This Art Craft First Day Cover features a block of four 2¢ Cape Hatteras National Seashore stamps issued April 5, 1972, as part of the National Parks Centennial series. The Hatteras, North Carolina postmark ties the cover directly to the subject, with the cachet illustrating the Oregon Inlet Lighthouse overlooking the Outer Banks dunes.
Cape Hatteras National Seashore holds historic importance as America’s first national seashore, established in 1937 to preserve the fragile barrier islands of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The 1972 centennial issue honored a century of federal conservation efforts that began with Yellowstone in 1872.
The cachet notes that Cape Hatteras was the “First Recreational National Park,” highlighting its early role in providing public beach access alongside preservation. The Oregon Inlet Lighthouse artwork adds a distinctive local landmark not shown on the stamps themselves.
A fine addition for collectors of national parks, lighthouses, or Art Craft cachets, this cover displays sharp postmarks and fresh color on an unaddressed philatelic envelope.
