This First Day Cover features the 8¢ Paul Revere "Patriot" stamp issued by the United States Post Office on May 15, 1971. The cover bears a crisp Boston, Massachusetts postmark and a handsome brown cachet portrait of Revere in tricorn hat, with the legend "Paul Revere Patriot" and "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE."
Paul Revere’s midnight ride on April 18, 1775, warned colonial militia of approaching British troops and helped spark the American Revolution. The stamp’s issuance in 1971 coincided with renewed national interest in the nation’s founding era during the approach to the Bicentennial.
The cachet artwork closely follows the stamp’s engraved portrait, creating a unified visual presentation typical of Artcraft-style covers of the period. Boston as the first-day city is especially appropriate, given Revere’s lifelong residence and silversmith shop in the city.
A clean, well-centered example that makes an attractive addition to any collection of Revolutionary War patriots, American history topicals, or classic U.S. First Day Covers.
