Claude
The cachet features black-and-white artwork depicting a stylized cityscape with skyscrapers radiating from a central point, with a banner reading 'ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY' above the letters 'AIA' and 'ARCHITECTS of AMERICA' in bold text. Below is explanatory text about the founding of the American Institute of Architects in 1857. The stamps form a block of four 3-cent violet/purple commemoratives showing an architectural column capital with 'CENTENNIAL / AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS / 1957' text. The first day cancellation is a circular machine cancel from New York, NY dated February 23, 1957, with 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE' printed in bars across the stamps. The reverse shows a back-stamp from Meadville, PA dated February 28, 1957, indicating the cover was mailed to Edgar J. Kress of Meadville, Pennsylvania.
Mistral
The cachet artwork features a bold black-and-white cityscape with skyscrapers radiating from a central point, accompanied by the text 'ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY' and 'AIA ARCHITECTS OF AMERICA'. The stamp block consists of four 3-cent violet stamps, each depicting an architectural column capital, commemorating the centennial of the American Institute of Architects. The postmark is a machine cancel from New York, NY, dated February 23, 1957, with additional text 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE'. The cover is addressed to Edgar J. Kress in Meadville, Pennsylvania, and includes a backstamp from Meadville, PA, dated February 28, 1957.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
