The feature stamp on this hand drawn hand painted . . . and Strictly One-of-a-Kind . . . add on FDC, Judith Fogt, is the PO's 1988 Oil Wagon of the 1890s red-worded “Carrier Route Sort” oddly denominated 10.1¢ stamp, Scott 2130-A, from the PO's History of Transportation in America series.

And of special note, this strip of 3 stamps is accented with the very rarely seen PNC #2 on the middle stamp. (Please consider that the Oil Wagon stamp was released primarily in roles of 500 and that a PNC number stamp popped up just once in every 52 stamps, which means that if were to buy a roll of 500 of these stamps, you would walk away with only nine PNCs.)

About the combo stamp : and as far as combos for this feature stamp are concerned, they just don’t get any better than this. Ya’ see, 1985 (specifically 04/18/1985) was the first year that they PO released its 10.1¢ Oil Wagon of the 1890s stamp, but without the red lettering. That being said, Mr. Fogt combed up with a pair of the PO’s 1985 Oil Wagon of the 1890s stamps.

And of special note, both of these combo stamps are tagged with the rarely seen PNC # 1.

About the inspiration for the feature stamp : during the late 1800s, oil wagons . . . which, originally, was an oil tank on horse-driven wheels. . . played a vital role in American households. As the PO's souvenir page for this particular stamp explains, “Oil wagons in the 19th century were drawn by 2 or more horses and were a common site in many areas of the country. They were used primarily to deliver oil for home heating and for stove and lantern fuel.”

About the hand-drawn,  hand painted cachet : using a very rich and potent color scheme, Mrs. Fogt shows us one of these original oil wagons, being pulled by a pair of horses, while on its way to make its next delivery of life-sustaining oil to homes, accompanied by her defining worlds, “Makers of oil wagons used strong wagon gear for the underpinnings, and built the tank to the buyer’s specifications.”    

About the cancellation: and for this one, Mrs. Fogt obtained a perfectly positioned bar cancel from our nation’s capital.

About the Scarcity Factor : as noted above, this is a strictly One-of-a-Kind piece of philatelic artistry.

All in all, most definitely, a totally awesome FDC . . . 3 separate PNCs, and all.

INTERESTING TIDBIT : in his informative 8-page article in the December 2007 issue of First Days, writer Steve Ripley reveals that Judy Fogt's covers, from her very first up to her 1989 creations are all one-of-a-kind pieces. Judy did continue her cachetmaking in 1990 and beyond in a hand-drawn, hand painted line that she called Limited Editions where multiple quantities of each cover were made. But her all of her truly unique, one-of-a-kind covers, such as the one offered here, are pre-1990 creations. 

But getting back to First Days for a minute --- if you are not yet a member of the AFDCS (American First Day Cover Society), which published First Days, you might want to check out their site at www.AFDCS.org. The magazine is quite informative and it will keep you very much in-tune and up-to-date with all Hobby issues, both past and present. (Most informed Hobbyists are members.)