The feature stamp on this hand drawn and individually hand painted FDC by Melissa Fox is the PO's 1987, oddly denominated 8.5¢  Tow Truck of  the 1920s stamp, # 2129.

About the inspiration for the stamp  : the 4.9¢ Buckboard coil stamp comes from the PO's prolific History of Transportation in America series which began in 1981 with the 2-seated, 4-wheeled Surry Carriage of the 1890s and ended in 1995 with the Cog Railway Car of the 1870s

About the feature stamp, itself : this stamp shows a vintage tow truck from the 1920s, just a few years after it was invented.

About the inspiration for the hand painted cachet : it was in 1916 when the idea for a tow truck came into the mind of Tennessee resident, Ernest Holmes. Having seen a car that had fallen into a creek, he attached a pulley and some ropes to his vintage Cadillac to safely haul out the car. It was such a successful venture that he began building a separate vehicle that could be used simply for towing cars, after which he started his own tow truck business. And, thus, the Tow truck industry was born.

About the  hand drawn and individually hand painted cachet : on her hand painted cachet, Mrs. Fox catches up an early 1920s green tow truck driver heading of to his next car-saving mission.  

About the Scarcity Factor : and if Scarcity is an important consideration for you, please note that only 12 of these covers were made, as Mrs. Fox reveals on this cover’s flip-side. And that this particular FDC has the distinction of having been numbered 1/12 . . . the very first one made.

All in all, an interesting look at one of our nation’s most welcomed vehicles during the early 20th century.