Dgn 54: Sc. 3153 Stars & Stripes Forever — Red, White and Blue 5"x7" Dragon Card. The background is the euphonium (baritone horn) part for the march in red; the foreground is the U.S. flag in blue. STAMPSHOW 97 first day hand cancel — larger illustration (new window)...$3.00

Dgn 54f: Sc. 3153 Stars & Stripes Forever — Red, White and Blue 5"x7" Dragon Card. The background is the euphonium (baritone horn) part for the march in red; the foreground is the U.S. flag in blue. STAMPSHOW 97 first day hand cancel plus Sc. 1094 US Flag; just 15 of this combo produced — larger illustration (new window)...$3.25

Dgn 54m: Sc. 3153 Stars & Stripes Forever — Red, White and Blue 5"x7" Dragon Card. The background is the euphonium (baritone horn) part for the march in red; the foreground is the U.S. flag in blue. STAMPSHOW 97 first day hand cancel with Sc. 880 John Philip Sousa and Sc. 1252 American Music. It's interesting that almost all other combination FDCs for this issue feature the flag, missing the fact that the stamp honors the musical composition — larger illustration (new window)...$3.50

What's a euphonium? It's also called a baritone horn (there's a difference, but the two names are used almost interchangeably in the U.S.) or a tenor tuba (again, a slight difference). It plays in the same range as the trombone, an octave above the tuba, and, like the tuba and cornet, is a member of the saxhorn family. It is often a lead voice in band compositions and arrangements.

Why a euphonium? It was the first part I played in "Stars & Stripes Forever," and, for all but the first strain, it is playing the melody.

Dgn 69: Sc. 3184k Century: Jazz — single from the 1920s Celebrate the Century sheet on a black-on-cream 5"x7" Dragon Card, photo of jazz cornetist Bix Beiderbecke, 1903-31, the first great white jazz trumpeter, whose career spanned the 1920s — and not much longer — until his death at the age of 28 in 1931 — larger illustration (new window)...$3.00

Dgn 74: Sc. 3237 Ballet — Black-on-pink 5"x7" card, horizontal, male and female dancers flank center of card, stamp and cancel — larger illustration (new window)...$2.50

Dgn 74a: Sc. 3237 Ballet — black-on-pink 5"x7" Dragon Card, male and female dancers flank center of card, where the stamp and 1978's Sc. 1749 Ballet stamp from American Dance set are tied by the First Day of Issue hand cancel. — larger illustration (new window)...$3.00

Dgn 74b: Sc. 3237 Ballet — Black-on-pink 5"x7" Dragon Card, male and female dancers flank center of card, with untied Sc. 1845 Stravinsky (cancel wasn't wide enough) — larger illustration (new window)...$2.50