A philatelic cover is an envelope prepared with a stamp(s) and address and sent through the mail delivery system for the purpose of creating a collectible item. Stamp collectors began to send mail to each other and to themselves early on, and philatelic mail is known from the late 19th century onward. While some collectors specialize in philatelic covers, especially first day covers and cacheted covers, others regard them as contrived objects that are not reflective of real-world usage, and often will pay a higher price for a cover that represents genuine commercial use. However, mail sent by stamp collectors is no less a genuine article of postage than is mail sent with no concern of seeing the mailed item again. Philatelic covers include mail from first airmail flight and first day of stamp issues ceremonies. Over the years there have been numerous Expositions where special postmarks are made and where a post office is set up where mail can be sent from on the given date of the Expo'. Like any other genuine item of mail these covers include postage stamps and postmarks of the time period and were processed and delivered by an official postal system. Often a philatelic cover will have more historical significance than randomly mailed covers as philatelic covers are also often mailed from the location on the date of an important or noteworthy event, like an inauguration or a space launch.
A 1925 philatelic cover, produced by adding common foreign stamps to a usage of a United States 2-cent of the "Norse-American issue". The postal clerk should have rejected this cover, but instead the foreign stamps received US postmarks. From left to right, the stamps are from Austria, Germany, Ivory Coast, French Guiana, United States, and French India.
Last day of service cover from the discontinued post office at Officer, Colorado
Not all philatelic covers are as obvious as this one.
An A.C. Roessler cover carried on the first scheduled U.S. Air Mail flight from Washington, DC, to New York City, May 15, 1918
In philately, the term cover pertains to the outside of an envelope or package with an address, typically with postage stamps that have been cancelled and is a term generally used among stamp and postal history collectors. The term does not include the contents of the letter or package, although they may add interest to the item if still present. Cover collecting plays an important role in postal history as many covers bear stamps, postmarks and other markings along with names and addresses all of which help to place a cover at a given time and place in history.
1856 cover posted in New York City with three 1-cent stamps affixed
AAT cover commemorating the opening of a post office in 1959