Stamps

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.

There is a term used to describe collectors that borrows from the animal kingdom. And while some animal descriptions are positive (sly like a fox; wise like an owl) this specific term isn't one that collectors relish: pack rat.

Of course it is the disorganized collector who receives that less than honorable moniker. (A kinder one might be a description of the collector as a magpie.) Whatever, both imply that collecting is instinctual, wired into the collector's DNA.

Happily, stamp collectors are never referred to as pack rats. We are too organized to receive that term of approbation. Even those stamp collectors who aren't organized are assumed by others to be. We have so many tools to stay organized -- catalogs, albums, stock books, glassine envelopes, cover boxes for first day covers; the list goes on and on -- that it takes little effort for us to assure that our collections are in good shape.

That is one of the draws of stamp collecting for many. In the chaos of the world, the stamp collector keeps a little part it organized and in just the order he likes.

Update to an earlier blog post: It has been reported in the philatelic press that Great Britain's Royal Mail has taken criticisms of its stamp issuing policies to heart and will be reducing the number of commemoratives it releases starting in 2013. It has already moved its dinosaur commemorative issue from 2012 to 2013 to reduce the load on collectors this year.

Britain's Stamp Magazine reports that a spokesman for Royal Mail said "By producing fewer stamp issues, Royal Mail is focused on keeping this wonderful hobby both enjoyable and affordable in future years."

While collectors of British stamps may be breathing a small sigh of relief, mailers in the U.K. have just experienced a huge increase in postage rate, which many believe will cause Royal Mail customers to greatly curtail card and letter mailings.

Included with the RM's slate of stamp issues for 2012 are the Queen's Diamond Jubilee stamps and various issues noting the London 2012 Olympics. Both are guaranteed big hits with collectors.

It's a fact that just about any date one chooses relates to a stamp issue. Ironically the date May 6 encompasses two very important dates in stamp collecting, one representing a beginning, the other an end.

The first to consider is the 1840 issuance of the Penny Black, the first official stamp. The stamp will probably never be more affordable than it is today. It is a perennial favorite with collectors, while it has also become popular with investors lately: with the positive economic climate in China, investors there have decided to add multiple copies to their tangible investment portfolios.

The other area is airmail -- specifically the crash of the Hindenburg in 1937. There's no need to rehash the event here -- it is an iconic event that has touched us all, especially through the famous newsreel footage that has kept the tragic occurrence in our memories. Often referred to as a "flying post office" many stamps have been issued to honor the airship, both before and after its demise. And pieces of mail that were carried on flights of the Hindenburg continue to fascinate airmail and cover collectors.

It's an irony that one May 6 event signaled an important philatelic beginning -- of prepaid postage, as well as stamp collecting itself, while the other brought about the end of a mode of mail transportation that was the state of the art for its time. There were almost one hundred years between the two events that no doubt will still be remembered and commemorated a hundred years from now and beyond.

As the USPS struggles to deal with an onerous financial situation they are apparently doing the right thing with recent stamp issues. Two forever stamp issues, the Cherry Blossom and the Owney the railway mail dog, are reported to be sold out at post offices all over the country. One might imagine that the vital Asian stamp market, hitching a ride on the prosperity of the area, was responsible for healthy orders from Far East collectors for the Japan-U.S. friendship Cherry Blossoms. But U.S. mailers and collectors have also been smitten by the colorful pair of stamps.

And as for the Owney stamp; well who can resist a noble and friendly little dog, even if he hasn't been with us in the flesh for a hundred years or so. The programs the USPS and the National Postal Museum have run in conjunction with the release, use and philatelic craft involving the stamp -- like first day cover making and mail art for kids -- have resulted in a real hit. All isn't bleak on the U.S. postal front after all, so give the people responsible for ginning up interest in these U.S. stamps a round of applause.

"You can sell anything for the right price thanks to the internet - it's the perfect tool for bringing buyers and sellers together, which is why it must pose such a threat to collecting as a hobby. Gone are the days of scouring obscure philatelic fairs to improve your collection of 1920s Belgian stamps. Now you can just put your requirements into Google and, for the right price, purchase what was once a lifetime's painstaking collecting in a click."

David Mitchell  "If you've lost the philatelists, your days are surely numbered" in The Guardian

Stamp collectors as a group seem to have a greater individualist streak, marching to that well known different drum. Perhaps they should have the slogan "Live philately or die."

Nothing against the stamp album makers, but among other benefits it has brought to stamp collectors, the Internet has also made it possible for Do-It-Yourselfers to print out their own album pages. Easily available online, even the American Philatelic Society is offering album page downloads. Their latest is a baseball topical.

One place the stamp collector must march in rhythm with the rest is in the use of stamp catalogs. There is no substitute for the market information, stamp valuation and philatelic knowledge found in them. Without a good catalog, the stamp collector is sadly out of step.