This is a clean, unaddressed First Day Cover (FDC) for the 1953 U.S. Gadsden Purchase issue, featuring a plate block of four 3c stamps and a classic Fleetwood cachet.
Year of Issue: 1953.
Scott Number: Sc 1028 (3c Gadsden Purchase, plate block of four).
Cachet Producer: Fleetwood.
Cachet Design: A black-and-white pictorial design featuring a portrait of James Gadsden alongside a southwestern desert scene with a saguaro cactus, mountains, and an early steam train.
First Day of Issue (FDOI) Cancel: Postmarked with a circular datestamp from Tucson, Ariz., dated Dec. 30, 9:00 AM, 1953.
Special Markings: Features a standard "FIRST DAY OF ISSUE" machine slogan cancel tying the stamps. The stamps form a plate block of four with plate number 24889 visible in the left selvage.
Historical Context: The Gadsden Purchase was an 1853 agreement between the United States and Mexico, negotiated by James Gadsden, in which the U.S. agreed to pay Mexico $10 million for a 29,670 square mile portion of land that later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. The land was largely acquired to provide a southern route for a transcontinental railroad.
Stamp Design: The 3c stamp depicts a pioneer covered wagon pulled by oxen in the foreground, superimposed over a map showing the boundaries of the 1853 purchase.
This unaddressed cover is a practical addition for collectors specializing in U.S. expansion history, southwestern topicals, map stamps, or classic Fleetwood cachets.