Claude
The cachet features a blue line-art illustration of three historical balloons including a gas balloon with a gondola carrying passengers and a decorative wicker basket balloon, framed by a blue star border with 'Ballooning' in script at top and 'First Day of Issue' at bottom. The cover bears a block of four USA 20-cent stamps depicting ballooning subjects: 'Intrepid 1861' (a gas balloon), 'Hot air ballooning' (colorful hot air balloons in flight), another 'Hot air ballooning' scene, and 'Explorer II 1935' (a white stratospheric balloon). The postmark is a machine cancel from Albuquerque, NM dated March 31, 1983 with ZIP 87101, with 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE' printed across the stamps in black. The cover is in excellent condition with crisp colors.
Mistral
This First Day Cover features a block of four USA 20-cent stamps from the 1983 Ballooning commemorative series, depicting three landmark balloons: the Intrepid (1861 gas balloon), colorful hot air balloons in flight, and the Explorer II (1935 stratospheric balloon). The cachet displays elegant blue line-art illustrations of historical balloons framed by a star border. The postmark is a circular cancellation with the text 'ALBUQUERQUE, NM' and the date 'MAR 31, 1983,' along with a partial ZIP code. The cover is in excellent condition with crisp colors and clear impressions.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
