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Fort Bliss Centennial
(showing a Corporal missile/V2 launching)
First Day Covers, (#976)
with Various Cachets.
Date of Issue November 5, 1948

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Fort Bliss Centennial Stamp
#976 Fort Bliss Centennial Stamp

Fort Bliss Centennial FDC.
"Kolor Kover" printed cachet cover

Fort Bliss Centennial
First Day Covers, (#976)
Notes

  • This stamp marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas and salutes its role as a rocket testing area.
  • Its central design is a lift off of a combination of the WAC Corporal missile with a V-2 launch vehicle.
  • This stamp is the first of many U.S. stamps displaying rockets and spacecraft.
  • However there are many other topicals shown on this stamp that can only be seen with a magnifying glass. In the triangular border surrounding the central part of the design, you can find tiny images of different modes of transportation, including on foot, on horseback, by camel, by Conestoga wagon, by stagecoach, by car and by plane. Military vehicles also are shown.
    • .
  • Fort Bliss became the home of the legendary rocket expert Wernher von Braun and other German engineers who were brought to the U.S. at the end of World War II, along with many V2 rockets they had developed for long range bombings. This team of rocket experts spent five years at Fort Bliss before being transferred to Huntville's Redstone Arsenal in Alabama.
  • Von Braun and his team of 117 rocket engineers were brought to the U.S. under "Operation Paperclip", I call this 118 member team the "Paperclip Scientists" and you will also find covers on my website, commemorating space achievements with my "Paperclip Scientists" FMF local post stamp as a cachet, with additional cachets noting their early pioneering work in rocketry and/or space accomplishments.
  • QUESTION:
    Even thought this Fort Bliss stamp shows a Corporal missile/V2 launch vehicle launching, was there ever any missile launchings at Fort Bliss? I can find no information that there was.
    FIRST ANSWER:
    Recently I heard from Umberto C. of Italy who provided this piece of information that seems plausable:
    • no rockets were fired from Fort Bliss as it is next to White Sands Missile Range where they did fire the captured German V-2 rockets.
    • However it is the location where von Braun's Paperclip team lived after they were brought to the United States from Germany. Eventually most of this team moved later to Huntsville Alabama where the Saturn V rocket was designed.
    • Thus there is this direct tie-in between the rocket on the stamp and the history of Fort Bliss.
  • If you have any additional information I would appreciate hearing from you, with any details, Please Contact Me

Pricelist Cataloging
for these First Day Covers

  • The Item ID's for the below cover listings are cataloged using the

    • Mellone's Specialized Cachet Catalog of First Day Covers of the 1940's
    for the #976 stamp, this catalog has 44 different cachets listed.
    • I use a 3 digit alpha/numeric number, and so a Item ID number of "M22", means that the M signifys that it is in the Mellone catalog and having a catalog number of 22.
    • When a cachet exists that is not in the Mellone catalog, then the Item ID will be a 3 digit alpha/numeric number starting with an "N" signifying NOT in Mellone and the 2 following numbers are my own identification. Such as "N04".
    • Any letter(s) following the 3 digit alpha/numeric number are my own and it signifies a different variety of cover such as a different kind of cancel, a different city cancel, a cover with an autograph, how the cover is addressed, etc. etc.
    • For each cover listed in the below price list I also list the Mellone catalog number in the pricelist text such as (#976M-4) or if you see: (#976-NIM) this means "Not In Mellone" catalog.

General Notes

  • All items are covers unless otherwise noted.
  • All covers are the standard U.S. #6 size (approximately 6 1/2 x 3 3/4 inches), as collected in the USA, unless otherwise noted.
  • Foreign covers may be slightly smaller in size than the standard U.S. #6 size and if so, their size will NOT be noted. Any cover larger than a number 6 size will be noted or any item of an unordinary size will be so noted.
  • All covers are unaddressed unless otherwise noted.
  • All covers are cacheted unless otherwise noted. A brief description of the cachet is given of the event being commemorated.
  • If covers are autographed they are genuine, unless otherwise noted.
  • Where stamp(s) used on the item are of significance, such as being a space stamp or a flag stamp or related to the event or location, it will be described. Otherwise the stamp(s) used on the item may be a definitive issue or an unrelated commemorative issue, and will not be described.
  • Items listed here may not be listed in any particular order.
  • Please print out the ON-LINE ORDER FORM and use it to mark down the covers you need. When ordering, please mark the LIST ID as well as ITEM ID.

Abbreviations

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Price List

LIST IDITEM IDPRICECANCEL DATECANCEL LOC
FDC0976AM06$4.0011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-6), with a El Paso TX machine cancel of November 05, 1948. With a black ARTMASTER engraved printed cachet showing army soldiers firing off canons, with the Fort in the background. With printed text: "1848-1948, 100th Anniversary Fort Bliss, First Day of issue". IMAGE

FDC0976AM06B$5.0011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-6), with a El Paso TX machine cancel of November 05, 1948. With a black ARTMASTER engraved printed cachet showing army soldiers firing off canons, with the Fort in the background. With printed text: "1848-1948, 100th Anniversary Fort Bliss, First Day of issue". IMAGE

FDC0976AM08B$3.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-8) , with a El Paso TX machine cancel of 11/05/1948. With a black ARTCRAFT engraved printed cachet showing a cavalry scene at Fort Bliss and a mural of Texas Pioneers at the El Paso Post Office , with printed text "100th Anniversary of the Establishment of Fort Bliss.".

FDC0976AM11HT$5.0011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-11), with a El Paso TX HAND cancel of November 05, 1948. With a blue C. STEPHEN ANDERSON printed cachet showing the Fort and flag on flagpole and cactus. With 9+ lines of printed text that reads in part: "1848-1948, 100th Anniversary Fort Bliss, One of the oldest active military posts in the country, is located at El Paso, Texas.....". Typed address. IMAGE

FDC0976AM11P$3.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-11), with a El Paso TX MACHINE cancel of November 05, 1948. With a blue C. STEPHEN ANDERSON printed cachet showing the Fort and flag on flagpole and cactus. With 9+ lines of printed text that reads in part: "1848-1948, 100th Anniversary Fort Bliss, One of the oldest active military posts in the country, is located at El Paso, Texas.....". Pen address. IMAGE

FDC0976AM14BT$3.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-14), with a El Paso TX machine cancel of November 05, 1948. With a black HF (House of Farnam) engraved printed cachet showing a canon. With printed text: "100th Anniversary Fort Bliss, First Day Cover". Typed address. (some wrinkling on this cover as shown in image). IMAGE

FDC0976AM21B$3.0011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-21) , with a El Paso TX machine cancel of 11/05/1948. With a black and yellow IOOR printed cachet showing the fort and a desert scene, with printed text "Honoring the Establishing of Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, 1748-1948.". Label address. Small smudge mark at top of envelope.

FDC0976AM22$3.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-22) , with a El Paso TX machine cancel of 11/05/1948. With a red and blue CACHETCRAFT/STAEHLE printed cachet showing the fort with the state of Texas in the sky above the fort and a star, with printed text "Commemorating the Establishment of Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas 1848-1948, 100th Anniversary.". Pencil address

FDC0976AM23BL$4.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976M-23) , with a El Paso TX machine cancel of 11/05/1948. With a green and brown CACHETCRAFT/KEN BOLE printed cachet showing the fort with desert scene and a wooden Fort Bliss sign, with printed text "Centenary of Fort Bliss, 1848, 1948, First Day of Issue.". Label address.

FDC0976AN01BT$2.5011/05/1948 
FORT BLISS CENTENNIAL, BLOCK OF 4 STAMPS, FIRST DAY COVER (#976-NIM), with a El Paso TX machine cancel of November 05, 1948. No cachet on this cover. (Not listed in Mellone Catalog). Typed address.

DB: 04/23/2008 15:10:47 tusd(17,10,7,0)

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