E1901s

Flora and Fauna

Blue Bird & Cardinal

Fred Collins Signature

Collins Cover Announcement 

BIRDS 

Cardinal - Thirty cent 

Bluebird - Three Cent

This pair of COLLINS hand-painted First Day Covers features two of America's favorite birds -- the crimson red cardinal and the brightly plumed eastern bluebird. What a great twosome!

Female and male cardinals perch among the pine needles and cones of an emerald green tree. The male with his exciting red feathers is always a delight to glimpse in the wild. In her own right, with red head crest, wings, and tail feathers, the female is also a joy to see. The pair together, framed by green pine, is a feast for the eyes. A lake in the background picks up the delicate colors from the sky and reflects them softly on the quiet surface.

A single stamp has received a First Day cancelation from Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. Fittingly, it is in red magenta ink which goes nicely with the color scheme of the cachet and stamp. Do take note of how the relatively small area of sky and water divides the intense colors of the perched cardinals and the stamp with the postmark. This subtle use of pastel watercolors further enhances the bright power colors that dominate this First Day Cover.

Three hungry mouths open wide as a bluebird has arrived at the nest with breakfast. Home to this trio of ever-hungry youngsters is the cavity of a tree. The gray bark provides a nice background contrast for the bright blue feathers of the adult bird. A pastural landscape of trees and grass provide a nice view from the "picture window" of the happy bluebird home.

Both the cardinal and bluebird stamps went on sale in Aurora, Colorado just outside of Denver. After picking up the stamps, both the bluebird stamp and the cardinal stamp (to meet postage requirements) were affixed to the cover. They are canceled with the "TOPEX '91" Show postmark which was only available to those there in person. The cancel reads "A Mile High Philatelic Experience" which would give a nice bird's eye view perspective to these particular issues.

"Red Feather Lakes" -- what a great related First Day cancel for a cardinal stamp. And, the postmark from this small post office is indeed of excellent quality. And then there is the show cancel with its Rocky Mountain theme which gives the bluebird stamp its First Day status. A cancel only obtained by those willing to travel to Colorado on issue date. To go along with these terrific cancels are the superb hand-painted cachets. A cheerful bluebird and a pair of picturesque red cardinals.

Our fine feathered friends. The cardinal is C1901 at $9.75 and the bluebird is E1901 at $9.50.