This Official First Day Cover features the 13¢ Alaska flag stamp issued during the Bicentennial Era, postmarked in Washington, DC on February 23, 1976. The cachet illustrates a statue of Edward Lewis Bartlett standing before the Alaska state flag, with text noting Alaska’s admission to the Union as the forty-ninth state in 1959.
Edward Lewis Bartlett (1904-1968) played a pivotal role in Alaska’s political development. A former newspaperman and prospector, he served as the territory’s delegate to Congress and was instrumental in securing statehood legislation, earning him the title “Architect of Alaska Statehood.” The 1976 stamp and cachet honor his legacy during the nation’s bicentennial celebrations.
A notable detail is the cachet’s explicit designation as an “Official First Day Cover,” along with the full biographical inscription identifying Bartlett’s diverse careers. The clean Washington, DC postmark ties the cover directly to the nation’s capital, where Bartlett served for many years.
Collectors will appreciate this cover’s strong topical appeal for Alaska, statehood, and political-figure collections, along with its crisp cachet and legible first-day cancel.
