This official First Day Cover features the 13¢ Alaska flag stamp issued February 23, 1976, in Washington, DC, as part of the Bicentennial Era series. The cachet depicts a statue of Edward Lewis Bartlett (1904-1968) and commemorates his role as the architect of Alaska statehood.
Bartlett served as Alaska's territorial delegate and later its first U.S. Senator after the territory became the 49th state in 1959. His decades of advocacy were instrumental in securing statehood for the vast northern territory during the post-World War II era.
The cachet artwork includes both the Alaska state flag and a detailed rendering of Bartlett holding legislative papers, with text noting his careers as newspaperman, prospector, and statesman. The cover is marked "Official First Day Cover."
A strong addition for collectors of statehood issues, Alaska topicals, or the 1976 Bicentennial series, this cover remains in clean, collectible condition with a clear Washington, DC first-day cancel.
