Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Printable Version
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Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Carmen - 03-12-2025
Do I have the following right?
- A FDC is usually issued by an official postal authority, like Canada Post
- A Cover can be a First Day of Issue type of thing, but usually done by a private company or person (i.e. like the Roger Tory Peterson cachets I'm currently cataloguing).
RE: Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Webmaster - 03-12-2025
Not quite.
A First Day Cover can be any cover, philatelicly created or even commercial in nature, that is cancelled on the first day of issue of the stamp. It is frequently further described to differentiate the types, as in: Canada Post Official FDC, FDC with private cachet, or even "commercial use FDC". It may be cacheted, uncacheted, with or without the official FDC cancellation (i.e. Ottawa First Day of Issue) if one even exists.
A "cover" is basically any item that went through the mails.
Roy
RE: Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Carmen - 04-12-2025
Okay, that makes sense. Thanks for clarifying, Roy!
RE: Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Hugh - 04-12-2025
Hi ... just to add to what Roy said, the term 'cover' harken's back to the days when postage rates were paid based on weight. To save on postage, people just folded their letters in such a way to created a cover on which they could write the address where it was being sent The first use of envelopes dates to the early days (1840+) of adhesive stamps when weight wasn't quite so important. However, the term cover is still used for any kind of item that goes through the mail, as Roy said.
'Cover' collecting isn't limited to First Day covers .. people also collect First Flight Covers (the first day when mail is sent by air along a new route), Event Covers (e.g. a CNE cover or a cover issued to celebrate a stamp exhibition), a Commercial Cover (which Roy collects, he has an amazing collection), Advertising Covers, Dear Doctor Covers (usually as postcards), Stamp-less Covers (early covers before the use of adhesive stamps), Postal Stationary Covers (with printed indicia instead of adhesive stamps), Railroad Covers, Postage Meter Covers, Censored Covers, POW Covers, Patriotic Covers ... the list is endless.
It's a fun area to collect.
Regards, Hugh
RE: Terminology: FDC vs Cover - Carmen - 05-12-2025
Thanks for that additional info Hugh... boy it's a wide wide wide wide world of stamp collecting, isn't it?
The other day I regaled my husband with the story of an article I read years ago about some guy who had created an entire exhibit of stamps containing "Cows Pointing to the Left", or something like that. He just nodded his head side to side, mystified, "well that's just crazy."
"No, baby, that's STAMP COLLECTING!" I replied!
My long-suffering hubby the non-collector.
