W1703s

Sea Creatures

Northern Sea Lions 

Fred Collins Signature  

Collins Cover Announcement 

SEA MAMMALS

Could there be any doubt that this set of Sea Creature stamps -- Sea Otter, Dolphin, Sea Lion, and Killer Whale -- would be among the most popular U.S. nature stamps? It was the year's most publicized stamp issue.

I wanted to do something very special for COLLINS Covers and the end result was a set of FDCs that combine the very best elements of the hobby. Large, colorful stamps dealing with a popular topic. "Entire" hand-painted cachets that use the entire face of the envelope. And, astounding related First Day postmarks that required every minute of the day and a dreadful amount of money. But.. .the results were worth the anxiety of First Day pressures and the expense. The results are another COLLINS exclusive.

The night before the issue date, Tim and I flew down to Baltimore. Already there were neighbors Hank and Barb who were going to help out on their way to visit their son. On the morning of Oct 3rd, Hank and I drove to the main post office and waited on line to get the new stamps. The post office was not organized or ready and the delay in getting the stamps was frustrating as precious moments slipped away. Finally, with stamps in hand, it was back to the hotel. Then, along with Maureen who has helped me out over the years, the five of us "licked and sticked" as we affixed the new stamps to the covers. Our first objective was to get Hank and Barbara "on the road" with the Dolphin and Killer Whale covers. As they departed, Maureen drove Tim and me to the airport where a charter plane awaited us. The pilot had secured coffee, donuts and newspapers for us but we had no time for those tempting distractions. For, as the small plane flew on its northeast course, Tim was putting the Sea Otter stamps on cover and I was working on the Sea Lion. As we worked relentlessly above the clouds, Maureen returned to the hotel and started putting four stamps on the fifth and final cover. Tim beat me by a few stamps and helped me finish up. Soon we touched down at our destination -- Bangor, Maine. Quickly picking up our rental car, we headed east toward the ocean. Driving through Bar Harbor, we soon were cruising along the coast to our twin final destinations -- the villages of Otter Creek and Seal Harbor, Maine.

Meanwhile, as we were winging our way to Maine and driving along the rocky coast, Hank and Barbara had headed south to southern Virginia. They spent the afternoon in the towns of Dolphin, Virginia and Whaleyville, Virginia getting the respective covers postmarked. Tim and I were doing the same in Seal Harbor, Maine and Otter Creek, Maine. After finishing in Baltimore, Maureen had driven east to the Atlantic and had her cover canceled at Oceanview, Maryland. This cover, W1701, will be offered at a later date.

As you can imagine, Tim and I were exhausted at day's end. We enjoyed some fresh coffee and donuts on the way home and we reminisced about the day's adventures. The pilot was able to land the six seater at a local airport and my wife was there to meet us a little after 8 p.m. Tim has developed into a valuable helper and I'm glad he is getting this trip experience as future years will provide many opportunities for him to follow in his dad's footsteps across the country.

The hand-painted cachets complement the stamps very nicely. I opted to use "aqua" water in the cachets so that they would go hand in hand with the distinctive aqua stamps.

The four cachets are action orientated. My sea otter drifts along on his back enjoying a meal of a brightly colored sea urchin. Two killer whales simultaneously leap high above the ocean's surface. A pair of sea lions frolick on a rocky coast. Beneath the surface a trio of dolphins dart playfully about. All four of the cachets are different and yet the over-all coloring and layout easily make them recognizable as a beautiful set of four.

No other cachetmaker would even attempt a plan as bold as this. Everything had to work perfectly for the entire project to be a success. It did. The cost per cover is slightly higher than usual due to the cost of making this set, especially the private charter flight from Baltimore to Bangor. I do expect a sell-out. This set will always be in demand as collectors of the future seek it out. Seal Harbor, Maine! Whaleyville, Virginia! Otter Creek, Maine! Dolphin, Virginia! Fantastically "related" postmarks actually obtained on First Day of Issue. Only from COLLINS. Set of four. Item numbers W1702-W1705.  $48.00

Summer 2024 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 14 W1701 to W1705 — Sea Mammals set of five — 10-3-90

This min-set of five covers combines the very best elements of the hobby — large, colorful stamps dealing with a popular topic, "entire" hand-painted cachets which use the complete the face of the envelope, and outstanding first day postmarks. To accomplish our lofty goal of getting all of the desired, related cancels, it took five people, multiple cars, a chartered plane, and a lot of luck.

Wow! The stamps were issued in Baltimore, Maryland where we all spent the night before the stamps were released, and several of my friends as well as my son Tim and I were poised to go in three directions first thing in the morning on the day of issue to seek wonderful, related cancels on the Sea Mammals stamps that had just been purchased. 

Barbara and Hank took two of the stamps — the dolphin and killer whale — and while Hank drove, Barbara separated the stamps and placed them on the envelopes. When they reached Dolphin, Virginia, they had the envelopes with the dolphin stamp canceled with a magenta first day of issue postmark. Then they resumed their journey southward, stopping just before reaching North Carolina where the killer whale covers were canceled with a Whaleyville, Virginia cancel with killer bars on the opposite pair.

Meanwhile our friend Maureen drove Tim and me to the airport to catch a chartered plane after which she returned to the hotel to put stamps on the covers that she was getting canceled that day. She drove to the post office where two of the four stamps received a Baltimore, Maryland bullseye postmark. For the other pair of stamps, Maureen headed south down Maryland's famed Eastern Shore where she had her covers canceled with a day of issue cancel from Ocean City. This is a perfect cancel for the Sea Mammals mini-set, however the cancels are faint.

While Maureen, Barbara and Hank were working on obtaining cancels in Virginia and Maryland, Tim and I headed north in the chartered plane and finished putting stamps on our envelopes just as we landed in Bangor, Maine. We quickly hopped into a rental car and headed eastward toward the sea. Our two stops were at the very small post office of Otter Creek, Maine, where we had the Sea Otter stamps canceled and shortly thereafter at Seal Harbor, Maine where the sea lion envelopes received their Seal Harbor, Maine cancels with killer bars.

Each of our three units completed their goals just before closing time at the respective post offices. It was very close for all of us, but everyone was ecstatic that our missions were accomplished. The snippets from this first day cover odyssey barely touch the surface of how this mini-set came into being. For an interesting in-depth look at this involved saga, you might like to read the story from my book on pages 82 and 83. It truly was A Whale of a Day