R4801

Civil War Sesquicentennial

Battle of Fort Sumter

Collins Cover Announcement 

The Civil War

Fort Sumter

A two-per-year stamp series that will run from 2011 until 2015 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War

This new Collins cover marks the beginning of an important series of Collins cachets that will certainly become sought-after First Day Covers within the hobby. Virtually every collector knows that the Civil War is a very popular topic, so you'll want to make sure you order this and future Collins cachets in the series in a timely manner. Recently my Ronald Reagan with the jelly bean cachet variety sold out in a matter of weeks. Those who delayed were quite disappointed. I assume that the Postal Service will continue the two-per-year schedule (the 2012s have already been announced), so that makes for a very nice ten-stamp series over five years. Make sure you are complete by starting now.

The size of the stamps makes them very desirable in their own right. You can see how large they are by the actual-size illustration. The dark water and billowing -smoke make it a little hard to appreciate the Sumter stamp, but the blazing fort is very realistically portrayed.

My individually hand painted cachet shows a Union cannon at a gun portal inside the fort. The scene is painted as the battle rages, so a lot of golds, reds, yellows, and oranges bring to glowing life the inside of the brick interior. At the bottom of the cachet I symbolically illustrate the Union's stars and stripes and the Confederacy's stars and bars. The ultra-large Fort Sumter stamp is tied to the envelope with a First Day of Issue bullseye postmark from Charleston, South Carolina. I'm very pleased to offer my first Civil War cover of the 2011-2015 series. As always I reserve the right to limit multiple orders in fairness to all of my collectors. Fort Sumter. Collins #R4801 at $14.00.

Spring 2025 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 25 R4801 to R4804 — The Civil War — (set of four covers) — 4-12-11

These wonderful covers sold out very quickly when they were issued. The lot includes the Battle of Fort Sumpter and the First Battle of Bull Run. It also includes two major military generals, one from each side. The over-sized stamps released for this issue are detailed and dynamic, and the individual hand painting contributes to the overall appearance of this special mini-set.

A brief look at each of the covers starts with Fort Sumter, and the hand-painted cachet shows a Union cannon at a gun portal inside the fort. As the battle rages, a lot of golds, reds, yellows, and oranges bring to glowing life the inside of the brick interior. At the bottom of the cachet, I symbolically illustrate the Union's stars and stripes and the Confederacy's stars and bars.

The scene for the First Battle of Bull Run depicts the grassy north side of Henry House Hill. I show the American and Confederate flags as I did on the Fort Sumter cachet, and field artillery pieces are depicted. Behind the line of cannons is the Henry House at the top of the hill, and it has been preserved as part of the Manassas National Battlefield Park.

General Ulysses S. Grant was promoted to commanding general by President Abraham Lincoln and was put in charge of all Union armies. General Robert E. Lee, the top commander of the Confederacy, was originally asked by President Lincoln to take command of the entire Union Army, but Lee declined as he felt his loyalty bound him to his home state of Virginia. In the end, Lee surrendered to Grant and afterwards became president of Washington and Lee University.