posted 09-23-2020 07:11 PM               

Space Cover 578: Multiple Space FDI Cover

Many collectors have space first day covers (FDC) in their space cover collections. Some collect covers from each first day issue (FDI) while others specialize in collecting as many cachets for a specific issue such as collecting the cachets for the C-76 moon landing stamp or the $2.40 moon landing stamps that have catalogs produced showing cachets that were produced.

Similarly, there are specializations with the stamps over time as well – single stamp, pairs (vertical and horizontal), blocks of four, plate number blocks, Mr. Zip and Mail Early in the Day. Rarer but sometimes collectors did blocks of three or six. In all, a wide variety of arrangements to collect.

Another variation of this is stamp combination covers, where previously released space stamps are placed (and cancelled) on a new space stamp FDC (e.g. all of the U.S. moon landing stamps on the same FDC).

Event covers combined with FDI of a related stamp – Mars missions such as the mid-1960s Mariner missions with a Viking FDI.

The FDC that is less likely to be found is the one pictured above which is a cover having multiple FDI cancels from different stamps on the same cover. To produce this, the collector had obtained an uncacheted Project Mercury FDC and in 1967, when the Gemini Twins stamp was produced, sent that cover to get the FDI of the Gemini Twins on the cover. Note the stamps and the cancel are “upside down” when compared with the Project Mercury FDI cancel.

You never know what combination of things you can find on a space FDC so don't pass up the chance to look through the $1 FDC box at the stamp show.