S1303

Settling of New Sweden

Famous Swedish Americans

Collins Cover Announcement 

SWEDEN, FINLAND, AMERICA JOINT ISSUE 

350TH Anniversary of

Swedisn - Finnish Settlement

in America

To celebrate the Anniversary of the beginnings of their settlement in the New World, Sweden and Finland each issued stamps along with the United States. All three stamps of similar designs shared a joint First Day. The hand-painted COLLINS covers capture the spirit of the issue in superb fashion and I am pleased to offer them for your consideration.

Cover number one features a hand-painted map of the Delaware Bay area which the early Swedes and Finns colonized. Early settlements are noted on the shores of Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. A colorful compass point and period ship bring a decorative appeal to the map. The important waterway of the Delaware Bay and River is given primary attention as the focal point of the cachet. A long, horizontal Finnish stamp is postmarked with a fine ship pictorial Finland First Day cancel. The "New Sweden" U.S. stamp is also on the cover with a Stockholm, N.J. unnoficial First Day cancel proving once again that this cover was actually serviced on Day of Issue. An ornate border frames the cachet and map creating, along with stamps and cancels, a wonderful FDC. COLLINS Number S1301. /

Cover number two is one that will have you smiling as you place it in your collection. The year is 1638. In the middle of the turbulent Atlantic Ocean, a wooden sailing ship -- the Kalmar Nyckel -- is under full sail as it makes for the New World of America. The Swedish flag -- a blue field with yellow cross -flies triumphantly from the wind-lashed stern. A colorful banner flutters from atop the center mast. The seas are awesome as blue/green water is whipped by the winds into raging white-tops. Wind gusts in the cloud-filled sky give the ship a sense of motion. You will appreciate the cachet-art which created this watercolored COLLINS Cover. Each cover has the Swedish stamp and the U.S. stamp. The former has Sweden's First Day of Issue cancellation which features the Swedish Coat of Arms. The latter has the Wilmington, Delaware First Day of Issue bullseye postmark. Looking at this cover, one can almost breathe the salt air on the incredible voyage of three hundred and fifty years ago. COLLINS Number S1302.

Spring 2023 Mail Sale Commentary

Lot 26 S1303 — Famous Americans of Swedish Descent (3-29-88)

This cover features two famous Americans of Swedish descent. When Sweden decided to issue stamps for Charles Lindbergh and Carl Sandburg in conjunction with the new US/Sweden stamp issue, I jumped at the cachet opportunity. To the right is Lindbergh by his plane — "The Spirit of St. Louis." Many collectors seek this hero aviator who was the first to solo across the Atlantic. His stamp is below the cachet. Carl Sandburg was a poet, writer, journalist, and editor. He won three Pulitzer prizes — two for poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. When Carl died. President Lyndon Johnson stated, He was more than the voice ofA  merica, more than the poet of its strength and genius. He was America. The Sandburg stamp is under his cachet. I affixed the new US/Sweden stamp in the center of the envelope. Taking the covers to Stockholm, New Jersey, I obtained a very nice magenta first day of issue postmark. As time goes by, look for this cover to increase in appeal and value.