by Lloyd A. de Vries

Don’t see a major event that should be commemorated in the current U.S. stamp program? Have an upcoming anniversary that you know will never get a postal memorial? There is a solution for it, although it won’t be a “first day cover:” You can request a special cancellation from the Postal Service.

Shown on the right is a Dragon Card I produced for the centennial of the birth of John Glenn. Rumor is rights issues prevented a stamp for this American hero. Another collector and I collaborated on ordering a postmark for the 100th anniversary of Glenn’s birth and his birthplace, Cambridge, Ohio.

The cost is $25, and the city and state in the postmark must actually have a post office. (No Dogpatch USA for my Jubilation T. Cornpone covers!) Requests must be submitted within 30 days after the date requested, and deadline extensions will not be granted. The postmark is round, 1¼ inches in diameter, and there is a minimum of 50 pieces. Covers must have at least first-class postage, currently 55 cents. The special cancellations are not available for APO or FPO addresses.

The cost of the cancellations is the same as for first day covers: The first 50 are free, and additional ones are 5 cents each. Orders should be sent to

USPS SFS Cancellation Services
8300 Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-9998

Don’t need or want 50 covers commemorating an event? Look for other collectors who may want to service some, too. That’s what I did to produce 18 of the Dragon Cards shown here for the 50^th anniversary of the U.S. Postal Service. And you’ll notice the Amtrak card above has the same postmark, even though Amtrak officially began May 1, 1971.

You can use this to fill in the gaps in the stamp program.

[This is a modified excerpt from my First Day Covers column in the January 4, 2021, issue of Linn’s Stamp News.]

The Dragon Cards shown here can be purchased, while supplies last, on the Dragon Cards website.]