Nathaniel Palmer

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USA25 AESTHINGTON SEP 14 1988 Nathaniel Palmer 20066 DO

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NATHANIEL PALMER First Day of Issue: September 14, 1988 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. In the July of 1820, Captain Nathaniel Palmer was just twenty years old, but he had dreams of experiencing the world far beyond the boundaries of his home in Stoning- ton, Connecticut. That summer, as captain of a tiny sloop called Hero, Palmer set sail for South Atlantic sealing grounds. Months later, the sloop anchored at the South Shetland Islands off the tip of South America. Climbing a hill, the curious young captain gazed across the broad horizon. The air was clear, and Palmer sighted mountains in the distance, perhaps fifty miles away. On November 18,1820, Palmer maneuvered his boat as close to this un- charted coast as he dared, though ice prevented any land- ing. After following the mysterious coast for several days, Palmer sailed away, unable to do anything more. The land he spied came to be known as Palmer Peninsula, but Palmer had no idea of the vast, cruel continent of Antarc- tica to which the peninsula led. And it would be yet another century before explorers would unlock Antarctica's secrets. No. 88-58 ©1988 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation . Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Tom McNeely