy

Roosevelt, President from 1901 to 1909, Figure 9, a head-and-shoulders portrait franked with

Scott 3182b. It continues with immigration, Scott 3182i, the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk,

Scott 3783, passage of the 19th Amendment, Scott 5523, Lindbergh’s New York City to Paris

solo flight, Scott C10, and public works projects during the Great Depression.


Figure 8. Figure 9.

And more, there is entertainment during the Depression, Gershwin, Scott 3345 and Gone

with the Wind, Scott 2446. Pearl Harbor, Scott 2559i, the Korean War, Scott 3187e, Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr., Scott 1771 and Man on the Moon, Scott 3188c also featured. Not everything

shown in the journal was included in my description, only a few highlights. Mille Cherubini, an

Italian language song based on a German lullaby, is a tribute to the cherubs venerating the Virgin

and Child in paintings and murals throughout Europe and concordant stamps, most from Italy.

Many of the postcards and stamps feature just the cherubs with their implied adoration of the

Virgin and Child. A very fitting tribute to the late editor of the journal. Chapter information is

available from Gary Denis, PO Box 766, Patuxent River, MD 20670.

Figure 10. Figure 11.


73

Chapter 79, Art Cover Exchange

The August 2024 issue of Chapter 79’s From Cover to Cover, Figure 10, announced that Bob

Safarz, a 26 year ACE member, was selected as the Target for the Great ACE Day and, per the

desired outcome, was flooded with hundreds of covers from his fellow ACErs. Other nominees

for the honor were: Frank Faustino, Darcy Richmond, Nan Calora and Gregory Scolieri. Eight

different ACErs won ten different categories in 2023 AFDCS Cachetmakers Contest. See

https://afdcs.net/for-Cachetmaker-Contest for images of the winning covers. The September

2024 issue, Figure 11, announced the passing of ACE member Marilyn Anne Parker, ACE 526,

of Rochester, WA. “ACE Covers Salute Underground Railroad” by John Martin gives a brief

background of the history and showcases several covers, Figure 12, made by his fellow ACErs.


The October 2024 issue, Figure 13, requests

nominations or declarations for ACE officers for the

upcoming year. The President and Vice President

positions are open since the current office holders

have chosen not to run again. The Secretary and

Treasurer are running again but these positions are

open to new candidates to oppose the incumbents.

This issue highlights several FDCs, Figure 14, made

by members including Shaker Designs by Dennis

Gelvin, Foster Miller, and John Martin; sea turtles by

Carolyn Marks; Betty Ford by Darcy Richmond; and

Dungeons and Dragons by Dennis Gelvin and Phil

Edwards. Carolyn Marks wrote an article about the

First Day Ceremony for the Shaker Design stamps and

illustrated many of the FDCs she produced for this

series. Chapter information is available from Joseph

Doles, 105 Lawson Road, Rochester, NY 14616 or

artcoverexchange@aol.com.


Figure 14.


Chapter 78, National Duck Stamp Collectors Society

The Winter 2024 issue of Duck Tracks, Figure 15, from Chapter 78, National Duck Stamp

Collectors Society (NDSCS), announced that Adam Grimm of Wallace, South Dakota,

won the 2024 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest held in September with an acrylic painting

of spectacled eiders. Figure 16 shows the painting in detail. This was Grimm’s third win in

the annual contest and a dozen former winners had entered the contest. Rebekah Knight

of Deepwater, Missouri, placed second with a drake hooded merganser in oil and Abraham

Hunter of Dandridge, Tennessee, was third with a pair of hooded mergansers, also in oil.

The five judges needed six rounds to fill out the podium; only three rounds to determine

the winner but they needed three additional rounds to separate second and third! The

journal sadly announced that Bob Dumaine of Sugar Land, Texas, passed on September

28 at the age of 85. He was a stamp dealer whose Sam Houston Duck Co., started in 1979,

was the go-to source for collectors specializing in ducks. He founded the National Duck

Stamp Collectors Society in 1992. He co-wrote The Duck Stamp Story, published in 2000

and wrote a duck column for Linn’s Stamp News. His wife Rita is a Governor of society.

Chapter information is available from Anthony Monico, NDSCS Secretary, PO Box 43,

Harleysville, PA 19438-0043 or ndscs@ndscs.org.

Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER)

In the Fourth Quarter 2024 issue of Reflections, the quarterly journal of The Ebony Society

of Philatelic Events and Reflections (ESPER), Figure 17, editor Don Neal writes about the

latest Kwanzaa stamp, Scott 5946, issued September 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh, PA. He discusses

the seven founding principles of the holiday that emphasizes the rich heritage of the Black

American community and shows the ESPER-produced FDC for this stamp that is available

for purchase on the ESPER website, https://www.esperstamps.org/esper-s-store. Chapter

information is available from Don Neal, PO Box 5245, Somerset, NJ 08875-5245.

Chapter 85, Connecticut Cover Club

At the December meeting, the Connecticut Cover Club, Chapter 85, had a guest presenter,

Dr. Douglas B. Quine, an expert on postal bar codes. His topic was "Hiding in Plain Sight:

Letter Mail Barcodes, Misdirected Mail, and Modern Postal History." Chapter information

is available from Joe Connolly, jccachet@proton.me e

mdalux2041@gmail.com


75

Charles David Eeles

1944-2025

Closed Album by Alan Warren

Longtime AFDCS member C. David Eeles of Ohio passed away on his 81st

birthday, January 25, 2025.

He was known for his extensive study and exhibit of the 1954 3¢ Liberty series and

he was also knowledgeable in the area of phosphorescent tagging.

David was co-author with Ken Lawrence and Anthony Wawrukiewicz of the

monograph, The Liberty Series, published in 2007. He was former membership

secretary of the Auxiliary Markings Club. David was a life member and supporter of

the American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library.

He served as editor and APS representative of the

Worthington (Ohio) Stamp Club. He was often

seen volunteering at APS StampShow and other

shows at the registration table for mounting and

dismounting exhibits.

In 2004 David received the United States Stamp

Society’s Walter W. Hopkinson Trophy and in

2010 was honored with the APS Nicholas G.

Carter Volunteer Recognition Award at the

national level. He was a frequent attendee of the

show-and-tell sessions held by the American

First Day Cover Society and the Auxiliary

Markings Club at the APS summer shows.

C. David Eeles with just one of his many trophies.


Membership Report

New Members & Changes

The AFDCS Central Office is currently working to transition to a new membership management

system. If you notice information in this report that is inaccurate or incomplete, please email

afdcs@afdcs.org with the details. Thank you for your patience during this transition.

New Members

Allan Tossman (29758)

Cathedral City, CA. Reinstatement

Mike Smith (29982)

Chicago, IL by L. de Vries/ D. Gibson

Steven Heaney (29984)

Sylvania, OH by AFDCS

Keith Failoni (29987)

Peoria, AZ by AFDCS

Curtiss Poormon (29989)

Mineral, VA by AFDCS

Polly Berndt (29990)

Uniontown, OH by AFDCS

Jason Youngblood (29991)

Pflugerville, TX by AFDCS

Letty Kraus (29992)

Fair Oaks, CA by AFDCS

In Memorial of Terry Ogletree

Foster Miller

In Memorial of John Shue

Foster Miller

Graebner Chapter

General Fund

Lyle Boardman

Anthony Dewey

Mary Ellen Fise (29993)

Towson, MD by AFDCS

Kevin Johnson (29994)

Franconia, NH by Eric Wile

Johnnie Payne (29995)

Bartlett, TN by AFDCS

George Marakas (29996)

Coral Gables, FL by AFDCS

Bobby Johnson (29997)

Gibsonville, NC by AFDCS

Joseph Godin (29998)

Ciincinnati, OH by AFDCS

R. Shane Conley (29999)

Dayton, OH by AFDCS

Edward Pieper (30000)

St Louis, MO by Foster Miller

Donation Honor Roll

Ian Gibson-Smith

Robert Helms

Thomas Spitz

John Weiss

Mitchell Zais

March - April 2025

| FIRST DAYS

77

The most valuable of all

talents is that of never using

two words when one will do.

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was the master of concise

and accurate penmanship - but he had to be,

considering his role in the birth of a new country’s

administration and political philosophy.

Writing for First Days, although just

possibly a little less critical from a

historical perspective, is your chance

to share your passion for our collecting

pursuit.

Remember, there are over a thousand

readers you can interact with through our pages,

and you never know what connections you

might make with fellow collectors.

Don’t be put off if you’ve never written an article

before - let your covers do the talking! If you

need some encouragement, just drop me a line at

editor@afdcs.org

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Tony Bard, Editor

78

FIRST DAYS | MARCH - APRIL 2025

Advertising with First Days

Index of Advertisers

American Presidents ............ 19

American Topical Assoc. 21

Anon E. Mouse ................... 15

Boston 2026 .............................9

Collins FDCs ........................ 25

Colorano Silk Covers .......... 15

Dragon Cards ........................ 23

Dutch Country .....Inside Back

FDCsAutographs.com ....... 19

FDCs Online ........................ 10

Geezer’s Tweezers ................ 23

Gitner, Henry .......................... 3

Gold Mine .......................22, 25

Graebner Ch. 17 .......... 15, 19, 21

GASS / Americover............. 13

Henkle, Doug ...................... 23

Inaugurals.com .................... 19

KSC Cachets ........................ 21

Marshall Autographs .......... 25

Mattler, John ................................... 5

McCusker, James T. ....Inside Front

Panda Cachets................. 40-41

RATFACE.net ....................... 25

Virtual Stamp Club .............. 25

Wally Jr. Cachet .................... 15

Whit’s Covers ........................ 19

Advertising Rates

Size Dimensions (inches • cm) Once 3 consecutive* 6 consecutive*

Full Page 5 x 8 • 12.7 x 20.3 $148 $135 ($120) $120 ($105)

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1/2 horiz. 5 x 3-15/16 • 12.7 x 10.0 $90 $81 ($72) $72 ($63)

1/2 vert. 2-3/8 x 8 • 6.0 x 20.0 $90 $81 ($72) $72 ($63)

1/4 horiz. 5 x 1-7/8 • 12.7 x 4.8 $55 $49.50 ($44) $44 ($38.50)

1/4 vert. 2-3/8 x 3-15/16 • 6.0 x 10.0 $55 $49.50 ($44) $44 ($38.50)

1/8 horiz. 2-3/8 x 1-7/8 • 6.0 x 4.8 $35 $31.50 ($28) $28 ($24.50)

1/16 horiz. 2-3/8 x 15/16 • 6.0 x 2.4 $20 $18 ($16) $16 ($14)

* Prices in parentheses are base prices discounted 10% for payment with order or for the entire contract.

Please contact Mark Thompson (615-945-6450 or markrobbin@bellsouth.net) for all

advertising inquiries and for more information on the benefits of advertising in First Days.

2025 FIRST DAYS Tentative Production Schedule

Issue No. &

Cover Date

482

May-June 2025

483

July-Aug 2025

484

Sep-Oct 2025

485

Nov-Dec 2025

Articles & Columns Due Deadline for Ads Production Closed

May 2, 2025 May 15, 2025 May 23, 2025

July 2, 2025 July 15, 2025 July 23, 2025

September 2, 2025 September 15, 2025 September 23, 2025

November 2, 2025 November 15, 2025 November 23, 2025


79

AMERICAN FIRST DAY COVER SOCIETY

Membership Application

Date: ________________________________

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Gold $100 Three-Year $100

Print the following information as you want it to appear in the AFDCS’s official records.

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Email _________________________________ Country ________________________

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Note: family memberships do not receive additional subscriptions to First Days.

I agree to abide by the rules and bylaws of the AFDCS.

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Please publish the following in the members-only directory:

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All members, except online members, receive six issues of First Days per year by mail. All

members have access to the online version of First Days. Online members have access

to the online version only. Submit your dues with your application or join online at the secure

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AFDCS

P.O. Box 57, Somerset, WI 54025-0057

AFDCS@AFDCS.ORG | www.AFDCS.org


回

Front cover photo:

“My Beau Brownie

/ No. 2”, by Images

George Rex.

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