Stamp Collecting with GS

First Day covers are stamps affixed on an envelope and cancelled on the stamp's first day of issue. Today a "first day" cancel will also show the post office where the stamp was ceremonially first issued.

First Day cover collecting is a very popular part of stamp collecting, and anyone can make their own first day covers.

Make your own FDC's

Buy copies of the stamps you want a first day cancellation for from your local post office. All new US stamps are supposed to be available the day after the first day ceremony, so get to know your counter clerks at your local post office.

Address an envelope to yourself and put a stamp (or multiple copies if you'd like) on the envelope.

Fold a couple of sheets of paper into the envelope and tuck the envelope's rear flap inside the envelope. (When the cover comes back, remove the papers.)

Put the FDC envelope into a larger envelope and address the larger envelope to the postmaster's office where the stamp was first issued. (This address is different for every stamp issue and supplied by the US Postal Service.)

A) Unaddressed, colored cachet of a common US commemorative.

C) Uncacheted, addressed.

D) Same FDC with a homemade cachet.

F) Five designs of a multiple issue.

Then mail the larger envelope, but be sure to put enough postage on it for the extra weight. For the first few FDC's take it to the counter at your local post office in case you're not sure of the weight and cost involved.

Bear in mind

Your FDC's will be received and cancelled by the issuing postmaster and they then will be put into the day's ordinary mail.

Because your FDC's will enter the mail system you may get an FDC back that has been marred, bent or otherwise dirtied, so it's often a good idea to prepare and send out a few FDC's for each issue. (You can always trade your dupes, or experiment with cachet making.)

Typically, the issuing postmaster must receive all FDC requests within 30 days of the stamp's issue date, so keep a calendar of new issues handy. Dates and Postmaster addresses for self-serviced FDC's are found in the Postal Services news release for each issue which generally is available about two months beforehand.

Cachets

A first day cover, an FDC, is often times also decorated with a picture or design highlighting the subject of the stamp. These are called "cachets," and are very collectable.

After you get your FDC's back from the postmaster, you can decorate the envelope and make your own cacheted first day cover. And the only rules are that the design not harm the stamp or cancel. It's your personal touch to your stamp collection so have fun.

There are several companies that sell cacheted envelopes that collectors can send to the postmasters, and there are companies that sell cancelled and cacheted FDC's. In addition there are some serious FDC collectors who produce a few extra of their own cachets to trade or sell.

Good envelopes

If you'd like your FDC's to last a long time, you should use quality envelopes, as the professional cachet makers do. Cheap envelopes are usually made of paper that is high acidic and over the years they may yellow, become brittle or interact with the ink of your cachet designs.

The best envelopes for FDC's have a high rag or cotton content and the percentage of cotton or rag content is usually given on the package. Sometimes they say low acidity or claim certain archival qualities.

A very personal collection

FDC collecting is probably the most creative areas of stamp collecting with people designing covers, adding additional stamps related to the first-day stamp, and using unique envelopes. In the end, whatever you like is "right."

Some FDC collectors prefer their FDC's "unaddressed," and they do their own by using peel off labels. Simply write your address on the label and put it on your FDC to be serviced. When it comes back cancelled, just peel it off. Of course, many other people see the "addresss" as part of the FDC. You make the call.