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            | Sunday, November 26, 2017Apollo-Soyuz Before the Docking - The Setenant July 15, 1975 5:42 pm cstThe other setenant undocked. Scott #1570 Apollo-Soyuz
                  undocked 
 The ArtCraft Cachet  
 The Cape Kennedy circular date stamp and first day of issue cancellation. 
 Collecting space covers can be very rewarding. 
 
 Sunday, November 19, 2017Apollo-Soyuz - Docked - The Setenant July 15, 1975 10:46 am cstThe US Postal Service issued a setenant pair of two 10-cent  multicolored stamps on July
                  15, 1975, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.  The stamp, Scott #1569, represents
                  the docking of the Apollo-Spyuz mission. Two nations collaborated on a space  project for the first time.  In July 1975, the United States launched the  manned Apollo Command to rendezvous with Russia's manned
                   Soyuz spacecraft. A special docking station made it possible for the astronauts to work together.  Television stations worldwide broadcast the historic event. The
                  modules remained docked for two days while the teams performed experiments in space.  Along
                  with the circular date stamp and first day of issue bar line cancellation, the first half of the setenant pair of stamps portrays
                  the docking of the two spacecraft.  
 The ArtCraft cachet beautifully portrays this great moment in the history of
                  space exploration. 
 The other half of the setenant, "before the link-up", will
                  be posted for you soon. 
 
 Saturday, November 11, 2017Comoros Islands Commemorate Apollo-Soyuz 1975 8:14 am cstThe Comoro Islands,  officially the Union of the Comoros, is a sovereign archipelago
                  island  nation in the Indian Ocean located at the northern end of the Mozambique  Channel off the eastern coast of Africa
                  between northeastern Mozambique  and northwestern Madagascar. Other countries near the Comoros are  Tanzania to the northwest
                  and the Seychelles to the northeast. Its  capital is Moroni, on Grande Comore. The Union of the Comoros has three  official
                  languages – Comorian, Arabic and French. The religion of the  majority of the population is Islam. This great souvenir sheet was issued in 1975 to commemorate the Apollo-Soyuz rendezvous and docking mission
                  in space. 
 Scott #163 Comoro Islands issued December 15, 1975  
 
 Tuesday, November 7, 2017The Rural Electrification Administration 12:20 pm cstPresident Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification
                  Administration by executive order on  May 11, 1935. It was established by Act of Congress on May  20, 1936 and authorized
                  to serve as a lending agency and develop a  program for rural electrification. The REA became part of the  Department of Agriculture. The stamp, issued on May 11, 1985 in Madison, South Dakota, is
                  Scott #2144 on an Art Craft cachet. 
 
 
 In 1935 only about one out of ten farms had
                  electricity. 
 
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       For the next few weeks I'll be talking
         about the first day covers of ArtCraft along with everything else.
ArtCraft closed it's doors recently after 76 years of making philatelic history.
I'm  predicting a sudden, salubrious escalation in the value
         of the ArtCraft  cachet, all ArtCraft first day covers and ArtCraft portrait cards.
Including those connected to the Postal Commemorative Society
Their  departure signals the end of an extraordinarily crucial,
         very  important, highly significant and exceedingly meaningful period in  philately
A mournful signal which will be heard around the world and
         lamented throughout the multitude of collectors
Leo
         and Sam August treasured their associations with the world's greatest philatelists
Leo's  contributions to our hobby were significant enough
         to earn the coveted  Luft Award and a place in the American Philatelic Society Hall of Fame.
ArtCraft has well-earned it's place in the great chronological
         record in the history of philately.
Their
         raised ink, line-engraved intaglio printed cachets rank among the most aesthetic in the world.
ArtCraft cachets are not just beautiful. 
They are works
         of art that showcase the wonders of the world and illuminate the powers of human creativity and ingenuity.
         The Coober Pedy Cover
One of the World's Great Philatelic Rarities 

Could this become la pièce
         de résistance de toute la modern Australian philatélie ? 
Coober  Pedy is a town in northern South Australia. The town is sometimes   referred to as the "opal
         capital of the world" because of the quantity   of precious opals that are mined there. Coober Pedy is renowned for its
           below-ground residences,called "dugouts", which are built in this   fashion due to the scorching daytime heat.
         The name "Coober Pedy" comes   from the local Aboriginal term kupa-piti, which means "white man's   hole".
Opal was found in Coober Pedy on 1 February 1915; since   then the town has been supplying most of the world's gem-quality
         opal.   Coober Pedy today relies as much on tourism as the opal mining industry   to provide the community with employment
         and sustainability. Coober  Pedy  has over 70 opal fields and is the largest opal mining area in the   world.
Coober
         Pedy - no village, no buildings, no roads, just   desert, mountains dotted with boulders. A bizarre lunar landscape, but 
          for opal seekers is the most exciting place on earth, where again every   day is the true challenge, happiness and luck just
         a shovel width apart   and where life is defined by two words: winners and losers. Coober  Pedy,  grab your hat, throw it
         into the air and where it lands start  digging ! 
 

 
 
      
          “The Scott
         Numbers are the copyrighted property of Amos Press Inc., dba Scott 
Publishing Co. The marks Scott and Scott’s are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, 
and are trademarks of Amos Press, Inc. dba Scott Publishing Co. No
         use may be 
made of these marks or of
         material which is reprinted from a copyrighted 
publication
         of Amos Press, Inc., without the express written permission of Amos 
Press, Inc., dba Scott Publishing Co., Sidney, Ohio 45365.”