S1901

Space Exploration

Mercury, Mariner 10

Collins Cover Announcement 

SPACE EXPLORATION

Mercury/Mariner 10 

The surface of Mercury is pockmarked and very similar in appearance to our own moon. At one time it was thought that one side was always facing the sun and boiling hot and the other side facing away from the sun was bitterly cold. It was thought that there was a small strip where the two sides met where the extreme conditions would moderate each other. In the 1960's it was discovered using radar techniques that both sides of the planet receive equal shares of light and dark. But...extremes are a reality as daytime temperatures reach as high as 800 degrees and at night the thermometer plunges to -300 degrees.

Shown on my cachet is the spacecraft Mariner 10 which passed within a close 431 miles of Mercury. It took almost 3000 photos of the surf ace,and we now have excellent actual images of the planet's appearance. In addition to photos, Mariner also measured topography, temperature, and magnetism. It truly was a space explorer. The Mercury stamp has the Day of Issue bullseye cancellation.

This cover is the eighth to be offered in the Solar System set of ten. The final two -- Mars and Pluto will be coming up soon, and there will be a COLLINS innovation and surprise for you with Pluto when I conclude the set. Something that will once again add that something special to your COLLINS collection. Space will always be a heavily collected topical, and I'm pleased to offer Mercury -- closest planet to the sun. Item #S1901. $8.75.

Winter 2026 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 20 S1901 — S1910 — Solar System Space Stamps (set of ten covers) — /0/1/91

The USPS "Space Exploration" stamps, issued October 1, 1991, featured the nine planets and Earth's moon with their respective spacecraft, celebrating the solar system and kicking off National Stamp Collecting Month. The heavenly bodies shown are Mercury, Venus, Earth, (Earth's moon), Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto.

The USPS partnered with Paramount Studios to promote the stamps. The studio was celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Star Trek movies and television series. The stamp designs were unveiled on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, the space vehicle featured in the series.

These stamps show some of the spacecraft and the images of the planets they captured as they flew by. Discoveries continue to be made with the space probes that still travel our solar system."

Each of my ten hand-painted first day covers depicts one of the nine planets plus the Earth's moon. Since Pluto had not yet had a fly-by or been explored by any manmade craft, I depicted the US.S. Enterprise from the show Star Trek.