The printed version January-February issue of First Days will be late. There is a nationwide shortage of the papers used for magazines, affecting everyone from magazines with huge circulations like AARP to, well, us. At present, the projected mailing date is the week of January 17th.

However, this issue of First Days is available online right now, in the Members Area of our website, www.afdcs.org. If you don't already have access to this private section, send a request to webmaster@afdcs.org, including your membership number if you can and, if like me you have more than one email address, which one you want used as your log-in ID.

The January-February issue includes "On The Oregon Trail," about the 1993 stamp that had more than three dozen official first-day cities; a profile of 1940s cachetmaker George H. Abel; and "Identifying Add-Ons" in "The Question Box." The "ArtCraft Variety Spotlight" is on Sam Rayburn and we have a subject index for the 2021 issues of the journal and important information about this year's AFDCS convention.

We apologize for the inconvenience. Rest assured that we are actively working to make improvements in the production and distribution of the print editions of First Days. And thank you for being a member of the AFDCS.

Lloyd de Vries
President, American First Day Cover Society
president@afdcs.org