This Artmaster cacheted First Day Cover features the 1965 U.S. Traffic Safety 5¢ stamp, postmarked Baltimore, Maryland on September 3, 1965—the official first day of issue.
The stamp campaign highlighted the national effort to reduce traffic fatalities through the three E's: enforcement, education, and engineering. In the mid-1960s, with postwar automobile ownership surging and highway fatalities climbing, the Post Office joined broader federal and state safety initiatives that would soon lead to the creation of the Department of Transportation.
The striking black-and-white cachet depicts a smiling police officer directing traffic against a skyline backdrop, with the slogan “Be Cautious—Be Courteous.” Artmaster’s distinctive artwork and the clean “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” handstamp make this an attractive example of 1960s topical FDCs.
Addressed to Murray Ludmer in Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, the cover carries a typical collector’s address from the era.
A solid mid-1960s U.S. FDC in fine condition, ideal for traffic-safety, law-enforcement, or Artmaster topical collections.
