American Illustrators

Marine Corps Poster by James Montgomery Flagg

Cover Announcement 

It is with a sense of professional anticipation and personal delight that I announce a new set of individually hand painted First Day Covers. Usually a series of covers - however grand - such as the ongoing "Legends of Baseball" and "Stars and Stripes" offers a single theme upon which all of the covers are based. I enjoy that mode of cachet design very much and I'm sure that each collector currently receiving the Baseball and/or Flag FDCs will attest to their quatity and beauty. This set of American Illustrators offers me an entirely different opportunity, however, as each and every stamp pays tribute to one of twenty famous and illustrious American artists. It is with much relish and unabashed excitement that I embark on this new Collins project because I am determined that the final product will be an awesome group of covers which will always be actively sought collectibles within the hobby.

When I say above that this set will be a "collector's treasure trove," I do not think it is an overstatement. It is, in fact, an opportunity to bring to cachet art within our FDC hobby a sampling of our greatest and most talented illustrators all within the confines of one super set of covers. Just thinking about it brings a tingle to my spine.

The first cover I'll be sending in this terrific set is "Treasure Isiand" based on an illustration by Newell Convers Wyeth used in Robert Louis Stevenson's famous yarn of swashbuckling pirates. In my hand painted cachet, Long John Silver leads his young captive Jim Hawkins on a rope tether. The fearsome one-legged pirate carries a musket, wears a cutlass at his side, and has a parrot perched on his shoulder. It is very well done, and you will enjoy having this philatelic portrayal of the classic adventure story Treasure Island in your eollection.

As each individually hand painted FDC arrives in successive months, the set will amaze you as to its variety of cachet subjects and the beauty of the individual watercolors of each cover. You'll receive Frederic Remington's exciting look at cowboys in the Old West * Rockwell Kent's distinctive style in illustrating the story of the great white whale - Moby Dick  * James Montgomery Flagg's bold artwork of patriotic Americana * Arthur Burdett-Frost's whimsical rendition of those lovable characters from the tales of Uncle Remus - Br'r Rabbit, Br,r Fox, and Br'r Bear * Robert Fawcett's depiction of that legendary detective - Sherlock Holmes * Harvey Dunn's powerful presentation of life on the prairie * and Norman Rockwell's traditional a rendering of American life at its best. In addition to the works of these eight artistic giants, twelve other distinguished American illustrators will have their work represented in this magnificent set of Collins First Day Covers.

Every First Day Cover enthusiast will love this magnificent array of individually watercolored cachets. How could it not be so? Remington's Old West. * Rockwell's America * Kent's Moby Dick * Flagg's patriotic passion * Frost's Uncle Remus * Phillip's stylish women * Fawcett's Sherlock Holmes * Dunn's Dakota prairie * O'Neill's kewpie dolls * Cornwell's adventure paintings * Whitcomb's World War II illustrations * Parrish's shimmering fantasies * Pyle's breathtaking rendition of young fighting men forming the line of battle at Brandywine during our fight for independence. (This sensational Revolutionary War cachet is one of my personal favorites from all I've ever produced.) Each of these miniature works of art and the others in the collection will make this set of Collins hand painted cachets one of your most cherished hobby possessions. From the "Father of American Illustration" Howard Pyle's capturing the Sprit of '76 at the Battle of Brandywine to his student Newell Convers Wyeth's portrayal of the pirate Long John Silver and his young captive - Jim Hawkins. You will anxiously await each month's new delivery. 

It's my personal commitment to make  this Collins set do justice to the memory and talents of these great American illustrators. It's my personal commitment to make this Collins set the undisputed best of any current cachetmaker. It's my personal commitment to further enhance the reputation of Collins cachets by making this set undisputed best of any current caachetmaker. It's my personal commitment to further enhance the Collins cachets by making this set one of the crown jewels of our mutual hobby. Creation of miniature works of art is the cachetmaker's trade, and the varied subject matter of this set is indeed a dream come true.