Intro to FDC Hobby

Home	FDCs	Lists	Hobby	History

What is a First Day Cover?

FDC means First Day Cover. FDCs are special envelopes collected by stamp collectors who want more than just stamps. This envelope illustrates the parts of a first day cover: a cachet, a stamp, and a cancel. When you click on those elements, a short glossary of collecting terms appears.

FDC for famous photographer, Walker Evans

What to Collect

There is no right or wrong way to collect first day covers. Some people collect with the intention of exhibiting at competitive shows, some mat and frame their favorite covers for display on walls, and many store their finds in boxes or albums. The spectrum of interests within this philatelic specialty is vast and limitless, so many collectors narrow their focus by selecting only covers that:

have stamps depicting a certain subject, or
have stamps issued by a certain country during a certain year or decade, or
have cachets produced by a certain cachet maker, or
any combination of the above-listed methods.

Fair Warning: You may end up building more than one collection at a time. If the FDC bug bites you really hard, your collections could fill bookcases, closets, or even whole rooms.