First Day Cover Exhibits generally tell a comprehensive story of a stamp from its initial design and production, to the cancels and cachets associated with the first day of issue and commercial uses. This is a logical story of the issue from conception to implementation.
Good First Day Cover exhibits have more specialized material. Following the design or proof section, these exhibits generally discuss printing aspects (plate layouts, plate numbers involved, plate proofs, marginal markings, and perforations). Para-philatelic material directly related to the issue of the postal emission can include documents and letters soliciting the issue, stamp release announcements, ceremony programs, newspaper articles and press releases.
Excellent First Day Cover exhibits have all this plus a comprehensive cachet section with rare, hand drawn and varieties of cachets. The cachet section can be quite large and sometimes forms the lion’s share of the exhibit. The cachet sections are followed by commercial uses, including a wide variety of period rates, fees and services to both domestic and foreign destinations.
This series of exhibits has all these characteristics as a starting point and do much more. They are in the top tier of US First Day Cover exhibits and are characterized by:
- A thoroughness of treatment
- The inclusion of key, and often unique, pieces
- A focus on production aspects
- A definitive showing of the subject
- New perspectives on the stamp and its context
- Research beyond the standard catalogs
- Cachet and cancel varieties
- Commercial and uncommon uses such as first day covers with auxiliary markings and foreign destinations
- Postal history Items correctly franked to pay the intended rate
These volumes are more than an exhibit -- they are reference works that serve as a major contribution to the literature of philately.
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