Claude
The cachet features black-and-white artwork depicting two Civil War soldiers flanking a central vignette of Fort Sumter under bombardment with smoke billowing from the structure. The header reads 'Civil War Centennial' with shield emblems, and dates '1861-65' and '1961-65' appear below the central scene. A descriptive text block details the history of Fort Sumter, credited to artist C. Stephen Anderson. The 4-cent green stamp depicts a Civil War cannon with 'Fort Sumter' and 'Civil War Centennial 1961' text, cancelled with a circular machine postmark from Charleston, S.C. on April 12, 1961.
Mistral
This First Day Cover commemorates the Civil War Centennial, featuring a detailed cachet illustration by C. Stephen Anderson. The cachet depicts two Civil War soldiers, one Union and one Confederate, flanking a fort under bombardment, with smoke billowing from the fort and a cannon visible. The stamp is a 4-cent green issue showing a Civil War cannon with the text 'CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL FORT SUMTER.' The postmark is a circular machine cancellation from Charleston, SC, dated April 12, 1961, with a crisp 'FIRST DAY OF ISSUE' marking. The cover includes historical text about Fort Sumter and its role in the Civil War, along with commemorative dates '1861-65' and '1961-65' with Union and Confederate shield emblems.
(The automatic summaries sometimes misidentify the postmark as part of the cachet artwork.)
