Politics make strange bedfellows but also can affect stamp issues.

Case in point: the 1979 Olympics stamps issued by the USPS for the 1980 Summer Olympic Games. That year it was Moscow, Russia that would host the games. What threw a wrench in the works was Russia's invasion of Afghanistan. The U.S., in protest, boycotted the games, but more, withdrew the commemorative stamps. As rumors flew the price of the stamps went up, as collectors believed that those stamps already on the secondary market were all that would be available.

But that price balloon came back down to earth when the stamps were re-released on August 4, the day after the conclusion of the Summer Olympic Games. Those who scrambled to make first day covers that day wound up with a scarce set, as there was no announcement of the re-release, nor an official second first day ceremony. The resulting covers are identifiable only by the August 4 date, as there was -- quite rightly -- no First Day of Issue bar cancel available as on all official USPS first day covers. As second first day covers they might be thought of more as postal history than the philatelic souvenirs that are FDCs.

Surely you've heard of the debate surrounding the Eisenhower Memorial? About the proper form it might take? About the best image to present to the public? Of course it will cost many millions of dollars -- but that's not the crux of the controversy. Rather it stems from the architect Frank Gehry wanting to present the 34th president as a young boy, looking dreamily into the Kansas cornfields picturing a future of greatness. Those who appreciate Ike's great accomplishments -- including, most importantly, his family -- don't like this. Where's the war hero, the statesman, the POTUS?

Oh, there is one other possibility: Ike the golfer. I might have forgotten about that if it weren't for the cachet of the April 16, 1955 event cover illustrated above. The cover commemorates one of Ike's stays at the Augusta National Golf Course, where to this day there is an Eisenhower Cabin, aka the little White House.

Perhaps a new stamp for Ike could be considered "the little memorial." Eisenhower has gotten his share of these little memorials over the years, but what could another one hurt?  It could even be a commemorative pair showing Ike the boy and Eisenhower the seasoned warrior and politician. Would that finally make everyone happy?

(Eisenhower cover from the collection of the author.)

You may be surprised that such a controversial figure once appeared on a U.S. stamp. The year was 1999, and it was -- as the expression has come to be known -- two years "before everything changed forever." Would such a stamp honoring the Islam leader known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz be possible in today's ultra-sensitive world? One wonders.

If you're looking for a one stop outlet for all the Black Heritage Series stamps, look no further than the USPS's Beyond the Perf.

In any event, the man The New York Times described as "extraordinary and twisted"  whose life was "strangely and pitifully wasted" would have been 87 today. He was assassinated in 1965, by those that disagreed with his philosophy and teachings.

Stamp Image © USPS

Well, here's something that I often make noise about: getting good stamp information gratis from the Internet.

It's a given that magazine publishers get most of their revenue from advertisers. In the the majority of cases money is lost on subscriptions. Needless to say, many collectors who pick up magazines do so for the ads: we are forever in search of new sources for finding stamps. And though actual reading has fallen into disfavor in today's culture over all, I believe stamp collectors are always ready for articles on their areas of interest.

In the free sample of the June issue of Stamp and Coin Mart editor Matt Hill points out that it is a great time to look into British stamps, as it is Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. Whether you want to see QEII revenue stamps never before seen, get a good taste of what philately has to offer vis a vis Queen Victoria, or just sample what the U.K. has given the stamp collecting world since that first Penny Black in 1840, you should give Stamp and Coin Mart your attention.

Download your free copy of the magazine here. The registration process is quick and easy. Also note that the magazine offers information about coins, a crossover area that many stamp collectors also enjoy.