F505

State Birds & Flowers

California

Collins Cover Announcement 

STATE BIRDS AND FLOWERS

For new customers of the last month or two and for older customers who have yet to order my Bird and Flower set, I would like to make this final announcement concerning my plans. If you would like this set at original price, it's now or never.

The fifty drawings of the State Birds and Flowers have been completed and they came out even better than anticipated. Each of the fifty cachets will be hand painted, and I can only say that it will be a beautiful set of covers. The subject makes it a natural for watercolors, and the end result will be one of the finest sets of FDCs ever produced. Each cover will have two cancels, official "First Day of Issye" and a related unofficial cancel. It certainly has to be the most complex and time consuming project ever attempted in First Day Cover history when you consider the man-hours of hand painting required.

Due to this time requirement, the covers will be sent out at a rate of two per month and the cost will be $5.50 each. In order to make this lovely set affordable to everyone, payment can be made at the rate of $11.00 per month for 25 months. Your first payment should reach me by March 30th and then by the 30th of each month thereafter.

If you decide to cancel order before First Day of Issue, I will refund all money received in full. If you decide to cancel after First Day of Issue, I will refund in full if all covers received to date of request are returned so that I can offer a full set to someone else.

When seeing what individual COLLINS FDCs are going for, I'd predict that this set would be an excellent addition to your collection not only because of its beauty or collectability, but also because of its potential value in future years. I anticipate doing about 400 to 500 sets and there is no doubt that they will be fully subscribed before First Day of Issue and unavailable  from me thereafter. If at all possible, don't miss out on these covers - as I've said before each promises to be a gem, and taken together as 50, they may be the crown jewels of modern FDCS.

Winter 2020 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 32 F501 to F550 — State Birds and Flowers (set of 50) — (4-14-82)

This End of Sale lot is an awesome set, and if you want a truly spectacular group of early Collins covers, this is it. In fact, on April 14th they will be 40 years old — a classic. In 1982, I had only been a cachetmaker for a few years, so it was a massive undertaking for me, but from the time the stamps were announced by the Postal Service I knew "I was in." Each of the fifty hand painted cachets in the set would have a different State Bird and State Flower stamp. The opportunity to work with nature's beauty in watercolors was at hand. I was not about to let it slip by. This historic set of Collins first day covers helped to cement their reputation. Each and every cover in this set is individually hand painted with 100% of the color achieved brushstroke by careful brushstroke. Please take another look at the illustrations. Each cover has the respective State Bird stamp tied to the envelope with the official slogan "First Day of Issue" cancel from Washington, D.C. I rem ember searching for a perfect second postmark for the set, and I found it right here in my own state. Each cover also has a second stamp which has a beautiful large, bold postmark from Audubon, New Jersey. It somehow just seems right that John James Audubon (the famous bird and wildlife artist) is associated with this set.