A Look at Ukrainian First Day Covers

On the first day when a postage stamp is released, it is often an opportunity to commemorate the event with a special "first day cancellation, " or FDC, which includes the date and location of the issuing post office. Oftentimes, the envelope is not even addressed to anyone. As not all stamps are commemorated with an "official first day cover," there is a niche market in individually made, "unofficial first day covers."

The value of this type of cancellation is frequently enhanced by several other factors, such as a specialized cancellation mark and related artwork on the envelope. These kinds of envelopes are called "cachets."

What follows is a small gallery of Ukrainian first day covers that I've somewhat randomly chosen.