I have a specialised collection of the 1975-1983 Americana Series. I really enjoy it.
I've been reading the specialised books on the Liberty and the Prexie series. I would like to specialise in one stamp from each series. Each collection would include the mint plate blocks, mint and used stamps, postmarks, covers, postal history, EFOs, etc.
I am open to suggestions to a stamp to study from each series. Your suggestion on a stamp I should study, and why, would be greatly appreciated.
David Giles
Ottawa, Canada
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"President, The Society for Costa Rica Collectors"
I would suggest the half cent Ben Franklin stamp from each series. It's interesting as a fractional stamp and you could find covers showing how they were used as postage, and the corresponding rates.
I do have a mini collection of the Liberty series Ben, I started as a teen. I have nearly all the plate numbers and positions and a bunch of different cachets on FDCs. Funny thing, I was just looking at them last evening!
Linn's ran a multi-part article a year or so ago about collecting the Prexie Series on cover. For those not knowing what the "Prexie Series" is, it is the long set of definitive stamps depicting the presidents of the US issued in 1938 (coils in 1939). The stamps were in use for roughly 20 years.
My understanding is that the "Holy Grail" of this set is to collect each stamp on cover as a single stamp showing appropriate use for each stamp during the time the stamps were in use for the varying postage rates and services in effect at the time. Evidently that is not an easy thing to do.
So, Dan, if you want to make it a challenge, take one of the odd face valued stamps from the set and try to find a cover with just one of those stamps on it showing appropriate usage of the stamp's face value. You would probably be the envy of Prexie cover collectors!
Likewise, a super big challenge would be to find the $5 Hamilton stamp appropriately used on cover. Not very many of those around.
if it were me doing it, I'd likely go after my own collecting interests paired with those series, so single/combined for air mail special delivery rates during the life of the series.
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