N1301s

Ratification of the Constitution

Maryland

Fred Collins Signature

Collins Cover Announcement 

MARYLAND STATEHOOD

The Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean have had a profound effect on the development of Maryland, and my hand-painted cachet shows much of that influence. For starters, a midshipman from the Naval Academy stands at attention in dress uniform. Continuing in the military vein, Fort McHenry is shown, and it was here that the withstanding of a British naval bombardment inspired Francis Scott Key to pen the Star Spangled Banner. On the Chesapeake Bay, a small sailboat skims across the surface while gulls circle overhead. A Canada goose glides on the water with a brood of goslings trailing behind. The area is a haven for all types of waterfowl. Below the surface, a tuna represents the bountiful fishing grounds located off the coast. And a weathered sea captain in traditional yellow hat and slicker mans a ship's wheel "holding his course". I felt that Baltimore's railroad heritage should be represented, and an early steam engine holds an important place in the cachet.

A bright gold is used for the hand-painted "Bicentennial of Statehood" lettering. It coordinates nicely with the colors in the stamps and cachet. The two stamps are canceled respectively at Annapolis, Maryland and unofficially, at the B. Free Franklin Colonial Post Office in Philadelphia.

Another colorful Constitution cover in the COLLINS Statehood series featuring duo First Day cancels and fine hand-painted cachets. Item #N1301- $7.75.

Winter 2020 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 15 N1301 — Bicentennial of Maryland Statehood — (2-15-88)

This cover continued my project to get each of the original 13 states' stamps postmarked on their day of issue and also on their bicentennial of issue date. For Maryland, it was February 15, 1988, and I was in Annapolis at the post office when it opened. A single has the bullseye cancel from Annapolis. Then it was off to Philadelphia where I obtained the "B. Free Franklin" signature postmark applied in colonial format on an additional new stamp. A naval officer, an early railroad engine, Fort McHenry, and a Chesapeake Bay collage are all encompassed within a hand painted border. This is a beautiful Collins produced exactly two hundred years after Maryland became a state. Covers in this Collins series have been very popular.