H4905

U.S. Merchant Marine

Clipper Ship Cachet

Subscriber Only Edition

Collins Cover Announcement 

Merchant Marine Ships

Clipper Ship

Subscriber-only Limited Edition

A few times each year, I do special cachets that are just made for my subscribers. These very desirable covers are a way that I can say "Thank You" to my subscribers. They are not offered to anyone else, and "extras" cannot be ordered, so they are indeed very special collectibles.

Because ships and maritime subjects are coveted by many collectors, I decided to produce two subscriber-only cachets for the popular Merchant Marine stamps. The first is the clipper ship, and the second and final one for this stamp issue will be the World War II Liberty Ship.

The word "clipper" is derived from the verb clip which means to run or fly swiftly. The fast clipper ships seemed to fly across the ocean water as they caught favorable trade winds in their extremely large sail area. The Golden Age of the Clipper Ships was the mid-1800s when they sailed the trade routes of the Atlantic Ocean, contributed greatly to the tea trade with China, and provided passenger service and supplies around the tip of South America during the California Gold Rush era.

This special cachet is a nice contrast to my regular one for this stamp. Instead of a side view, this hand painted cachet shows a clipper coming directly at you through a vivid blue sea and a bright, expansive sky. A very desirable subscriber-only cachet from the Golden Age of the Clipper Ship. Collins #H4905 at $12.50.

Winter 2020 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 28 H4905 — United States Merchant Marine — (7-28-11)

This stamp features a clipper ship under full sail. The hand painted cachet is a solid maritime work of art. A clipper ship cuts through the ocean corning towards you through the mild waves. The bow knives briskly over the small whitecaps with sails billowing and pennants flying. In both the cachet and stamp note the drama with ship, ocean, and clouds all combining to present compelling seascapes. The Collins logo is almost lost in the waves at lower right. Anchors aweigh with the United States Merchant Marine. Because sailing ships are a true collector favorite, I did this special "subscriberonly" cachet.