U4601

Scenic American Landscapes

Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

Collins Cover Announcement 

Grand Teton National Park

High-Value - 98¢ Airmail Issue

It is my expectation that this Collins cover and its companion piece — Zion National Park (featuring a jaguar) — will be very popular with collectors and thus be candidates for a rapid sell-out. Please order in a timely fashion as this hand painted cachet is destined to become a truly sought-after gem in the hobby.

As my  long-term collectors know, I have long favored the-small bullseye day of issue postmark. This results in the most remaining area on the envelope for the cachet design, hand painting, and accompanying text. As a change of pace for these two national park stamps, I decided to "wrap" my cachet around the first day of issue slogan cancel. I must admit it looks very good and might even add to the collectability of these two covers as I don't plan to do it often because it takes up too much space.

As for the cachet on this cover, it's an absolute beauty. In the foreground, a warrior of the Blackfoot tribe rides his Indian pony in the foothills of the Grand Teton range. The long spear, fringed buckskin shirt and quiver, and twin eagle feathers make the brave an imposing figure. In the early 1800s, his concerned backward glance could be directed at an exploring mountain man, an enemy tribe, or a dangerous wild animal. On the horizon, the spectacular Grant Teton Mountains thrust their peaks into the western sky.

Each and every envelope is individually hand painted in beautiful watercolors. As you can imagine, the resulting First Day Cover is stunning. Added to the high-value stamp and little used "first day of issue" slogan postmark, this exciting cachet makes this cover one you will love having in your collection. Grand Teton National Park. Collins #U4601 —$15.00.