H801

Jim Thorpe

Olympic Gold Medalist

Collins Cover Announcement 

JIM THORPE

This cover is one that many collectors with a sports interest have been waiting for. Jim Thorpe, American Indian, is a true legend. He was an Olympic hero later embattled by controversy regarding his status as an amateur. He excelled in baseball and football. The hand painted cachet is very bright -- in strong contrast to the white envelope. It shows Thorpe carrying the football on the gridiron, ball tucked with left arm and the right extended for a straight-arm as he cuts down field. His vivid uniform stands out sharply against the green grass surface. Behind him are the spectator packed, multi-colored stands and behind the stadium is a bright blue sky with billowing white clouds. The scene is surrounded by a red border and taken as a whole the cachet seems to project a crisp Saturday afternoon in Autumn.

The day before on May 23rd my friend Penny had been in Denver and Fairplay,Colorado for the Fairbanks issue. Then it was on to Oklahoma for the May 24th Thorpe. She was first in line at Shawnee Post Office and had a taxi waiting at the door but...after a 40 minute cab ride missed her flight east...by one minute. Heartbreak. I was in Philly where she was to meet me, and then I was going to go (via charter of Atlantic Airways) to Jim Thorpe, PA for the perfect unofficial. Of course, when Penny missed the flight that plan was doomed and the covers ended up with the official "First Day of Issue" cancel. As it turns out, I found out later that the Shawnee Post Office released 5,000 stamps at midnight for "Thorpe family use" and some of them did find their way back East for unofficials including Jim Thorpe, PA. You can bet that eastern unofficials came from the midnight stamps because COLLINS was first in line at scheduled morning opening. I'm happy that unofficials do exist from "Jim Thorpe" so I can't get upset that we just missed it the hard way.

Despite the absence of an unofficial, this will be a good COLLINS to own. It is a colorful cachet, it is sports centered, it is for a Popular American, it has "a story" of the missed flight, and it is a COLLINS . Item #H801 - $5.00.