The feature stamp on this hand painted gem of a cover by the gifted artist, Dave Peterman, is the PO's 2008 St. John, Virgin Islands high-denomination, 94¢ air-mail stamp, Scott C-147, from the PO's elegant Scenic American Landscapes series.
About the inspiration for the feature stamp : in 1999, the PO launched a series consisting strictly of air-mail stamp, which they dubbed Scenic American Landscapes, a series which spotlighted those breath-takingly beautiful landscapes which makes America a truly Natural Wonderland. The set, because of the stamps' alluring artistry and higher denominational stamp face-value, is quite popular in Hobby circles. The first stamp in the series was the Niagara Falls stamp ( C-133 ); the feature stamp on this cover is the 13th stamp in this esteemed series.
About feature stamp, itself : this heavenly colored 94¢ stamp, captures an overhead, panoramic view of Trunk Bay, which located in the Virgin island of St. John. (According to the 2008 Postal Guide to U.S. Stamps, this Eden-like area, which was established as a U.S. National Park in 1956, “. . .consists of approximately 12,688 acres, 5,650 of which are underwater.”)
On this beautiful stamp, we are treated to a
lavish view of baby-blue colored ocean, which yields to the rich
green foliage of this Wonderland.
About the inspiration for the hand painted cachet : as any classic, comic strip enthusiast well knows, Betty Boop was “born” in comic strips in 1930. She represented the wild, party-going female of the 1920s, known as flappers. What distinguished Bette Boop from any other comic strip character up to that point is that she was the very first comic character to have an air of sexuality about her. So, obviously, she was created for the benefit of an adult, male audience.
About the hand drawn and individually hand painted, all-over cachet : on this all-over masterpiece of a cover, Mr. Peterman uses an absolutely brilliant and elegant color scheme as he checks in on none other than Betty Boop, herself, who is having “the time of her life,” as she glides upon the utterly serene waters of the Virgin Islands, under the dome of a purplish sky, on an utterly dreamy day.
About the cancellation : an, fittingly enough, Mr. Peterman obtained a well-positioned bar cancel from St. John, Virgin Islands.
About the Scarcity Factor : and if the Scarcity Factor is an important consideration for you, please note that Mr. Peterman made only 16 of these stand-out covers, with this particular one have The distinction of having been numbered 1/16 . . . the very first one made.
All in all, a virtual Heaven-on-Earth setting, complements of the gifted artist, Dave Peterman (and, Betty Boop).
INTERESTING TIDBIT : again, from the 2008 Postal Guide to U.S. Stamps, it was . . . "in 1917, during World War I, when the United States purchased St. John, and other nearby islands, from Denmark, to prevent enemy forces from establishing strongholds there. The islands have remained American territories . . . " ever since then.
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