1987 Signers Of The US Constitution FDC Collection

I know that not everyone considers these types of covers to be true philatelic items because they never entered the postal delivery system, but I find them to be great, brief history lessons and an attractive way to collect commemorative souvenirs of important events in US history!

In addition to the individual stamp and postal card FDCs that it issued on behalf of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution ("Commission"), Fleetwood also created a combination cover collection that celebrated the 39 signers of the Constitution. Each of the covers features the Signing of the Constitution stamp along with one of the five stamps from the Drafting the Constitution stamp booklet. The covers all feature a Philadelphia, September 19, 1987 postmark - the location and date of the first day of issue for the Signing of the Constitution stamp.

The cachet on the front of each cover is a full-color portrait of one of the signers. The original illustration of each signer was designed and drawn by Dennis Lyall. IMO, the fact that a single artist created all of the portraits brings a very real sense of cohesiveness to the set - the covers look like they belong together!

The back of each cover includes a brief biographical sketch of the signer, along with the Commission's official logo and the tag line "An Official First Day Cover of the Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution."

I debated on the best way to present the covers - I decided to group the signers by the state they represented and present each state in the order in which its delegates appear on the original Constitution document (T > B, L > R). It will take 12 posts to get them all listed, but I believe such "bite-size" chunks are the easiest to "digest!"

I hear you ask "12? Weren't there 13 original states?" Representatives from 12 of the original 13 states were sent to Philadelphia for the convention but Rhode Island (RI) chose not to participate. The primary reasons for this centered on a RI's general suspicion of/aversion to a strong central/national government and its opposition to the creation of a national currency that would do away with Rhode Island's local currency.

Rhode Island was also the last of the original states to ratify the Constitution, doing so on May 29, 1790 - six months after #12 (North Carolina ratified it on November 21, 1789).

To kick things off, I present here the introduction card for the set. It provides brief background information on the covers, the artist who designed them and the Commission that sponsored them. Following the card are images of the covers for the delegates from Delaware.


Signers of the US Constitution FDC Set - Introduction Card



Delaware Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

I've always liked this series, and the cachets are lovely...

Thanks for sharing.

John

@John: You're welcome! Thanks for posting your thoughts and engaging in the discussion!

Maryland's delegates to the Convention were the next to sign the Constitution:


Maryland Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Next up, the signers from Virginia:


Virginia Signers of the US Constitution FDCs







Note: Washington, as President of the Constitutional Convention, signed separately from the state delegates. He was, however, ultimately a member of the Virginia delegation.

And now for the North Carolina delegates:


North Carolina Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Next up, the South Carolina delegates:


South Carolina Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

And now, the Georgia delegates:


Georgia Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Where is Thomas Jefferson?

Thomas Jefferson was in Europe (Minister to France) in 1787.

John

While in France, Jefferson corresponded with James Madison regarding his thoughts on the Constitution, but Jefferson was not a delegate to the Convention nor a signer of the Constitution. So, no "Signers" FDC!

And now, a quick look at the New Hampshire delegates:


New Hampshire Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Time for the two delegates from Massachusetts to take the stage:


Massachusetts Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Next up, the Constitutional Convention delegates from Connecticut:


Connecticut Signers of the US Constitution FDCs

Now for the one delegate from New York*:


New York Signer of the US Constitution FDC




* New York sent three delegates to the Constitutional Convention, but delegates John Lansing, Jr. and Robert Yates left after attending for six weeks because they opposed the direction the Convention was heading - they arrived expecting to amend the Articles of Confederation and were opposed to abandoning such document in favor of one that outlined a strong Federal Government.

Next up, the Constitutional Convention delegates from New Jersey:


New Jersey Signers of the US Constitution FDCs