J1701s

Transportation

Seaplane 1914

Fred Collins Signature

Summer 2024 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 11 J1701 — $1.00 Seaplane — 4-20-90

A remote lake in the north country is the cachet locale for this hand-painted Collins cover. Treeblanketed mountains provide a backdrop, and colorful wildflowers bloom in the foreground.

Between the mountains and the flowers, the still waters reflect the hemlocks and pines that ring the shoreline. Into this remote setting roars a single-engine pontoon plane skimming in for a landing. What makes this cover very unusual is that it has a powder blue envelope which helps to accent the blues of the lake and sky. The covers were taken to Arizona where the stamps were bought and affixed on the first day of issue. They were then hand canceled with the Phoenix general mail facility (GMF) postmark. It's a nice high-value item with the $1.00 Transportation series stamp