M1801

Flora and Fauna

Wood Duck (Black Inscription)

Collins Cover Announcement 

WOOD DUCK

This COLLINS is one of my personal favorites. The stamp was issued in Columbus, and I was impressed with the colorful close-up rendition of the male wood duck. After putting them on the covers, Hank was off to his postmark destination. (At the same time I was on my way to Apple Creek with the M1802.) On this superb nature cover I intended to coordinate the cancel and hand-painted cachet, and I can now say it all came together in magnificent fashion.

Hank obtained a fine "Beaver Dam" Ohio First Day postmark to the new stamp. This fit perfectly with my beaver pond cachet that typifies the woodland habitat that this species enjoys.

In my painting, a regal male wood duck in resplendent plumage stands proudly on a partially submerged log. Nearby, the proverbial "busy beaver" swims toward his lodge with a fresh piece of brush clamped in his jaws. It is sunset, and a pink glow fills the evening sky and reflects on the tranquil water. On the distant shoreline, trees of the conifer forest stand like giant sentinels guarding this treasure of nature which to many is more valuable than precious metals or glittering gems. I do think that this FDC will be an obvious jewel in your COLLINS collection.

Please be cautioned that the subject matter of wildlife in general and "ducks" in particular make this cover a prime candidate for a quick sell-out. Please don't miss it now as I suspect that it will increase in worth quite quickly on the open market once I'm sold out. The distinctive bold text style is one I've never used before. I've saved it for a special cover, and this is it. The "Beaverdam" First Day postmark is a COLLINS exclusive and adds philatelic significance and charm by being obtained on actual issue date. And, the hand-painted cachet of the royal wood duck surveying his beaver pond kingdom is the kind of collectible that makes our hobby so exciting. It's a winner! Item #M1801. $9.50