A1601

American Sports

Henry Louis “Lou” Gehrig - Baseball

Collins Cover Announcement 

BASEBALL

Lou Gehrig

Many collectors have been waiting for these COLLINS Baseball FDCs. They have become a favorite and certainly should be included in your holdings. History has shown that my Baseball covers have "sold out" fairly rapidly (Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente), and it is fair to assume that the Lou Gehrig FDCs will follow suit sooner than later. So a word to the wise is sufficient.

I decided to do three for this issue to take advantage of the excellent unofficial cancels available and also because I know that COLLINS Baseball FDCs afford my collectors the opportunity to add solid collectibles to their collections. In the months and years ahead, there is no doubt that the COLLINS Gehrigs will join my Robinsons, Ruths, and Clementes and become among the most sought after Baseball FDCs of the many produced by various cachetmakers. The unofficial postmarks I used are: the familiar but classic large Cooperstown bullseye; the Homer (of which Lou hit many -- 494), N.Y. hand cancel; and, a stunning 50th Hall of Fame Anniversary pictorial postmark which is really a classic for this Day of Issue.

The first cover shows a bat leaning against a batting cage along with a period mitt, baseball, and pair of spikes. Hand painting is crisp and it pertray th basic6 or the game tnat has evolved to our "National Pasttime". It has the fine Homer unofficial cancel. The second cover of the trio follows the same theme and brings continuity to my Lou Gehrig offering. He was known as "The Iron Horse" which referred to his durability and the record number of continuous games in which he played without missing any. On this card the "Adirondack" bat is laying on the ground as a backdrop with a Yankee cap, a baseball card, and a glove with ball in the foreground. This hand-painted cover features painted lettering of Lou's name plus a notation of his famous and fitting nickname "The Iron Horse". It has the fine large Cooperstown bullseye unofficial First Day cancel. The third and final cover is one I'm proud to offer. Back in 1982 Frank Pennington, did my Jackie Robinson cachet. Frank is a pioneer cachetmaker who did his first cachet in 1939 for the Golden Gate issue. For only the second time Frank has again taken his pen in hand and

produced another Baseball cachet for COLLINS. It is done in the same format as the Robinson to lend itself to the "belonging" concept which I think means a lot. In other words, if you place the Robinson and Gehrig COLLINS/Penningtons side by side, you can immediately see that they are of the same origin. This one shows Gehrig, in his Yankee pinstripes, taking a mighty swing. As a backdrop, Frank has again used an enlarged baseball. Below, is the familiar green banner proclaiming "Lou Gehrig". Frank's name is on each hand-painted cachet along with the usual COLLINS logo. To compliment this historic cover which spans FIFTY YEARS of cachetmaking (1939-1989), I've obtained a magnificent baseball pictorial unofficial First Day cancel which is an awesome 3-1/2 inches plus long and 1-1/2 inches plus high. It commemorates the 50th Anniersary of the Baseball Hall of Fame from 1939 to 1989. It is super. An interesting side note on this COLLINS is that Frank's first cachet was in 1939, the same year that the Hall of Fame opened. 1989 is the Golden Anniversary for both. Easy to appreciate the significance of this COLLINS Baseball gem.

Thanks, Frank, for this contribution to our wonderful hobby.

Item numbers A1601 (Homer) $7.50; A1602 (Iron Horse) $7.50; and A1603 (Pennington) $8.50. See note on order form pertaining to COLLINS numbers. 

Spring 2017 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 16 A1601 — Lou Gehrig

One of the best baseball cachets I've ever produced. The barrel of a bat, old-fashioned glove, pair of spikes, and stitched baseball make up the featured cachet subjects. The vibrant green grass and highlights of colorful infield dirt provide a beyond perfect backdrop for the period equipment. Details such as the wood grains in the bat and individually hand painted blades of grass are examples of the artistic excellence. After securing the stamps at the official city of Cooperstown, NY, I drove to Homer, NY for a wonderful first day of issue postmark. Lou Gehrig, the Iron Horse, certainly hit a lot of them in his spectacular career, and I thought it would be a most appropriate first day cancel to honor him. An amazing baseball first day cover.

Spring 2019 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 17 A1601 — Lou Gehrig

If you're missing this superb baseball cover, do consider making an offer on this lot. The hand painted cachet, done in vertical format, shows a bat, glove, and ball, and the hand painted colors make it an attractive one. The new stamps were taken to Homer, NY for a perfect first day cancel. Lou Gehrig, who edged out Babe Ruth in being named the best baseball player of the century, certainly knew how to hit the ball over the fence. It's a wonderful baseball FDC

Winter 2026 Mail Sale Commentary 

Lot 16 A1601 — Lou Gehrig — 6/10/89

This is one of my favorite baseball covers. Designed in vertical format, the barrel of a bat, oldfashioned glove, pair of spikes, and stitched baseball make up the featured cachet subjects. The vibrant green grass and highlights of colorful infield dirt provide a beyond-perfect backdrop for the period equipment. Details such as the wood grains in the bat and individually hand painted blades of grass are examples of artistic excellence.

After securing the stamps at the official city of Cooperstown, New York, I drove to Homer, New York for a wonderful first day of issue postmark. Lou Gehrig, the Iron Horse, who edged out Babe Ruth in being named the best baseball player of the century, certainly knew how to hit the ball over the fence as he amassed many "homers." It's a wonderful baseball first day cover.