F1301

Flag

Flag With Firework

Collins Cover Announcementg 

FLAG-FIREWORKS

(Twenty stamp booklet pane)

This issue presented me with a dilemma, and it was only a last-minute decision that I decided to do the cover. There were three reasons that I had initially decided not to do a cover. First, it was a duplication of the stamp design of my Flag/Fireworks cover (L1201) issued in May. Second, with $4.40 of postage (20 stamps times 22 cents) it would be an expensive cover. Third, because of the size of the pane it would require a large envelope, and they don't fit in standard albums or storage boxes. So...I had decided against this issue.

Then, while at this year's First Day Cover Society Convention in Virginia, I learned that not too many cachetmakers were going to do the issue -- basically for the same reasons stated above. I then decided that I would do the cover and leave it up to the individual collector whether to acquire it or pass on it.

After purchasing the stamps at the main Post Office in Washington, D.C., I affixed them to the large cover and brought them back to Hewitt, N.J. It was here that I obtained the unofficial postmark. It is a nice cancel with killer bars. The hand­painted cachet has red, white and blue bunting plus multi-colored bursts of exploding fireworks.

And so, the choice is up to you. There are good reasons for passing up this cover and good ones for acquiring it. Against is cost, stamp duplication, and especially large size of envelope (#10) which won't fit in standard albums. Reasons for are the unusual size of booklet pane (20 stamps) and that many cachetmakers decided not to do it. I reserve the right, as always, to limit number ordered pending supply. Item #F1301 ­$12.50

Summer 2024 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 8 F1301 — Flag/Fireworks Booklet Pane on large #10 envelope — 11-30-87

The 22-cent Flag with Fireworks regular sheet stamp was issued May 9, 1987 in Denver, Colorado in conjunction with the ROMPEX 87 Stamp Show. On November 30, 1987 in Washington, D.C., the booklet version containing 20 stamps was issued, and that is configuration used on this first day cover. The Flag with Fireworks stamp was the first American issue to portray the U.S. flag against a night or dark background as well as the first to combine fireworks and the flag. Due to the size of the 20-stamp panel (with two rows of ten stamps), I placed them on a long #10 envelope. This impressive Collins cover has a hand-painted design across the top showing-a red, white, and blue banner and exploding fireworks in multiple colors. The panel of 20 stamps with plate number is hand canceled on the day of issue in Hewitt, New Jersey, which was our hometown at the time. It's a wonderful large first day cover with a direct personal connection to Linda and myself.