COMMEMORATIVE PEANUTS STAMP - (FDC) SNOOPY LIMITED FIRST ISSUE POSTAGE STAMP

Santa Rosa, CA: United State Postal Service, 2001 Letter. Illus. by Schultz, Charles. Very Fine. No Binding. First Edition. Mint condition envelope and stamp. Commemorative, limited edition stamp with First Day Cover (FDC) depicting Snoopy as the "World War I Flying Ace" wearing his helmet and scarf on top his red doghouse once again fighting the Red Baron. First Day Of Issue was May 17, 2001. First day cancellation by the Post Office using a rubber pictorial hand-cancel stamp also depicting Snoopy with the "First Day of Issue" statement. Each stamp was hand-placed on a crisp, white No. 10 envelope by the postal clerk in Santa Rosa, then canceled by the Post Office. Only four of these unique hand-stamps were created by the United States Postal Service to commemorate Charles Schultz' creation of the Peanuts. Cancellation using the special hand-stamp was only done at the main post office in Santa Rosa, California (home to the Schultz family and Peanuts' museum), and ceased as of June 15, 2001. (After June 15th, of the four hand-stamps, one went to the Schultz family, one to the Peanuts museum and one to the Smithsonian. The fourth hand-stamp was destroyed.) A unique item for the stamp collector as well as Peanuts fan..