L3706

American Eagle

 Spirit of America – Eagle Cachet

Subscriber-Only Limited Edition

Cover Announcement 

As it has worked out, the last five Collins cachets to be announced for calendar year 2003 are, in fact, among the very best of the entire year. To go a step further, I believe they are among the very best I've ever offered in one set for several reasons.

At the top of the list is the cachet subject matter that I was able to blend into this powerful set of five First Day Covers. The Golden Eagle stamps are lovely in terms of both great use of color and tremendous design innovation using a reversal of color to achieve a magnificent set of ten different stamps.

The designer of this set of stamps used five colors that include red, turquoise, green, gray, and blue. Against a background of each color on the five stamps, a gold bald eagle and the letters USA appear. It would have been a great set of five, but the really neat thing was the next step. The designer reversed all of the combinations, and, against a gold background, five stamps were created with an eagle and USA depicted in each of the five colors. The set of ten is awesome!

For each of my five covers, I used a pair of the colored-coordinated stamps. Red and gold an The Spirit of '76. Green and gold onThe Spirit of Discovery. Gray and gold on The Spirit of the Pioneers. Turquoise and gold on The Spirit of Advennre. Blue and gold onThe Spirit of the Final Frontier. The color-coordinated Golden Eagle stamps side by side on each of these handsome covers are something that every collector will appreciate and love. 

Spring 2024 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 38 L3701 through L3706 — Golden Eagles — Spirit of America (6-coyer set) — 6-26-03,

This is a very special series of covers for the Golden Eagles stamps issued in 2003. They are lovely in terms of both great use of color and tremendous design innovation, using a reversal of color to achieve a magnificent set of ten different stamps. On my covers L3701 through L3705, I have two colorcoordinated (in reverse) stamps on each. The colors are subtle tones of blue, green, red, gray, and turquoise. On the sixth cachet (L3706), all ten stamps are on my cachet. That cover was made only for subscribers, so it is extraordinarily difficult to find on the open market. This set is one of my personal favorites as well as one of the best I've ever produced for several reasons. At the top of the list is the cachet subject matter that I was able to blend into this powerful set of six first day covers.

● The birth of our nation at the time of our American Revolution is always popular with collectors as is the topic of "military" in general. "THE SPIRIT OF '76" cachet depicts a Minuteman who put aside his plow and picked up his rifle, as well as a soldier of the Continental Line who fought under General George Washington from Valley Forge to Yorktown.

● When our liberty was secure and the country expanded west of the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson wanted to explore the vast, uncharted territory, so he chose Lewis and Clark to form their Corps of Discovery and explore west from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. The hand-painted cachet shows the two explorers with William Clark in the bow of a dugout canoe and Meriwether Lewis pushing off in the stern. Between them sit Sacagawea and her infant son plus Seaman, Lewis' black Newfoundland dog. Behind the action scene is a map of the United States as it was then divided. I've entitled this Golden Eagle cover "THE SPIRIT OF DISCOVERY."

● Within several decades of the Lewis and Clark expedition, hardy and adventurous American families were moving west to establish new lives. They crossed the prairies and mountains in covered wagons pulled by oxen, horses, or mules. Bravery was a common trait as they were threatened by hostile tribes, wild animals, severe weather, and unforeseen accidents along the various trails west. This cachet shows such a family as they walk beside their team and covered wagon. It's a testament to the perseverance of those strong-willed and physically-fit individuals who settled the American West. This cover is titled "THE SPIRIT OF THE PIONEERS."

● It seems only fitting that my Golden Eagle set includes a cachet that honors the two courageous and prominent early pilots who led the way during the early years of flight. "The Lone Eagle" Charles Lindbergh is shown with his beloved airplane The Spirit of St. Louis. In it, he was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. I've also included the highly motivated and extremely spirited Amelia Earhart who was the darling of American aviation. She was lost over the Pacific Ocean in her attempt to fly around the world, and the disappearance of her plane remains a mystery today. I have called this aviation cachet "THE SPIRIT OF ADVENTURE."

● For the final two eagle stamps, I chose to honor America's heroes who soar into the new frontier of space. Astronauts who appear on this cover include Neil Armstrong, the first human to set foot on the moon, Sally Ride who was the first woman to blast off into space, and Gus Grissom who had the heart and courage of a role model and died a hero's fiery death in a tragic accident during the Apollo program of our Space Age exploration. These stalwart three, plus all of our other brave astronauts, have personally demonstrated "THE SPIRIT OF THE FINAL FRONTIER."

● The extra special cover to enhance and conclude this set is "THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA," a very patriotic and colorful subscriber-only edition that has all ten of the stamps on it. This final cover is not part of the original set. It's a subscriber-only edition. Shown are a bald eagle in flight, the Statue of Liberty, and a portion of the American flag. Several of the first day covers above have appeared in past sales individually, but the group was never released together in one of my previous mail sales. This lot is for all those who love our country and its history!