First Day Issue USPS

[Jay Wolt]

Gone Fishin
Love that Wooden FDC w/ the Basketball & California stamps
& great signature as well

had a nice 1961 Naismith FDC that Red Auerbach signed

[gonefishin]

Jay, that envelope is amazing along with all the others shown!

I do have some baseball, Aaron etc. that I will post pictures when I take them. I also have a Auerbach along with a couple other Celtics.

[Jay Wolt]

GF that's a nice vibrant sig

[steve B]

While regular first day coves don't get much, these would.
Whoever did them went to the extra effort to add stamps that went along with certain schools, and got the signed. That's sort of on another level.

Being the odd collector I am, I also collect first day covers signed at the first day ceremony, usually by the designer or some local dignitary with some connection to the subject. Or more commonly the postmaster of the place the ceremony was held. Not worth much, I can often find them in cheap lots or the dollar box.
Touger and less valued still are first day covers that got ruined. Damaged in the mail, return to sender, Postage due?! The more messed up the less others like them and the more I like them. (unless they're incredibly messed up, then everyone wants them)

[Rad_Hazard]

This is my only one but it's one of my favorite items.

[steve B]

A few I picked up from the collection of a Padres employee





And a strange one from a local first day ceremony intended to be sold by the post office as a souvenir, but while it was signed, it was never cancelled.

[gonefishin]

Wow - thanks to everyone - maybe there are some collectors out there. I appreciate the kind comments about the album. Below are the rest of the photos in the basketball album. I've also got several baseball that includes Mantle, Aaron, etc.

It's also nice to see some Woman coaches represented, especially Ms. Pat Summit.

Hopefully I'm not boring anyone with the photos, but I'm excited there is still interest in FDIs.

[Michael B]

I like signed FDC's and event covers. Between envelopes and postal cards I have over 100. They are quite predominant for Olympic athletes

The basketball collection is nice. Back in the 1980's and early 1990's you could go to the Basketball HOF and buy the 1961 covers signed by HOFers for $6 each. This included some that died in the 1960's and 1970's (Ed Wachter, Ralph Morgan, Dave Tobey) and two players who participated in the first game (Ernest Hildner, Raymond Kaighn). I only purchased one of each though I should have bought more. When Ed 'Moose' Krause died I was working at the courthouse in Springfield and did go in and buy more, but that was the only time.

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A friend got the top one signed by Penny Pitou (1960 silver medal skiing) for me in Switzerland when he had lunch with her. I got the bottom one signed in person in Sweden at the World Olympic Collector's Fair.

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I got both of these in person at the World Olympic Collector's Fair in Sweden.

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The other Cy Young. These are postal cards.

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Sam Graddy won a gold medal in 1984. He also played in the NFL. The Italian Postal Authority or the Italian Olympic Committee issued a set of envelopes for each gold medal individual or team. I have gotten a few signed. Peter Snell competed for New Zealand but spent many years as a research scientist at the University of Texas.

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Souvenir sheets also look nice signed, especially when the athlete is depicted.

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Two covers where the athlete is depicted on the stamp. Capilla is a 1956 Olympic champion stamp from the Dominican Republic. Stukelj is on a stamp from Slovenia.

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One of the few U.S. stamps that depicts a living person. LeConey, 1924 gold medalist in the 4x100m relay, posed for this stamp which was used as a fundraiser for the 1932 Olympics.