I have worked for the American Cancer Society for over 20 years.  Last year, when I heard that the first ever USA semipostal stamp would benefit Breast Cancer Research, I was very interested.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my professional life with my collecting interest.  I now collect the first day covers of this historic stamp. 

The small thumbnail images used on this site are only there to give you an idea what the cover looks like.  Please click on these images for a much larger and clearer view of the item.  Using these thumbnails allows the page to load much quicker into your browser. 

The collection is organized into six main categories.  It should be easier to navigate if you go through the site in the order listed above. 

For those of you unfamiliar with first day covers, they are like birth certificates for stamps.  When the USPS announces a new stamp is to be issued, they appoint an official post office city for the stamp.  This official postal city provides a special First Day of Issue (FDOI) cancellation for the stamp.  This cancel is only available for the first 30 days after the stamp is issued and is dated with the official issue date of the stamp.  Many people prepare envelopes, known as covers, with colorful images enhancing the stamps theme.  This picture is known as a cachet and is usually, though not always, placed on the left side of the cover with the stamp placed in the upper right hand corner. 

These images can be very elaborate hand-painted one-of-a-kind works of art or mass-produced covers.  The covers are then sent to the official post office and stamped with the FDOI cancellation.  This web site presents my collection of First Day Covers for the Breast Cancer Research Semipostal stamp that I have been able to acquire so far.  The site will be updated as new covers are obtained. If you see or know of any cachet designs for this stamp that are different from those illustrated, please let me know. I can be reached at:  smith@in.net 

Semipostals have been used for years by many countries as a way to raise money for special worthwhile causes.  A semipostal is simply a stamp in which a small part of the cost for the stamp is earmarked toward this cause.  Until 1998, the United States had never issued a semipostal.  However congress mandated, under legislation sponsored by former Rep. Susan Molinari (R-NY) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), that the USPS must issue a semipostal stamp to raise money for Breast Cancer Research.  Some stamp collectors in the US are opposed to semipostals.  They consider them to be a hidden tax on their hobby.  Many are worried that this first ever US semipostal might open the floodgates for many others to follow. 

Breast Cancer is a devastating disease and every effort should be made to find a cure and improve patient treatment options.  This semipostal stamp costs .40 cents each.  Originally .08 cents of this money went toward Breast Cancer Research, however, when the first class postage rate was increased to .33 cents, that amount was reduced to .07 cents.  As of December 9, 1999 over 137.7 million of these beautiful stamps have been sold, raising more than $10 million dollars. 

This money will go directly to fund Breast Cancer Research at the National Institutes of Health and the Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense.  Hopefully, it will result in advances in treatment options and possibly to a cure for this horrible affliction.  I encourage you to buy these stamps and do your part to contribute to the fight against this disease.  If your local post office doesn't have them available, urge them to order some for you.  However, as positive as this stamp is, it is not enough.  Please contribute to the cancer organization of your choice.  With everyone pitching in, we should be able to wipe out breast cancer in our lifetime. 

If you have any questions about cancer or just want more information, please call the American Cancer Society at 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit their web site at www.cancer.org.  You should also check out these informative Links.  I've included some interesting web sites about Breast Cancer and about stamp collecting. 

My name is Mike Smith and I was born, and currently live, in Indianapolis, Indiana.  In spite of where I call home, I'm not a very big racing fan, so don't ask me about the Indy 500. :-)  I began working for the American Cancer Society in 1979 as a printing press operator.  Twenty years later I'm still there as the General Services Associate.  This title is not very descriptive of my actual job duties.  Basically I'm responsible for mail, UPS, and inventory control.  I also assist with audio visual needs and computer related issues.  I don't work with patients or volunteers too much, but I still enjoy my job and get a lot of fulfillment from the work I do. 

I first became interested in stamp collecting about three years ago.  I started, and still continue, a topical space stamp collection.  Collecting space stamps opened  up the world of first day covers to me and I soon found myself more interested in the first day covers than in the stamps themselves.  In addition to collecting the first day covers of the Breast Cancer Research Semipostal, I also collect the first day covers of the 1965 Crusade Against Cancer 5 cent stamp.  Please take a moment to check out my new website featuring this collection.   I am a member of the following stamp collecting organizations: 

I'm also a member of my local Indiana Stamp Club.  I would encourage anyone with an interest in stamps to consider joining these organizations.  You should also check out Lloyd A. de Vries Virtual Stamp Club.  It's the best online resource I've discovered for stamp collectors. 

Thank you for visiting and I hope you enjoy my collection.