Difference Between Fleetwood & Artcraft FDC's

I'm a Dutch collector of USA stamps.
Recently I bought a collection of FDC's.
Is there anyone who can tell me the difference between fdc"s from Fleetwood & Artcraft.
Hope you can help.

Welcome to Stamp Collecting Forum!

With regard to your question, each cachetmaker has their own logo printed in the cachet. Artcraft uses an artist's pallet with their name, whereas Fleetwood typically uses the italicized word.

As an example, here are two covers -- the first with Artcraft and the second with a Fleetwood cachet:





Both designs are quite common and there is virtually no difference in value between the two cachet designs.

Welcome to the forum, aartw! Fleetwood and Artcraft are two long time creators of FDC cachets. Each has their own dedicated followers, but when it comes to value, I really do not value one over the other. And if you look at catalog value, there is no distinction as to whether or not an FDC is addressed or the cachet creator, if the cover even has a cachet. Many dedicated fdc collectors do make a distinction, especially for special editions by the cachet creator. If you are really serious about collecting U.S. fdc,s, I would suggest looking at one or more of the FDC societies such as the American First Day Cover Society (AFDCS).

This is not quite accurate. According to the Scott Specialized Catalog of US Stamps, it references, in part that:

Thanks wt1. I stand corrected. Luckily I'm over 65, so I can claim a senior moment when typing?

wt.1 and ncbuckeye, thanks for your reply on my question but I have some more. Hope you can help.

1. Are there more cachetmakers?
2. Are there fdc's without cachet?
3. Is there any information on the internet about values etc.
4. I use StampManage for my stamp database, Is there a program for fdc's?

In the Netherland it is very difficult to obtain information about USA stamps and fdc's, I hope I can find a lot of information on this forum.
Hope you can help me.

With kind regards,
Aart Wijnhout
Alkmaar, The Netherlands

To answer parts 1 and 2 of your question: YES and YES!

There are virtually hundreds of cachetmakers that have produced cachets through the years. Some of them went out of business years ago and as a result command premium value than the standard Artcraft or Fleetwood varieties. Some new players in the business have also come into prominence now that printing technology makes it possible to produce "add on" cachets to blank envelopes.

There are also metallic cachets, silk cachets and even handpainted cachets by well known artists, often produced in very limited quantities so as to command a higher value than a typical cachet that may have been produced by the thousands.

FDC values are a very subjective thing. Unfortunately, most modern first day covers carry a "catalog" value of perhaps $1 and on the secondary market are worth only 10% or 20% of that amount. In many cases, the "value" is far below even the postage used on the cover. This has occurred because there is such a overwhelming number of first day covers postmarked for every new issue, the supply far exceeds the demand.

Uncacheted covers do exist and can even be purchased directly from the US Postal Service for every new issue that comes out. As suggested in my earlier post, they command very little value. Nevertheless, some collectors enjoy purchasing them in order to later create and apply their own cachet design.

As for value information, there are specialized catalogs that list values, however, as indicated above the values are not really useful in determining sales on the secondary market, as most typically sell for only a fraction of the so-called "catalog value". The exceptions are the particularly old ones or ones with certain limited edition cachets that can occasionally command much higher values.

I am not sure about the stamp database program, as I keep track of my first day covers using a spreadsheet program. However, I'm sure there must be some commercially available software specifically for that application. Perhaps some other SCF members can give you further guidance.

Collecting first day covers can be an enjoyable hobby, but it certainly wouldn't be a way to make a profit.

aartw, I am currently on vacation so when I get back, I will post some examples of various cachet maker fdc's.

In the meantime, you can download this "free" sample copy of First Days from July 2010 that gives a graphic illustration of a number of the various cachetmakers that have produced First Day Covers through the years. Do be patient: The size of the file requires that it takes a minute or two to fully download:

http://www.afdcs.org/July15FirstDays.pdf

Thanks wt1 for your clear anwers and information
I don't collect US stamps and FDC's to make a profit.
The stamps and fdc's are very interesting for me because they tell a lot of the USA history in which I'm very interested.
I will shift my fdc's,scan them an put them in a spreadsheet.

Thanks again.

ncbuckeye, Thanks for your reply.
Good vacation, I will be waiting for your scans.