Unofficial first-day cover for the $9.95 Eagle Express Mail stamp, Scott #2541, issued June 16, 1991, in connection with the start of the U.S. Olympic Festival torch run. The stamp shows a bald eagle and Olympic rings and retains plate-number selvage. A blue-and-red GAMM eagle-and-moon cachet accompanies a same-day cancellation from Birds Landing, California, rather than the official Sacramento first-day city.
Claude
The cachet features a bold blue illustration of a bald eagle in flight against a full moon, rendered in a stippled/engraved style, with red ribbon streamers flowing below. The text '$9.95 Express Mail' appears in red lettering with '1991' at lower left, and 'GAMM 1991' printed in small red text at bottom. The stamp is the $9.95 USA Express Mail bald eagle stamp (Scott C#) on a red background featuring the Olympic rings, tied by a circular hand cancel from Birds Landing, CA.
Mistral
The cachet features a bold blue bald eagle in flight against a full moon, with flowing red ribbon streamers and the text '1991' and '$9.95 Express Mail' in red. The stamp depicts a white-headed eagle on a red background with Olympic rings and '$9.95 USA' in white. The postmark is circular with 'BIRDS LANDING, CA' and 'JUN 16 1991,' featuring a small pictorial element. The envelope is in pristine condition with clear, vibrant colors and minimal wear.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
