This Artmaster cachet First Day Cover features the 13¢ Michigan state flag stamp issued February 23, 1976, in Washington, DC. The striking black-and-white cachet depicts Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, a soaring eagle, and crossed American flags, celebrating the fifty states during the Bicentennial Era.
The 1976 state flag series honored each of the fifty states as part of the nationwide Bicentennial commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. Michigan’s flag, with its coat of arms showing an elk and moose supporting a shield with the Latin motto “Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice,” reflects the state’s natural heritage and Great Lakes identity.
A notable detail is the Artmaster branding in the lower left of the cachet, a hallmark of this popular cachet maker whose detailed line drawings remain favorites among collectors. The cover also bears the blue “Bicentennial Era 1776-1976” inscription beneath the stamp.
The typed address to E. A. Fickenscher in Erie, Pennsylvania, adds a personal postal-history touch; Erie’s location on the Great Lakes made it a fitting recipient for a Michigan-themed cover.
A clean, well-centered example ideal for Bicentennial or state-flag topical collections.
