A3505

Thanksgiving

The Mayflower

Cover Announcement 

When the new Thanksgivinq stamp was issued, I decided that I would produce a mini-set of five rather than just a single cover. I have always had a keen interest in United States history, and the story of the Pilgrims has fascinated me since the third grade. The philatelic press has reported that this will be the one and only stamp in the "Holiday Celebration" series that honors our annual day of Thanksgiving. Not wanting to miss this golden opportunity to record philatelically this special moment in America's past, I am pleased to present a First Day Cover chronicle of the Plymouth Colony.

After the Pilgrim's first dreadful winter, a small wildflower called Trailing Arbutus was the first to greet them. They took renewed hope and courage when they saw such a beautiful plant blossoming so bravely amid the winter snows. They wrote "O sacred flower of faith and hope. " To this day, this plant is called the Mayflower in New England. It is said that the Pilgrims first called it such after their ship because the fresh delicate green leaves emerging after a harsh winter reminded them that they, too, had triumphed over the season's grim and bitter experiences. In my final cachet, I show the Pilgrims' ship at anchor and, in the lower right corner, a sprig of its namesake - the Mayflower. It's a lovely cachet that symbolizes the triumph of hope and success over despair and failure. Throughout the year, they worked hard with renewed courage, and, when the growing season came to an end, celebrated with their feast of Thanksgiving.

Spring 2024 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 32 A3501 to A3505 — We Give  Thanks — (set of 5 Thanksgiving cachets) — 10-19-01

When the Postal Service issued a stamp honoring Thanksgiving in 2001, I decided it was an incredible opportunity to create a first day cover chronicle of the Plymouth Colony. My five hand painted cachets are stunningly beautiful. There is a lovely rendition of The Mayflower, the English sailing ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. * A cornucopia (horn of plenty) is shown on the stamp, but the one on my cachet is, in fact, a superb watercolor still-life depicting many of the vegetables and fruits that sustained our earliest colonists. * It is documented that, to bring fresh poultry to the table, wild turkeys were harvested from the surrounding forests. My cachet shows two hunters in search of this wary bird, but they are so intent on their conversation that it appears the big Tom in full plumage will survive the encounter. * A young couple, with Bibles in hand, take a short stroll within close proximity to the seaside village. He carries his long gun for protection from any beasts that roam the deep woods as well as from any Native Americans that may intend harm. Looks of awareness and apprehension attest to the uncharted newness of their new home territory. The magnificent colors of the sky and water provide a marvelous backdrop for the scene.* Only the vivid imagination of each of us can conjure up what the first Thanksgiving feast actually looked like. We do know that the local Natives attended. In my mind, I do not see them sitting at a table as this would not be in their realm of experience. My cachet has them sitting on the ground being served bread, while the main dish cooks in an iron kettle over an open fire. The scene only shows a small, detailed part of the feast, and many unseen Pilgrims and Indians are also taking part. At day's end, the American tradition of Thanksgiving had begun.