C2102

American Music

Elvis Presley Teddy Bear Cachet

Subscriber-Only Edition

Collins Cover Announcement 

ELVIS PRESLEY

Limited Edition - Subscriber Only

This Collins was produced for subscribers only and will become a unique and intensely sought FDC collectible. There is much interest in the covers produced for "The King" and since this item is so limited, it's appeal and value will reflect accordingly. As with all of my subscriber only editions (two per year) no extras are available and of course none are obtainable by non-subscibers.

First of all, I wanted to dedicate this cover to my momMargaret Collins. From the time she first saw "Elvis the Pelvis" on the Sunday night Ed Sullivan show she sensed something was different about this young, magnetic singer. The style, appearance, and presentation were all something new and in deep contrast with all else in the entertainment industry.

In the early years, the young Elvis stayed pretty much within societal norms and his songs were usually very entertaining, easy to listen to, and had catchy lyrics. It was the young Elvis who is remembered as the bright, new star who commanded national prominence. (In later years as his personality, entertainment, style, and personal image slipped, Mom and many others were no longer active fans but preferred to remember the Elvis that was - the young boy who would become King). Thus, a fond look back toward a memory that will never fade. A look to the peaceful fifties when Mom was rooting for the Brooklyn Dodgers and listening to the mellow and up-beat voice that could only belong to Elvis.

The cover is a story in itself. I know I wanted to do a "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear" cachet (the title of one of his hit songs) because my Dad's nickname was Ted and when I was very young mine naturally became Teddy. To fit that in I looked for an appropriate postmark and I found a Bearsville near the famous village of Woodstock, New York. You can image my delight when I arrived on issue date and found that they had available a special "Elvis Station" pictorial postmark which depicts Presley at the microphone during a performance. The postmaster said that as far as she knew, it was the only special postmark in the whole Kingston district. A few local collectors obtained it, of course, but I was the only cachetmaker to use it so it provides a tremendous philatelic bonus to this already highly collectible Collins cover.

The handpainted cachet pictures a lovable Teddy sitting on a rocking chair ("claw" style arms of course) while in the backgound a record player (remember those?) stands ready with an abundant supply of Elvis hits. And, to the upper right, there is Elvis on T.V. (Yes, color had recently been introduced and we were the first in our neighborhood to obtain one - only a very few shows at first were done in color). And, in the lower left I dedicate this Collins to my mom (who gave me my very first cover in 1957 - an event cachet for the anniversary of the Paterson to Deckertown stagecoach. I still have it and this was "the item" that introduced me to the world of cover collecting). Thanks for the memories of a wonderful childhood from Teddy. Limited edition for Elvis Presley. Collins #C2101. $9.75.

Autumn 2019 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 26 C2102 — Elvis Presley — subscriber-only cachet variety — 1/8/93

This exclusive Elvis variety was a subscriber-only edition. I dedicated it to my Mom who was an avid Elvis fan. It has a "Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear" cachet with a room reminiscent of the 1950s. I made the pre-dawn trek to Bearsville, New York for a very appropriate Elvis pictorial first day cancel. When the door was unlocked, I was totally amazed and surprised to see that the postmistress had acquired a special Elvis pictorial postmark for her Bearsville office. I had gone for the name only expecting a standard cancel. Instead my Mom and my subscribers would get an incredible first day postmark. It's magenta, it's large, and it has an image of a performing Elvis and a line stating that for that one day, Bearsville was an "Elvis Station." It should be mentioned that this was a much-publicized national release, and that the nationwide public frenzy that day will probably never be seen again. This cachet variety is a rare one because it only was made for subscribers. It has a teddy sitting on a claw-armed rocking chair. A color television which became increasingly popular during the Elvis era. And, the familiar portable record player so widespread in the mid-20th Century. It has personal significance as across the very bottom it reads -Dedicated to Mom (Margaret Collins), devoted Elvis fan."