This 1975 Art Craft first day cover features the 13¢ Liberty Bell definitive coil stamp issued November 25 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. The cover bears a neat machine cancel and a pair of the stamps showing the iconic cracked bell with the inscription “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land.”
The Liberty Bell’s journey to Allentown in 1777 is the central theme of the cachet. When British troops occupied Philadelphia, patriots secretly moved the bell by wagon to the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown for safekeeping, returning it only after the occupation ended. This episode underscores the bell’s role as a symbol of American independence during the Revolutionary era.
A notable detail is the cachet’s illustration of the bell being transported under guard, complete with the quote “Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land” and the “Americana Series” designation. The design also notes the bell’s temporary hiding place, a fact rarely highlighted on standard Liberty Bell issues.
The cover is addressed to John Mihalasky in Clifton, New Jersey, a common practice among mid-1970s collectors who received their FDCs through the mail.
A clean, well-centered Art Craft cachet with clear postmark, this cover makes an attractive addition for Americana or Liberty Bell topical collections.
