24.1c Tandem Bicycle coil single

In 1892 a tune by British composer Harry Darce brought down the house at Atlantic Gardens and lit imaginations nationwide--"Daisy, Daisy." Darce's song sets a romantic scene on a "bicycle built for two," and the scene sparked a fad that endured for many decades--riding tandem.

Darce didn't just pull his captivating phrase--"a bicycle built for two"--out of the air. Its roots lie in an episode with the U.S. port authority. Seeing Darce disgruntled when authorities charged him a duty on his bicycle, his friend William Jerome chided, "'It's lucky you didn't bring a bicycle built for two, otherwise you'd have to pay double duty.'" Captivated by its rhythm, Darce worked the phrase into a tune. And the tune soon caused quite a rage in transportation--the bicycle built for two. The bicycle was perfect for a date (even if the young lady’s chaperone had to tag along on a separate bike). Pneumatic tires added comfort and safety.

The 24.1-cent Tandem Bicycle Transportation Coil was introduced on October 26, 1988, in Richmond, Washington, which proclaims itself at the “Bicycle Capital of the Northwest.” There were 138,593 first day covers were cancelled. This rate for unsorted mail with nine-digit zip addresses was introduced on April 3 1988, and continued until February 2, 1991. The stamp was printed in blue on the B press by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing with the Zip + 4 service indicator printed in red. Issued in coils of five hundred and 3,000 stamps, all untagged, there was a plate number every fifty-two stamps. Only plate 1 was issued.

The stamp was designed by Chris Calle of Ridgefield CT. Gary Chaconas engraved the vignette while Michael Ryan did the lettering. Both are from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

Reference:

http://chris.kom.com/daisybell.html (Accessed May 8, 2006)

mint; precancelled (ZIP+4) and untagged