B5709

Sport Balls

Baseball

Willie Mays

Cover Announcement 

This is the first of four subscriber-only cachets for the Sports Balls stamps. As a cachetmaker first and a sports fan second, I was personally delighted with the round format of the stamps. It's something very different from the Postal Service and a perfect way to present a set of athletic balls.

In my opinion, this called for more than one limited-edition subject because, when you have these very limited Collins Covers in your collections, you immediately will have key collectibles sure to become highly sought after in the years ahead. The four most popular U.S. sports were my choices: baseball, football, basketball, and golf.

Willie Mays will begin your subscriber-only covers. He was an All-Star center fielder for the New York Giants and then stayed with the team when they became the San Francisco Giants. Most of his 22-season career was spent with the Giants, but he did finish back in New York City with the Mets. This amazing ballplayer hit 660 home runs, played in 24 All-Star games, won two Most Valuable player (MVP) Awards and was presented with 12 Gold Glove Awards. Expert analysis has led to a growing opinion that Willie Mays was possibly the greatest all-around baseball player ever.

"Subscriber-only editions" are produced just for my subscribers, and no extras are available. As a result, they are always instant sold-outs. The final three sub-only Sports Balls will be included on your next few invoices. Sports Balls - Willie Mays. Collins #B5709 - $13.50.

Spring 2025 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 31 B5709 — Willie Mays with Baseball stamp from the Sports Balls set — 6-14-17

The Postal Service hit a home run with a wonderful set of sports balls stamps that were made in a circular shape. And the first day of issue bullseye postmark I used is the same size as the balls depicted, so the philatelic balance on my covers is subtle but certainly adds to the visual impact. I did produce a full set of eight covers which were made available to everyone (A5701 through A5708), but I wanted to make something extra special only for my subscribers, and I did — four Limited-Edition Sports Balls covers. And the individuals chosen are different from those on the larger set. The limited-edition covers highlight a famous sports figure, and the round stamp used on the cover represents his sport.

The large close-up hand-painted individual sports figure I chose for this lot is Willie Mays, and he is displayed on the cover with the baseball stamp (B5709). This cover is eye-catching and realistic. Known as the "Say Hey Kid," Willie Mays played 22 seasons for the Giants and Mets.

He had a .302 batting average, 3283 hits, 660 home runs (third most in big league history behind Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth). He had 1903 RBIs, 2062 runs scored, and 338 stolen bases. He holds major league records for games as a center fielder (2,829), putouts as an outfielder (7,095), and ended his career behind only Ty Cobb in total games. I am very excited to be offering this special subscriber-only cover in this mail sale. Willie Mays with the round baseball stamp — a first day cover gem!