First Day Covers Special Collection

First Day Covers are produced by postal services as a way to create a commemorative issue to honor the release of a newly created stamp.  The term “First Day Cover” refers specifically to an envelope or card that includes the newly issued stamp, an inked stamp canceling the postage stamp, and a cachet or image that provides more information about the stamp. 

The collection, generously donated by philatelist, Henry Z. Steinway, contains nearly 150 examples of these First Day Covers from all over the world.  While primarily featuring First Day Covers from within the United States, other countries represented include countries such as France, Romania and the Republic of Maldives.  We have selected just 10 examples of unique First Day Covers to provide an example of just some of the holdings from within this special collection.  We hope you enjoy looking at them as much as we do.

Elizabeth Dale
NAMM Archivist & Oral History Coordinator

 

Dan Del Fiorentino
Music Historian
dand@namm.org