|
On April 28, 2005, the USPS issued a stamp to honor Yip Harburg, the man who wrote the words to over 600 songs, including "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," feature song of the Wizard of Oz...voted the most favorite song of the twentieth century in a poll taken in 2001 by the National Endowment of the Arts and the National Recording Industry Association of America, as well as the Number One Motion Picture Song in 2004 by a poll conducted by the American Film Institute. And, in case you think he's a 'one song lyricist,' he also wrote the words to "Bother Can You Spare a Dime", "It's Only a Paper Moon," and "April in Paris." Shown here is a genuine First Day Cover, an envelope with the new U.S. stamp cancelled from the city of issue (New York, NY) on the first day of issue (captioned above.) Note the special rainbow postmark created for the cancellation of this stamp on its 'birthday.'
The addition of the three older stamps, which were added to the envelope and then cancelled on the first day of issue of the new stamp make this a Combo....the whipped cream and cherry on top of a first day cover. The oldest stamp is the American Music Stamp issued in 1964. The Jerome Kern stamp issued in 1985 has special significance since Kern is one of several composers with whom Harburg collaborated over many years (he also collaborated with Jule Styne and Harold Arlen, and was a life-long friend of Ira Gershwin.) The final stamp is the 1990 Wizard of Oz Stamp...a stamp that is becoming scarce since its issue. The fact that Harburg won the Academy Award for Best Music and Original Song for this beloved movie, makes the addition of this stamp more than apropos.
The cachet features a black & white portrait of Harburg. It's printed on silk and surrounded by gold embossing. The sheen of the silk lends luminosity to the picture, making it appear almost three-dimensional.
Double matted in blue & white, it's sized to fit a standard 8 x 10 frame. ***Certificate of Authenticity Included***
|
