This ArtCraft First Day Cover features the 13¢ U.S. stamp honoring Dr. George Papanicolaou, issued May 18, 1978, in Washington, DC. The cover displays a block of four stamps alongside a detailed portrait cachet of the physician with his microscope.
Dr. Papanicolaou (1883–1962) developed the Pap smear in the 1920s, a simple cervical screening method that became the foundation of modern early cancer detection and dramatically reduced mortality rates from cervical cancer worldwide.
The stamp design and cachet both highlight the microscope and slide work central to the test, with the words “EARLY CANCER DETECTION” and “PAP TEST” prominently featured—an uncommonly direct medical message on a U.S. commemorative.
A fine addition for collectors of medical or science topicals, this well-centered cover remains in excellent condition with a crisp first-day cancel.
