A2802A

Department of the Air Force

50th Anniversary - Four F16 Falcons

Collins Cover Announcement 

United States Air Force

Three Generations Cachet

The subject matter for my hand-painted cachet for this issue was essentially a "no brainer." My dad, Fred Sr., was a B-17 crew member flying bombing missions out of England in World War II. It was the Army Air Corps then, and he was part of General Hap Arnold's Eighth Air Force.

In the 1960's, I followed in Dad's footsteps and joined the Air Force. During my tour of duty, I worked exclusively with the C-123 aircraft and crossed the Pacific to Vietnam in one - island hopping with stops at Hawaii, Midway, Wake, Guam, and the Philippines.

A few years ago, my son Tim enlisted in the Air Force, making him the third consecutive generation of the Collins family to do so. He is currently flying as a crew member of an AWACS plane which plays a vital current role in defense of our country and its vital interests. This cover is postmarked at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma which was Tim's first permanent assignment. Coincidentally, Tim's enlistment anniversary date happens to be September 18 which, amazingly, is the date of issue.

Since our family has spanned the full fifty years of the Air Force from before 1947 to beyond 1997, I thought that a Collins cover bringing it all together was a "must." It pictures the B-17 "Flying Fortress" of my father's era, the AWACS early warning, communications, and radar plane that Tim currently flies in, and the C-123 "Provider" that I logged so many hours in during the 1960's. This will certainly become a key cover and "must own" item in any Collins collection. The three planes that have soared into the "wild blue yonder" with each of us. The United States Air Force "Three Collins Generations" cachet. Item #A2801. $11.75.

Spring 2022 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 24 A2802 — U.S. Air Force (9-18-97)

This is the cachet variety that was created at the request of the American First Day Cover Society. I donated unserviced covers which they sold as a fund raiser, and this has resulted in hundreds of different postmarks from around the country. The one I did has a large circular U.S. Air Force Academy first day postmark, and hand painting is added to the printed red, blue, and black cachet. This is "the" A2802 that avid Collins collectors will want. My dad, son, and I all served in the Air Force, and our three-generation story of the Wild Blue Yonder is related on pages 98 to 101 of the book. Background on my A2802 is given on page 253. This cachet features a flight of four F16 falcon jets and also has the seal of the Air Force and the logo of the American First Day Cover Society. Add the first day postmark from the Air Force Academy, and you've got a truly great collectible. This was the first and only time I've released an unserviced cover, and this one will be in growing demand as the years go by. Watch for this cover to soar — just like the Air Force!