John Ernst Steinbeck

Novelist

Winter 2323 Maile Sale Commentary 

Lot 6 V103 — John Steinbeck— King City, California — 2-27-79

This early Collins cover came into existence on my trip to Salinas, California. When I went to the post office to buy the stamps, I met pioneer cachetmaker Frank Pennington for the first time. From there I headed to King City on the banks of the Salinas River between Greenfield and San Lucas. This locale was the setting for Steinbeck's East of Eden and To a God Unknown. The postmaster was a fan of the famous author, and he postmarked my envelopes with a nice double bullseye that ties both stamps to the cover.

Only 100 were produced, and it rarely comes up on the open market.