Topical Stamp Collecting
{More} Expanding Horizons

First Day Covers, issued the day a new stamp is issued, make up the bulk of philatelic covers. They consist of …

• Stamp being issued
• Cancellation showing the days of the stamp issuance
• And, a variety of options
• Included in the postal marking are words “First Day of Issue”
• A “cachet:” some form of text and/or illustrations that supports the design of the stamp

Special Event Covers are similar to first day covers, except that instead of commemorating the issuance of a specific stamp they commemorate a person, event, or thing. In a broad sense, special events covers may also be …

• First Flight Covers, honoring the first flight of a type of aircraft
• Naval Covers, honoring the dedication or launch of a naval vessel
• Space Covers, honoring any space-exploration related event

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