Claude
The cachet features a black silhouette of the state of Illinois with a heart-shaped vignette inset showing a sketch of a modest rural house surrounded by trees, representing Edgar Lee Masters' boyhood home in Petersburg. Text reads 'Petersburg, Illinois, Boyhood Home of EDGAR LEE MASTERS' and includes the quote 'Petersburg is my heart's home.' The 6-cent U.S. stamp depicts a portrait of Edgar Lee Masters in a gold and brown circular frame, inscribed 'Edgar Lee Masters American Poet.' The postmark is a circular hand cancellation from Petersburg, IL dated August 22, 1970, with ZIP code 62675, accompanied by a machine-printed 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE' slug.
Mistral
The cachet features a black-and-white silhouette of the state of Illinois with a heart-shaped inset containing a detailed illustration of Edgar Lee Masters' boyhood home, surrounded by a tree and smoke rising from the chimney. The stamp, in shades of gold and brown, depicts a portrait of Edgar Lee Masters with the text 'EDGAR LEE MASTERS AMERICAN POET' and 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE.' The circular postmark is clearly legible, with the date 'AUG 22 1970' and the location 'PETERSBURG, IL.' The cover is in excellent condition with crisp, clear artwork and postmark.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
