Error of Date on Artcraft FDC

In sorting through a new group of FDC's from Geneva, I found an error in the date as applied on a Geneva Cancel.  It is nice that in the Geneva Postal practices, that they also place another cancel on the cover which is not sometimes hard to read because of the makeup of the stamp.

 

 

 

 

 

The correct date of issue is September 11, 1972 (9-11-72) however this cancel reads 11-9-72. I have sent a scan and comments to Martin Severe, editor of The Comprehensive Listing of Artcraft Covers: Their Varieties and Values (1939-2015).This is listing contains United Nations Covers. Available from PoppyGun, Inc.

 

Also have checked my copy of Gaines catalog and found that the Geneva cancel shown there also has this incorrect date.  Therefore, I would say that it is an error on the part of the Geneva Postal Administration. 

 

Good Collecting! 

Artcraft Commercial Usage Cover

Artcraft First Day Covers were one of the only Commercial cachet makers that produced covers for a few companies to use for commercial mailing on the actual FDC. 

 

Shown below is a cover of the 20th Anniversary of the World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA) which was used in a commercial mailing for the Applebaum Tag & Label Company. These commercial usage FDC's Can usually be detected by the fact that the printed address was made by an Addresograph machine. 

 

 The mailers information is shown on the back flap. The contents of the cover contain some advertising or sales offers. 

 

 In this case, the fact that the cover is addressed makes in more significant and shows commercial usage. The Comprehensive Listing of Artcraft Covers lists 101 different companies or organizations that have used Artcraft FDC to convey a message to the receipient. These are listed in Appendix D. Many of these covers do not have any additional text on either front or back to identify them. The only way that they can be identified is to be lucky enough to find a cover with the contents included. These covers are collectible but cannot be documented. 

 

Good Collecting! 

 

 Interesting Covers 

 As you collect covers, you will find many that are unusual or may not be a common item. This is not to say that they are valuable, but may be interesting. Shown below is a addressed First Day Cover which has First Issues used on it. At first glimpse, it might just get tossed in a box and forgotten. Looking closely, you will see that it is addressed to a person in Denmark. On the reverse is a return address from Earl H. Grover of Ione, California. Guess he decided to send this item to his collecting friend in Denmark. The postage of 10 Cents covered the overseas postage rate at the time. 

 

 Looking at another cover which is a #10 size envelope and contains a complete set of the First Issue definitives. The Stamps are postmarked by hand stamp cancel applied by the UNPA in New York on March 30 1960. Based upon the date it may have been posted at a stamp show or exhibition in New York on that date at a UNPA booth.

 

 So, when looking through covers at home or at a stamp show, be sure to look closely because you may find one that has an interesting story because it is not an ordinary First Day Cover.

 

Good Collecting! 

 

 Geneva First Day Cancellations

When the "Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy" issue was introduced on November 18, 1977, special cancellation was used. This was a normal practice for First Day Covers in Geneva and Vienna. New York produced the 1st special cancel for this issue that would be used there. It was a machine cancel whereas the Europeans would use a hand cancel. 

It was also a practice to cancel the FDC in two places. (1) cancelling the stamp and (2) positioned on the cover in the clear so that the cancel can be seen clearly.

The blowup of the cachet and cancel shows how this practice allows the cancel to be seen clearly and can be the subject of a topical nature. In addition the use of the hand cancel allows all covers to have a clear and distinct cancel. 

If you are a topically oriented collector, be sure to watch for the combination of the cachet design and the cancel to relate to the topic. 

Good Collecting