V1201

Drafting of the Constitution

The Bicentennial - We The People

Collins Cover Announcement 

CONSTITUTION BICENTENNIAL

For the First Day Cover collector, this COLLINS set has it all. Get comfortable, relax and let me tell you about these truly great (and I do mean great) collectibles.

First and foremost, let me give you a little background on the stamps themselves. It was a Bicentennial era i.ssue -- always popular with collectors -- and, in this case, the stamps celebrated the 200th Birthday of the Constitution 1787 to 1987. It was a five-stamp issue, and it is important to know about each stamp so that you can follow my development of this COLLINS project extraordinaire.

There were four stamps with lines from the Preamble, and it was from these lines that I conceived the cachet ideas. "To Provide for the Common Defense" serves as the subject matter for one of the covers. A U.S. aircraft carrier steams across the brilliant blue waters of the Pacific. Fighter planes stand at the ready on the main deck. The wake of the awesome ship stretches astern almost to the horizon. The U.S. Navy proudly providing for the "common defense".

"To Secure the Blessings of Liberty" serves as the subject matter for another of the covers. A vibrant fall day in rural America. The golds, reds and oranges of the autumn forests. A peaceful village nestled in this multi-colored paradise of nature's splendor. A white church with tall, pointed steeple reaching toward the serene heavens while a few houses away a green roofed synagogue rests peacefully under a tall, yellow leafed maple. Community, home and houses of worship combining to provide the "blessings of liberty".

"Do Ordain and Establish this Constitution" serves as the subject matter for the third cover of the V1202 set. The setting is Philadelphia on a hot August day in 1787. A room with open windows and large brick fireplace -- contradictions on the warm summer day. But the heat of the day is secondary to the heat of the debate as patriots -- our forefathers -work to obtain a final draft of that great document -- our living Constitution. Wise and far-sighted citizens who, indeed, did "ordain and establish".

And so, you have a verbal glimpse of these wonderful handpainted and full-length cachets. But there is much more. Much, much more.  There is the hand-painted lettering. Collectors continue to enjoy this on my statehood covers. On this set of covers the lettering is done in a style using stars and stripes (it is perfect) and the colors are red, white and blue. Boldly the dates -- "1787 to 1987". Boldly the words "Constitution Bicentennial". Boldly hand painted. Red, white and blue. Stars and stripes. Perfect.

Now is the time to inject the interesting dilemma of the "fifth stamp" and my ultimate decision to "go for it". The fifth stamp of the pane was the issue topic stamp. It reads "The Bicentennial of the Constitution of the United States of America, 1787-1987". How wonderful, I thought, if I could use that stamp on each and every cover for a duo cancel along with the appropriate Preamble stamp. Simple math argued against it. After purchasing the booklets of stamps I would have only 25% of the "topic" stamps needed. But, in my heart I knew it had to be. This project had too much potential. The possible resulting covers could be superb. So, despite the tremendous up-front expense (I would eventually use the stamps on my correspondence), I went for it and purchased four times the stamps required for the covers just so I would have enough of the Bicentennial stamp to use one on each and every cover. I am positive that no one else did a full set using that stamp as I did. It belongs on all of the covers, and, on COLLINS covers, it is there. I could have passed on the opportunity, but the easy road is the one most traveled. For this set I wanted my collectors to reap the fruit of the high road and I'll always be glad I forged ahead.

And so, each of the above covers would have two stamps and two cancels -- the Official City of Washington, D.C. would be used on the Bicentennial stamp and each of the Preamble stamps would need a related and special Unofficial (real) First Day postmark.

As the battleship gray aircraft carrier comes at you providing for "the common defense", what could be better than a First Day cancel from Annapolis, Maryland?

As the peaceful village on a bright autumn day attests to the "blessings of liberty", what could be better than Churchville, Maryland?

As our forefathers in colorful period dress argue the pros and cons of language and content in their collective effort to "ordain and establish", what could be better than Continental Station, Philadelphia, Pennsyvania?

To sum up this staggering three-cover set (V1202), let me briefly review. The large, hand-painted cachets as described above. The hand-painted stars and stripes letters. The Bicentennial stamp used on each and every cover with the Official Washington, D.C. postmark. The appropriate Preamble stamp used on each cover with the Annapolis, Churchville or Continental Station Unofficial First Day cancel tying the stamp to the cover. Nice. If possible, I've been saving the best until last. Now, let me tell you about the cover for the final Preamble stamp -- the "We the People" stamp. Just as the Bicentennial stamp was the topic stamp and belonged on all of the covers, to my way of thinking, the "We the People" stamp was, and is, the most dynamic one of the issue. It is the most important. It is the meat and potatoes. It says it all. It is "We the People". My first thought was to use other stamps issued in previous years to form a "combination cover". I tried, but it didn't work. Too much clutter. Too much distraction. I still liked the concept. Our people's heritage represented in philatelic format from our huge reservoir of past U.S. stamps. And so, in the style of the cigar store Indian and also the tow truck, I edited some past stamps with my scissors. A few persons didn't care for the Indian and Truck although finding it "interesting". Most collectors loved it. COLLINS was the first do do it, so these are still pioneering efforts Something different.

Something unique. Something collectible. And, yes, something interesting. On my "We the People" cover, you'll find the pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. You'll find our native American and the father of our country. You'll find a slave and the log cabin president who brought freedom. And, you'll find the roots of our national family tree. You'll find "We the People" -- the American family. I've chosen the stamps used most carefully -- colorful but not too vivid. Stamps that will set a tone, set a mood. Within the cachet area, I've included the hand-painted words "We the People" in the red, white and blue stars and stripes text.

As with the other three covers, this one (V1201) has the Bicentennial stamp canceled officially at Washington, D.C.

And, as the bells of freedom rang in this land of liberty in 1787, what could be better than New Freedom, Pennsylvania as the Unofficial First Day cancel for the "We the People" Preamble stamp?

On the day of issue, it was a full day of hard traveling to secure the wonderful Unofficial First Day cancels. Hand painting has taken hour upon hour. Up-front cost for the extra Bicentennial stamps was extensive. Much time and substantial dollars have been spent on acquiring, trimming and affixing the cachet stamps used on V1201. It was a monumental task from start to finish, but I am very happy and proud to offer this group of special Bicentennial covers for your consideration.

Item No. V1201 -- "We the People" -- $11.75. Item No. V1202 -set of three (Defense, Blessings and Establish) -- $24.00.