A Short course on First Day Covers
What is a First Day Cover?
A First Day Cover (FDC) is an envelope or card bearing a stamp which is cancelled on the day the stamp is initially placed on sale by the postal authorities, the "first day." A FDC with the 2012 Year of the Dragon stamp is shown with a San Francisco First Day of Issue cancel and a cachet pronounced ka-shay, which complements or tells us something about the stamp.
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Where Are Stamps First Sold?
Although most U.S. stamps are released nationwide on the first day, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) usually will designate a single city as the "official" first day city (although sometimes multiple cities are designated as “official”). The location is usually appropriate to the subject of the stamp, and will be the only place where the “First Day of Issue” postmark is used. The 1993 Elvis Presley stamp on the FDC to the left was released in Memphis, TN -- the city where the Elvis' home Graceland is located.
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Does the first-day date have significance?
The date is often relevant to the stamp subject, or it may coincide with another event, such as a convention or exhibition. On the Elvis cover above, he was born on January 8 in 1935.
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Is anything special done when a stamp goes on sale?
For many issues, especially commemoratives, the U.S. Postal Service holds a "first day ceremony," which usually includes local dignitaries and subject specialists.
Sometimes, especially for mail-use stamps, the ceremony is organized by a philatelic group.
In nearly all cases, those attending receive a program for the ceremony, called a "ceremony program." These are also collectible. In fact, the members of the American Ceremony Program Society, an AFDCS chapter, specialize in them.
Shown here is a program for the Autumn Colors issue of 2024.
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What is a cachet, and why is it important?
The design can enhance and expand upon the subject of the stamp or an organization involved with it. Some cachets are very elaborate, even hand-painted works of art, such as the one shown here by Terri Hardin. Others are very simple, just text or text with an image. There are FDC collectors who specialize in specific cachet producers, who are known as "cachetmakers."
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How do I obtain older FDCs?
They are sold on websites, online auction sites, at stamp collecting stores, and at stamp shows. The ads in the official AFDCS journal, FIRST DAYS, include dealers who specialize in FDCs. Some countries' postal agencies also sell their own cacheted FDCs, although the U.S. Postal Service primarily sells uncacheted ones.
The AFDCS also produces FDCs for many issues, which you can find here.
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How do I obtain FDCs for new issues?
While there are services that will provide new issues on a regular basis, the USPS makes it easy for collectors to do their own. The new stamps and first-day cancels are almost always available at the first-day ceremony. You also have four months from the date of issue to purchase the new stamps, affix them to envelopes or cards, and submit them by mail for a first-day postmark.
Send them to:
FDOI – [name of issue] Stamp USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services 8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300 Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
You may include a larger envelope in which to return them or have them mailed back individually. Each first day cover must have sufficient postage for the first-class letter rate. If the new issue is less than that rate, you must either affix multiple copies of the stamp that add up to that amount, or additional stamps.
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In the U.S., what types of postmarks are available?
Currently, there are three basic types:
- Machine cancels
- Hand cancels
- The Digital Color Postmark (a USPS innovation).
An example of the machine cancel is shown here.
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How much does getting a first-day postmark cost?
The USPS service is free, unless you are requesting more than 50 hand cancel postmarks. Then there is a charge of five cents for each additional postmark. For example,. sixty FDCs would be 50 free + 5¢ each for the remaining ten, for a total of 50 cents.
The Digital Color Postmarks cost 50 cents each, regardless of the quantity.
Many collectors prefer to purchase already-postmarked first day covers from the U.S. Postal Service, which you can find online on its website. They then may add their own cachets.
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What size envelope should I use?
In the U.S., the standard size is the No. 6¾ envelope, which is actually 6½ inches long. However, you may use any size you wish. Keep in mind that cheap envelopes often deteriorate over the years.
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Is there a time-limit for adding a cachet?
No, but it is customary to mark the FDC as an "add-on" with the date that the cachet was added, if the addition occurred more than a year after the issue date.
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