This cover features a 40-cent Eagle and Shield variable-rate coil stamp issued from an ECA-GARD vending machine during a USPS experimental Postage and Mailing Centers (PMC) program. The cachet, created by Gerry Adlman of GAMM Cachets, displays bold navy blue typography with an eagle and shield illustration. Postmarked Oklahoma City on August 20, 1992 (Scott #2602).
Claude
The cachet features bold navy blue typography reading 'VARIABLE-RATE COIL' with a detailed illustration of an American eagle with spread wings, clutching an olive branch and arrows, displayed over a shield with stars and stripes motif. The stamp is a variable-rate ATM/vending machine coil stamp showing the Eagle and Shield design in red with 'USA' and a printed denomination of '0.40' in blue. The circular red postmark reads 'MAIN OFC WINDOW SERV OKLA CITY, OK / AUG 20 1992 / USPO' and appears to be a bullseye-style machine cancel. Text below the eagle explains the USPS experimental PMC program and notes issuance from an ECA-GARD machine.
Mistral
This First Day Cover features a bold navy blue cachet with the text 'VARIABLE-RATE COIL' in large capital letters, accompanied by an eagle with a shield illustration. The stamp is a 40-cent definitive with a shield and eagle design, issued as part of a USPS experimental program using automatic vending machines. The postmark is a circular machine cancellation reading 'OKLAHOMA CITY OK AUG 20 1992' with the text 'MAIN OFFICE WINDOW SERV ORA KILPATRICK' and a time of '4 PM'. The cachet text explains the stamp's experimental origins and identifies the vending machine type as 'ECA-GARD'. The cover is in excellent condition.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
