Sign of the times: Lindbergh First Flight Cover
A few days ago I won 21 of these on eBay. It’s a First Flight cover, inaugurating air mail service from Miami to the Panama Canal Zone, flown on a Sikorsky S38a amphibian plane piloted by none other than Charles Lindbergh on Feb. 4-6, 1929. Someone took the trouble to make dozens of covers identical to this one, each with a carefully mounted set of interesting and attractive stamps. First Flight covers had an avid collector base back in the day, and many people went to great trouble and expense to create historic and artistic covers such as this one, probably hoping that they would become more valued by collectors with the passage of time.
I won the 21 covers for $50, or about $2.40 per cover, which is less than the value of the stamps alone. I was the only bidder.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
Comments
Stamp collecting is slowly but surely fading away. I knew several collectors who would have loved to have covers like the one you pictured. Unfortunately, both of those collectors have, as they say in the hobby, "closed their albums". I don't know of anyone who has come along to replace those collectors.
Great trouble and expense yet the stamps and cachet are crooked?
In order to care about something, you first need to understand it. I will bet most people today don't have a clue what the "Canal Zone" is nor why it has stamps.
The cachet and stamps were likely placed on the envelope by hand, explaining why they are not quite straight. My attempts at putting stamps on envelopes usually yield similar results.
Today's covers are probably prepared using highly automated processes, which makes them look neater but with less of a personal touch.
My Adolph A. Weinman signature
On top of that, the fact that automation like in the way these covers are done, the way postmarks are done so evenly gives no enjoyment to seeking out nice items....
I used to have saying when i had my stamp shop that stamps and collectibles are better then women.!!!!!
You are wondering why??? Well the answer is that stamps appreciate with age and dont answer back.