L3703

American Eagle

The Spirit of Pioneers

Background in Gray & Eagle in Gold

Background in Gold & Eagle in Gray

Cover Announcement 

The Golden Eagles

Set of Five

As it has worked out, the last five Collins cachets to be announced for calendar year 2003 are, in fact, among the very best of the entire year. To go a step further, I believe they are among the very best I've ever offered in one set for several reasons.

At the top of the list is the cachet subject matter that I was able to blend into this powerful set of five First Day Covers. The birth of our nation at the time of our American Revolution is always popular with collectors as is the topic of "military" in general. My "Spirit of '76" cachet depicts a Minuteman who put aside his plow and picked up his rifle, as well as a soldier of the Continental Line who fought under General George Washington from Valley Forge to Yorktown.

When our liberty was secure and the country expanded west of the Mississippi River with the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson wanted to explore the vast, uncharted territory, so he chose Lewis and Clark to form their Corps of Discovery and explore west from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. It is now the bicentennial of that great feat, and there is intense interest in any covers done this year with that theme. The hand painted cachet shows the two explorers with William Clark in the bow of a dugout canoe and Meriwether Lewis pushing off in the stern. Between them sit Sacagawea and her infant son plus Seaman, Lewis' black Newfoundland dog. Behind the action scene is a map of the United States as it was then divided. Future collectors will search high and low for this special cachet to include with their acquisitions of Lewis and Clark First Day Covers for the new stamps being issued this year in honor of the famous team. I've entitled this Golden Eagle cover "The Spirit of Discovery." 

Within a couple of decades of the Lewis and Clark expedition, hardy and adventurous American families were moving west to establish new lives. They crossed the prairies and mountains in covered wagons pulled by oxen, horses, or mules. Bravery was a common trait as they were threatened by hostile tribes, wild animals, severe weather, and unforeseen accidents along the various trails west. This cachet shows such a family as they walk beside their team and covered wagon. It's a testament to the perseverance of those strong-willed and physically-fit individuals who settled the American West. Our nation will always be proud of "The Spirit of the Pioneers."

It seems only fitting that my Golden Eagle set includes a cachet that honors the two courageous and prominent early pilots who led the way during the early years of flight. "The Lone Eagle" Charles Lindbergh is shown with his beloved airplane "The Spirit of St. Louis." In it, he was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. With Lindbergh known as an "eagle" and his plane associated with "spirit," this gallant aviator is a perfect subject to be an important part of this set. To make this particular cover an even greater philatelic treasure, I've included the highly motivated and extremely spirited Amelia Earhart who was the darling of American aviation. She was lost over the Pacific Ocean in her attempt to fly around the world, and the disappearance of her plane — the Lockheed Electra — remains a mystery today. This aviation cachet is a must-own as it celebrates "The Spirit of Adventure."

When one talks about eagles, how would it be possible to leave out America's latest heroes who soar beyond the very skies of our planet Earth into the new frontier of space? With so many worthy astronauts to choose from, the final decision of whom to honor was extremely difficult, but I think the trio chosen will be welcomed by avid First Day Cover collectors. Neil Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon. Sally Ride was the first woman to blast off into space. Gus Grissom had the heart and courage of a role model for us all, and he died a hero's fiery death in a tragic accident during the Apollo program of our Space Age exploration. These stalwart three, plus all of our brave astronauts, have exhibited the "right stuff' as they have met the continual challenges and, through their commitment, have personally demonstrated "The Spirit of the Final Frontier."

As a Collins collector, I know that you must be excited about these individual cachets and, indeed, the prospect of obtaining all five in one set. But there is more to these FDCs than the hand painted cachets. The Golden Eagle stamps are lovely in terms of both great use of color and tremendous design innovation using a reversal of color to achieve a magnificent set of ten different stamps. The Golden Eagles are ones you will not want to miss out on acquiring on First Day Covers, and there won't be a better set of cachets to own than this Collins quintet. Count on it!

The designer of this set of stamps used five colors that include red, turquoise, green, gray, and blue. Against a background of each color on the five stamps, a gold bald eagle and the letters USA appear. It would have been a great set of five, but the really neat thing was the next step. The designer reversed all of the combinations, and, against a gold background, five stamps were created with an eagle and USA depicted in each of the five colors. The set of ten is awesome!

For each of my five covers, I used a pair of the colored-coordinated stamps. Red and gold on The Spirit of '76. Green and gold on The Spirit of Discovery. Gray and gold on The Spirit of the Pioneers. Turquoise and gold on The Spirit of Adventure. Blue and gold on The Spirit of the Final Frontier. The color-coordinated Golden Eagle stamps side by side on each of these handsome covers are something that every collector will appreciate and love. It's possible that I was the only cachetmaker to do a set of covers with this configuration.

Thus far we have the subject matter of the individually watercolored cachets and the beautifully designed and colored stamps as compelling reasons not to miss adding this set to your collection. Let me add one more "must own" condition that is an important consideration. There will be no extras available for this set, and further. it will only be available to collectors who are receiving this offering announcement. Let me elaborate. Due to the limited number of sets produced — and because I want to be fair to all of my Collins collectors — I must impose the one-set restriction. By limiting the sale of this set to one each per collector (the only exception is to established multi-subscribers who now get two or more of each cover I produce), there will be none available for speculation or trade. In other words, it's reasonable to assume that most sets will stay with an individual's collection thus making their appearance on the open market a very noteworthy event. Their supply is strictly limited in terms of both production and distribution, and their Collins cachet quality, in terms of subject matter and artistic excellence, will always ensure demand.

Due to the dynamics of supply and demand, I'll let you contemplate what future valuations may escalate to. Collectors who have yet to discover Collins cachets will want them. Space collectors will crave the "Final Frontier" cachet. Military collectors will want the "Spirit of "76." Aircraft collectors will fervently desire the fabulous Lindbergh/Earhardt cover. Lewis and Clark collectors of the 18042004 Bicentennial material will certainly seek "The Spirit of Discovery." Americana, history. and general collectors will wish to acquire them all. It should be noted that the vast majority of cachetmakers did not do this issue at all, and that will make the set even more desirable. The main reason to obtain this set now, however, is because you like the cachets and stamps. A personal attraction should always be the foremost reason for acquiring a collectible. But.. .the limitation of one set per collector, combined with the sure-fire future demand, certainly contributes to the logical conclusion that it also makes sense from a value standpoint to secure this set now at original issue price.

And, as icing on the cake, I've added one further limitation as noted above. To qualify for ordering this set, you must be a current Collins collector and receive the enclosed ordering invitation. This will prevent speculators or dealers from having relatives, friends, or neighbors acquire extra sets for them. These measures are in place to ensure that you will have the opportunity to obtain covers with a truly beautiful set of new and unique stamps, with truly artistic cachet expressions of five periods of our country's history individually done in lovely watercolors, and with a truly limited sales distribution that will ensure their solid collectibility forever in the hobby.

As you can imagine, this set will be one with wide appeal among my collectors, and I expect the response to be very fast and extremely positive. To make sure that you don't miss out, please return the enclosed order form within the next few days. The first one — "The Spirit of Adventure" with Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart — is ready to ship. I will then invoice and ship monthly for the final fou, which will make this outstanding set affordable to every hobby budget. As the enclosed illustrations will bear out, these five individually hand painted covers are what the fascinating hobby of First Day Cover collecting is all about. I look forward to your experiencing firsthand the spirit of the beautiful Golden Eagles.

The Golden Eagles

Collins #            Cachet                                             Stamps

L3701        "The Spirit of '76"                             Red and Gold

                      Minuteman and Continental 

                      Soldier

L3702         "The Spirit of Discovery"                Green and Gold

                       Meriwether Lewis and 

                       William Clark

L3703         "The Spirit of the Pioneers"           Gray and Gold

                       Family westbound with 

                       covered wagon

L3704         "The Spirit of Adventure"              Turquoise and Gold

                       Charles Lindbergh and 

                       Amelia Earhart

L3705         "The Spirit of the Final Frontier"   Blue and Gold

                       Astronauts Neil Armstrong,

                       Sally Ride, and Gus Grissom