J501

Knoxville World’s Fair

Solar Energy,  Synthetic Fuels, Breeder Reactor, Fossil Fuels

Collins Cover Announcement 

ENERGY - KNOXVILLE WORLD'S FAIR

This issue of four Energy Stamps was one of considerable interest to many collectors because of its theme and also because it was released in conjunction with the World's Fair in Knoxville. It was an interesting trip for me starting with the flight on April 28th since fellow passengers included a large college musical group scheduled to perform at the Fair and a group of oriental exhibitors. The right ear listening to low-volume but high-spirited harmonizing and the left ear listening to a strange dialect from the Far East certainly started my journey in a pleasant if somewhat unusual manner.

The next morning, bright and early, I was headed in a cab downtown. Past the Fair parking areas (most car visitors were to be bused), past the University of Tennessee campus, past the Fair itself and on to the Post Office. It was a large corner building, and I was surprised at the number of collectors and dealers present. Many more than usual and I think this is an indication of the interest in this issue - an extra incentive, I believe, for you to consider adding this cover to your collection. Several collectors told me that my cachet was the only one present they had seen that actually said "Knoxville World's Fair".

A pair of stamps was hand canceled "First Day of Issue" at Knoxville. Then it was back to the airport for a flight to Pittsburgh. Then a commuter flight to Franklin, PA where I rented a car and drove to Oil City - my unofficial. There, an unofficial First Day hand cancel was applied to the opposite pair. This is a very fine related unofficial since so much of our energy needs depend on oil. Also, very near-by is where Drake drilled the first oil well in the United States. Keeping with my theme of oil, the hand painted cachet shows an off-shore oil rig with a ship approaching. Colors used are the blues, browns, purples and oranges of the stamp and a very different effect is accomplished by making it a "sunrise" where the ocean waters and sky blend together in oranges and yellows.

With the covers finished, I set off on my 7 to 8 hour drive home via Route 80. It was a long drive after a long day, but once again, I felt happy that another FDC had been produced that true collectors could appreciate.

Item No. J501 - $6.00