The feature stamp on this hand drawn and individually hand painted, all-over cover by Hobby-King, Fred Collins, is the Canada’s 1996 Atlantic Waterfowl Celebration non-denominational $6.00 stamp, Catalog Number AWCO2 . . . from Fred’s esteemed Milford series.
About the inspiration for the Milford series :
starting in 1990 and extending throughout the decade of the 1990s, Fred
produced a series of Official Duck covers which were released by individual
states, rather than the Post Office, and they instantly became popular among
collectors who have never experienced such a well-conceived Hobby theme.
Not only that, but since individually provinces in Canada began issuing their separate duck-hunting stamps, Mr. Collins added several Canada stamps
to his Milford series, such as the one offered in this particular auction.
As Mr. Collins, himself, explains in his 340-page book
entitled, "Collins --- Hand Painted
First Day Covers --- the First Twenty Years --- 1978-97," he
chose the name Milford covers for
this series as a shout-out to the town where he was raised .
. . in West Milford, New Jersey . .
. or to quote Mr. Collins, himself, “Because West
Milford provided the roots of my life, it seemed like a good name to choose.” And
he goes on to gloriously describe it thusly, “Numerous
blue jewels of natural lakes dotted the large crown that encompassed 93 square
miles. Apple orchards, dairy farms, and vegetable gardens made it a modern-day
Eden.” (By the way, this defining book can
still be purchased from Mr. Collins, himself.)
About the feature stamp : on this
elegantly designed stamp, we see a pair
of Canada Geese just “chillin” a bit,
as they glide atop the surface of a glassy lake on a seemingly beautiful day. (And for
his combo, Mr. Collins paired up with Canada’s Maple Leaf Flag stamp.)
About the hand
drawn, hand painted cachet :
as Mr. Collins, himself, explains his stunningly colored, all-over cachet, this
one “. . . features a mother polar bear and
her two yearling cubs. As the furry trio watches from an ice floe, a lone
honker flies by over the open water of the spring thaw.”
But actual imagery aside for just a minute, you just have
to be impressed with Mr. Collin’s heavenly color scheme, especially the wat the
colors of the Canada Goose and the bubbly blue waters, so brilliantly contrast
with the white bears and the white snow, which almost creates a 3-D effect on
the flying goose.
About the special cancel :
and for this one, Mr. Collins obtained Canada’s flying goose pictorial cancel.
About the Scarcity Factor : please
note that Mr. Collins made only 125 of these rarely-seen covers.
Accompanying this cover, as
previously noted, accompanying this cover will be Mr. Collins’ approximately 121-ord
insert which so perfectly complements his artistic brilliance.
All factors considered ,
stunning artistry + a
beautifully designed feature stamp + a
truly spot-on cancel
+
a high denomination $6.00 feature stamp = yet another
Collins Milford masterpiece.
Shipping Terms : I gladly accept any approved payment method which is most convenient for you. Shipping within the US is free. For international transactions, please add 2.00 for shipping. Your cover will be sleeved and reinforced. I usually ship out covers within one business day of receiving payment.
*** Customer Service : I pride myself in extending quality customer service to one and all. After our transaction is completed ( that is, after you receive your cover in the mail ), if you feel that there was anything I could have done to improve my service to you, please drop me a line and let me know.
Lastly, I would respectfully request that you bid only if you have the resources available to send payment within 5 days after being notified by me.
I would like to invite you to check out all my auctions consisting of top-notch covers by some of the most respected names in the hobby. If you would like to examine them, please click SEE OTHER ITEMS above.
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