W5507

National Parks Service Centennial

San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, California

Cover Announcement 

The world's first National Park - Yeilowstone - was established in 1872. One hundred years ago in 1916, the National Park Service was created to provide an agency to act as a steward to protect and maintain these crown jewels of wilderness, scenic beauty, and places that offer adventure, education, and fun. Every year or two the Postal Service issues a truly wonderful set of new stamps, and that is the case with this magnificent issue. The enclosed photos will give you an idea as to the quality of the artwork, but you must experience firsthand the realism of the painted cachets to appreciate their beauty and craftsmanship. My long-term collectors know that I relish the oppornrnity to create cachets that embrace the natural beauty of our land and the wildlife that roam their domains forever.

The sandy beaches of Assateague Isiand National Seashore in Virginia and Maryland with one of the wild ponies that graze amid shells and dune grass * Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota where a magnificent bull buffalo at his prime stands on a grassy bluff * Coastal waters in Maine's Acadia National Park where a mother whale teaches her calf about the food-producing currents * The Grand Canyon's rim is a spectacular backdrop for a passing cougar with penetrating eyes and alert ears * Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, D.C. provides a window to the wild as a playful otter pauses on a partially submerged tree * A silent, stalking bobcat prowls as mighty Mount Rainier rises behind it * At Gulf Islands National Seashore in Florida and Mississippi, a huge gator takes the sun ever alert for unsuspecting prey * In the far reaches of pristine Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in Alaska, a solitude-loving adolescent wolverine pauses in his wandering * And, in a backcountry valley in Yellowstone National Park stretching across Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana an iconic black bear patrols his territory.

These and the other individually hand painted cachets in this set are what cover collecting is all about. The stamps are lovely, the watercolored cachets are beautiful, and the national park topic with magnificent wildlife added is compelling. As I often advise, be sure to reserve your set(s) in a timely manner because orders will be filled on a first-come/first-served basis.

Each year millions of people visit and enjoy our national parks, recreation sites, and wildemess areas. Americans have a profound connection to natural beauty, and in our country we are so fortunate to have such an abundance of outdoor wonders. You will enjoy immensely putting this set together, and I look forward to reserving your National Parks set. They are the ultimate in the cachetmaker art form with each and every cover requiring brush-stroke after brush-stroke to achieve the result that is Collins.