✉️ First Day Cover Cost Calculator
Enter how many first day covers you're planning to acquire and the average cost per cover to see the total cost.
How the total is worked out
The calculator multiplies the two numbers you type and nothing else:
total = number of covers × cost per cover
25 covers × $4.50 = $112.50Both fields update the figure as you type. A blank or non-numeric box counts as zero rather than throwing an error, so an empty cover count shows a total of $0.00. Fractional counts are accepted even though the step arrows move in whole covers - 12.5 covers is not a thing you can buy, but the arithmetic will not stop you.
Getting the per-cover figure right
The number that matters is the delivered cost, not the sticker price. Work out an average across the covers you actually plan to buy and fold in everything you will pay:
- Postage and packing. Dealers often charge a flat $4-$8 per order; spread across 25 covers that is 16-32 cents each.
- Cachet type. Plain or printed cachets sit at the bottom of the range; hand-painted covers by a known cachetmaker run many times higher and will drag your average up on their own.
- Subscription fees. A postal administration's standing FDC order usually prices per cover, so it drops straight into the second box.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a first day cover cost?
Common modern covers with a printed cachet trade at roughly $2 to $8. Older covers, hand-painted cachets and scarce first-day cancels go well beyond that, and a few classics reach four figures.
How much would 50 first day covers cost at $6 each?
$300. Multiply the count by the price per cover; the calculator does the same sum and shows the running total as you change either box.
Are first day covers a good investment?
Mass-produced covers from the 1970s onward were printed in huge numbers and most resell below what they cost new. Treat the total here as the price of collecting, not as money you expect back.