Tennessee

Tennessee 1990 

Redheads by Tom Freeman

Fred's Anecdotal Note

1990 TENNESSEE

This cover is the painted cachet depicts a" first " MILFORD. The handpainted cachet depicts a pair of Redhead Ducks in a millpond.  A waterwheel provides a rushing cascade to the picturesque pool suriounded by lily pads, reeds, and cattails.

The Tennessee stamp is a most fitting issue for this important First Day cover. The face value of $12.00 and actual cost of $13.00 is a very high amount for a state Duck stamp. Serial numbers used are 6001 to 6250 excluding numbers 02, 049, O64, 074, 131, and 187.

Autumn 2022 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 12 90-01 — The First Milford "Duck" Cover — (2-13-90)

This is a historic Fred Collins cover and will be a superb addition to any collection. During the decade of the 1990s, I created Milford State "Duck" covers of extreme quality. Eventually the time requirements for both Collins and Milford became too much for me, so reluctantly I ended the Milford run. Today they are highly collectible, and this number one is very worthy of your consideration.

Embarking on a new adventure, I headed for Nashville and the new 1990 Tennessee State Duck Stamp. It features a pair of Redhead ducks. The hand painted cachet shows a millpond with cattails and lily pads. In the foreground, the male duck takes flight. His mate swims placidly in the background. A main focus is the large water wheel which provides a steady source of fresh water.

Note the twin stone foundations between which the wheel is seated and the aged grains of wood in the wheel itself. The distinctive Milford logo appears for the very first time at the upper right. To meet the postal requirement, I affixed the Tennessee mockingbird stamp and the Audubon jay stamp. All three stamps are tied to the envelope with a nice magenta postmark from Nashville. This is a very exciting offering for an incredible cover — the first Milford.