P4001

Winter Olympics - Turin, Italy

Skier

Collins Cover Announcement 

Winter Olympics

The new stamp for this year's Winter Olympic issue features a downhill skier. It's very attractive in both color and design but, as LI1VN'S Jay Bigalke points out in his January 9th column, this sport has been continuously represented on U.S. Olympic stamps since 1976. When multiple stamps have been issued, at least one is for skiing. When only single designs have been used, it has, without exception, been for the sport of skiing. Jay questions why other popular winter sports, such as figure skating and hockey are routinely ignored and why even more obscure events such as curling are never considered. After all, there are many sports that collectively comprise the Winter Games, and Olympic skiing should share the numismatic spotlight on new U.S. issues.

Collins cachets have, in fact, featured many of the different sports on previous cachets. Going back and assembling a Collins Winter (and/or Summer) Olympics collection would be a fun and challenging task. On the new cachet, I decided to have skating share the spotlight with skiing. At the top of this hand painted cachet are the five interlocking rings and a skier flying down the course. On the bottom of the envelope are a speed skater and a figure skater flanking the flaming Olympic torch. The hand painted watercolors make this one a "must own" for sports collectors. In the future, if the Postal Service persists in issuing so many ski-related stamps, I'll continue to give recognition to other winter sports. Jay will be happy to hear that this will include the precise art of curling and the action-packed sport of ice hockey.

For now, I think you'll really enjoy this year's colorful cachet design for the new Winter Olympics stamp — 

Collins #P4001 — $13.25.