T1402s

Antarctic Explorers

Lt. Charles Wilkes & Lincoln Ellsworth

Fred Collins Signature

Collins Cover Announcement 

ANTARCTIC EXPLORERS 

"Polar Flight"

A tri-engined plane skims above the rugged, icy terrain of the continent at the bottom of the earth. I think the cachet captures the isolation and loneliness of this cold frontier -the stark plane and forlorn sky meet the snow-covered desolation below. A slight line of muted color breaks the distant horizon where heaven and earth merge. The still invisible sun is at an angle to reflect its rays off the wings of the explorer's plane and, in turn, the reflection from the wing is evident on the icy formations below its flight path. Pinks and grays dominate this cachet which tries to capture the bleakness and solitude.

Both the Ellsworth and the Wilkes stamps are affixed to this cover and they are tied to the cover with a Washington, D.C. bullseye. It is a companion cover to T1401 -- Admiral Bird (still available at $7.75) which features the other two stamps of the set of four. It is also the counterpart of "Icebound" of the Arctic Explorer set of two from 1986 (G1101 and G1102). Covers dealing with the poles have always been of interest to stamp collectors. "Polar Flight" Item #T1402. $7.75