This official First Day Cover bears a strip of three 13¢ Spirit of '76 stamps issued January 1, 1976, and postmarked in Pasadena, California. The colorful cachet reproduces Archibald Willard’s famous 1875 painting of the fifer, drummer, and flag-bearer advancing through battle smoke, framed by the 1776–1976 bicentennial emblem and a Thomas Paine quotation.
The stamps formed part of the nationwide celebration of America’s 200th anniversary, honoring the Revolutionary War patriots whose determination secured independence. Their issuance on New Year’s Day 1976 launched the Bicentennial year and quickly became one of the most recognized U.S. commemorative sets of the era.
Although postmarked in Pasadena, the cachet is designated an “Official First Day Cover * Philadelphia ’76,” linking the cover to the city that hosted the Continental Congress and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
A fine addition for collectors of Bicentennial issues, Revolutionary War topicals, or classic American paintings on stamps, this cover remains in fresh condition with a crisp first-day cancel and attractive dual imagery of the beloved painting.
