This 1972 First Day Cover features the 2¢ Cape Hatteras National Seashore stamp issued April 5 in Hatteras, North Carolina, as part of the National Parks Centennial series. The cover bears a crisp black Hatteras, N.C. postmark and a distinctive cachet showing a globe constructed from envelopes beneath the words “FIRST DAY COVER.”
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, established in 1953, was the nation’s first national seashore and protects the iconic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse along with miles of Outer Banks shoreline. The stamp’s design highlights the lighthouse, surf fishing, and the famous “Graveyard of the Atlantic” waters, commemorating both the centennial of the National Park Service and the unique ecology of North Carolina’s barrier islands.
A notable detail is the se-tenant arrangement of the stamp pane, with the 2¢ denomination appearing in all four corners of each stamp—an unusual layout for the series. The cachet’s envelope-globe motif subtly references worldwide postal history while celebrating this distinctly American conservation milestone.
In pristine condition with sharp corners and a clean strike, this cover makes an excellent addition for collectors of national parks topicals, North Carolina postal history, or the 1972 Centennial series.
