P2201

Definitive Issue

Bald Eagle

Collins Cover Annoincement 

EAGLE

For those collectors who enjoy my wildlife cachets, this is one to savor. For those who like something that is bold and dramatic, this is a beauty. And, if a patriotic theme stirs you in a positive way, this hand-painted rendition of our national symbol will make a superb addition to your collection.

I chose to portray the proud eagle in an extreme close-up pose against a black background. The final achievement was definitely one of my best FDCs of the year and one of the finest wildlife cachets I've ever produced. When you get it, view it from a number of perspectives. Look at it in natural day light. Enjoy it again at night under artificial light. View it from three feet away, eighteen inches away, and close up. Seeing it under different lighting and from varied distances will let you truly appreciate what hand painting can achieve on a First Day Cover cachet.

This is a direct and straight-forward portrayal of a powerful creature. The penetrating eye. The powerful beak. The distinctive sweep of the white head feathers. In all honesty, the more you look at this cover the more it will capture you. It is framed in subtle blue which seems to define the artwork just right without intruding or distracting from the strong and resolute bearing of the eagle itself.

The red and blue self-adhesive was issued during the Sarasota National Stamp Exhibition which hosted the American Philatelic Society's spring meeting. It has the First Day cancel from that Gulf Coast Florida city. Above the stamp, a small rendition of a bald eagle in full flight is depicted and above that in individually hand-painted large letters, the word EAGLE appears in red.

In my opinion, this COLLINS will be considered a classic. No distractions. No frills. No nonsense. There will be only one thought that enters the minds of viewers of this powerful cachet. That thought will be of the confident and majestic creature that represents our country. The American Bald Eagle. Item #P2201. $10.75.