H3101

Universal Postal Union

Worldwide Postal System

Collins Cover Announcements 

UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION

A Very Special Collins First Day Cover

If you consider all of the features that this cover combines, you may decide to order an extra one before I sell out. An easy prediction on my part is that once I'm sold out this cover will be extensively sought on the open market and will increase in value.

The new stamp brings attention to global postal cooperation and specifically to the Universal Postal Union between different nations. It is canceled at an overseas postal station in Beijing, China. Since it is a United States stamp, I decided to concentrate on an Americana theme cachet dealing with the transport of U.S. mail. The red, white, and blue design of the stamp lent itself nicely to this endeavor.

Two historic aspects of mail delivery that have always intrigued collectors were the beginning of airmail service and the short-lived saga of the Pony Express. My hand painted cachet shows an early airmail plane being readied to take off. A mechanic gives the engine a final tune-up as the pilot waits to go with the bags of U.S. mail. In a split cachet, a Pony Express rider gallops westward toward California with letters safely secured in a specially designed saddle with attached mail pouches. Faith letter he carries has been stamped with a unique Pony Express cancel. The watercolors used bring the early airmail and Pony Express scenes vividly to life.

A final feature makes this a unique item. Since the stamp has a China location for its First Day postmark, I felt a U.S. presence would also be appropriate. I've added a rubber stamp replica of the historic Pony Express cancel with the August 25th date and San Francisco as the city. Mail departed there in earlier days by clipper ship and later by the famous flying clipper aircraft for the Far Fast including China. The Bay City was also the destination for many of the pieces carried by the Pony Express riders. This cancel ties the new Universal Postal Union stamp to the cover as does the First Day postmark. It is quite a FDC!

You will surely enjoy adding this attractive collectible to your holdings. With the early airmail and Pony Express eras being represented in one hand painted cachet, it is sure to become a hobby classic. The historic Pony Express cancel complementing the present-day Beijing, China postmark assures that it will always remain a very special Collins First Day Cover. Universal Postal Union - Item #1-13101. $13.50.

Spring 2021 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 27 H3101 — Pony Express/Early Airmail Cachet — 8/25/99

The hand painted cachet for the Postal Union stamp is a beauty. Using a split cachet design and choosing movement of the mail as my theme, the resulting artwork conveys exactly the intended postal images. To the left, an early airmail plane is being readied for flight. The pilot is poised to climb aboard with the sacks of U.S. mail. To the right, a Pony Express rider gallops at full speed across the open range. The specially designed mail pouches are prominently shown beneath the saddle of the running horse. As a truly unique touch, I had a rubber stamp reproduction of the famous Pony Express cancel made with the August 25th issue date. This custom cancel, which mirrors those in actual use on Pony Express mail, ties the stamp to the envelope as does the first day postmark. This cover sold out very quickly, and I've rarely seen it offered for sale. To find an early airmail plane and a Pony Express rider on one well designed, hand painted first day cover is a combination that will make this Collins more and more difficult to locate.