This week will see another increase in U.S. postal rates, with the cost of a first class stamp going up to .44¢ and other prices rising as well. Even though this rate hike was planned for some months, it happens to coincide with a recent announcement that the U.S. Postal Service suffered a $1.9 billion loss for their second quarter. It is no secret that the U.S.P.S. has been struggling over the past few years. While issues of poor management and inefficiency need to be considered, it seems to be clear that new methods of communication such as email are competing with traditional postal mail.

This all sounds pretty gloomy, and it is no secret that postal services and thereby stamp collectors, will be needing to adjust to a rapidly changing landscape. But there was more hopeful news recently as well. The Simpsons issue has already sold over a billion stamps. This is an impressive feat and shows that stamps can still capture the imagination. Now the task is to translate that interest into an interest in philately. We can use issues like Star Wars and the Simpsons to get younger folks involved and make new collectors.

Some look at the price increases, financial losses and shrinking of the hobby and see only gloom and doom. I prefer to look at the situation as one of opportunity, a chance to contribute and reenergize the hobby. Obviously philately won’t be what it was in the past, but it never is, and we are the ones who can define what it will become.

The Czech Republic has just released stamp issue celebrating 2009 as the International Year of Astronomy. This issue honors noted astronomer Johannes Kepler, whose work Astronomia Nova was printed 400 years ago. A German, Kepler spend several years in the Czech city of Prague as an assistant to the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Kepler’s achievements include a comprehensive star catalog and planetary guide, The Rudolphine Tables, a telescope design, and served as an astrologer and adviser to the Holy Roman Emperor. He is best known for his laws of planetary motion which were one of the first attempts to combine physics and astronomy. These laws are of critical importance in studying the motion of planets and were an important foundation for later discoveries, including the theory of gravity discovered by Newton.

The stamp is a well-designed one, with a likeness of Kepler merged with a representation of the elliptical planetary orbit he discovered. The International Year of Astronomy is leading to some really nice looking stamps. Collecting these issues would be a great way to introduce yourself to a wide variety of international stamps. Further information on this issue is available from the Czech Post.

The United States Postal Service is holding its 17th Annual Stamp Out Hunger Day on Saturday, May 9th. Working with the National Association of Letter Carriers, Campbell's Soup, Feeding America, the United Way and the AFL-CIO, the USPS will gather food donations from postal carriers while delivering the mail on Saturday. In 2008 the drive collected 73,113,915 pounds of food, and over one billion pounds of food during the history of the program. If you would like to help out with this great program simply leave some non-perishable or canned food (nothing in glass please) outside your door or by your mailbox. I encourage you all to participate and help out a good cause.

Ah, the stamp catalog. Not counting tongs and the stamps themselves, perhaps one of the most vital tools for the philatelist. It helps us identify and value our stamps, while educating us to the innumerable varieties, errors and other phenomena that await us out in the soaking trays. As I studied the Harris 2009 US/BNA Catalog to review it, I realized that many of the general catalogs present much of the same information. What separates them is the level of detail, the amount of supplemental information, and a lot of smaller things. Paper quality, color vs. black & white images, whether the book can lay flat, and electronic options are all things to look for in the modern catalog. I have relied on the Scott family for years, but as I expand my collecting interests I find I am always on the look out for new resources. For example the catalogs issued by the USSR contain a great deal of information that I had not seen before, the only drawback being that I am forced to use my very rusty Russian.

Given that there are so many options and things to look for in a catalog, I thought it would be interesting to see what you prefer to use.

The upcoming release of the Simpsons stamps is another example of icons of American popular culture being depicted on the postage. Star Wars, comic books, and Looney Tunes have all been so honored. I now offer you all the chance to express your opinion of what should next grace a stamp. This poll is entirely non-scientific (and a bit non-serious). Let me know if you have any better ideas as well for a future poll.

This week sees new issues from the Mediterranean, specifically Italy and Israel. Italy is issuing three separate stamps. The first is a reproduction of a view of Rome which includes 17th and 18th century fountains and architecture, as well as an obelisk from ancient Rome. The stamp is an excellent representation of the centuries of history crowded into one city. The next stamp commemorates the centenary of noted Italian journalist and historian Indro Montanelli. Montanelli reported extensively during World War II, placing himself in many dangerous situations. After the war he remained active reporting from such hot spots as the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The third stamp is a colorful depiction of a beautiful necklace designed by renowned Italian jewelers Bulgari (BVLGARI). These issues are all well designed and serve as an excellent introduction to Italian philately and culture.

The first of the Israeli issues a stamp honoring the Israeli Memorial Day with a depiction of the Israeli flag with attached banners. The second issue is a souvenir sheet issued jointly with Poland. It honors Berek Joselewicz, a Polish Jew who fought for Polish independence in the 18th century, leading one of the first all Jewish units of modern times. The image is from a painting by Juliusz Kossak. Israel is offering three stamps celebrating 2009 as an International Year of Astronomy. One depicts the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) which detects and observes gravitational waves from interstellar objects. Another depicts the medieval Jewish scholar Gersonides and the “Jacob’s Staff”, a cross-staff used for Astronomical observations. The third stamp depicts the detection of the phenomena of gravitational lensing. This involves the distortion of light emanating from a distant object space by another object’s gravitational field. The existence of this phenomena was predicted in Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, helping to verify it. Israel is also offering a set of 12 stamps celebrating Israeli musicians of various backgrounds and genres.

It is clearly a fruitful week for collectors of Israel and Italy, but topical collectors of astronomy, music, history and art also will find many things to their liking. Further information on these issues can be found at the Italian Post and Israel Post.

Like many collectors I have prowled around all sorts of places looking for things to add to my collection. Garage sales, auctions, estate sales, flea markets and antique stores are all great places to discover new and unique stamps, covers and other treasures. However a new hunting ground was opened to me when I went to a local “Friends of the Library” book sale. Consisting of donations and books removed from circulation there were titles under every subject heading. While I was not fortunate enough to find recent catalogs, I did pick up a couple of gems. The first was The Dictionary of Stamps in Color by James McKay, published in 1973. While an older edition, it is full of great color images of a number of stamps with useful information for each issue. It’s definitely a welcome addition to my reference library. The second was the full set of the Celebrate the Century books, companions to the series of stamps issued by the U.S. Post Office from 1998 to 2000. Over half of them were still in shrink wrap and all were in beautiful condition as was the slip cover. The price was quite low and I consider myself lucky to have acquired them. Additionally there was a variety of general reference material such as maps and atlases that can assist in your collecting.

I am sure that many of you have already figured this out a long time ago, but do not overlook book sales or the book portion of other sales. They can be an easy and cheap way to add to your philatelic library.

The Australian Post is issuing a stamp this week in honor of the Queen’s Official Birthday. This is not Queen Elizabeth’s actual birthday, which is April 21st. The Official Birthday is held sometime in June, but it varies from country to country in the Commonwealth of Nations. This second birthday first appeared in the beginning of the 20th Century when Edward VII chose to celebrate his November birthday in the Summer. The stamps depict the Trooping of the Colours in Australia. The Trooping ceremony is now associated with the Official Birthday around the world. It is a very detailed and involved routine involving troops, bands and horse, and in the case of the Scots and Irish units, bagpipers.

This year’s issues include stamps, first day covers, mini-sheets, postal cards and gutter strips. Additional information is available from the Australian Post. Official Birthday stamps would be a great specialty for the British or Commonwealth Nation collector and are a necessity for those focusing on Queen Elizabeth.

The U.S. Postal Service has released the images of the upcoming Simpsons stamp issue. This strip of five stamps will be released on May 7th, with a First Day Cover ceremony being held that day at Fox Studios in Los Angeles, CA. They will be available in 20 stamp booklets as well as stamped cards. The Simpsons will be the first television show to get its own stamps while it the show is still in production.

While there may be some controversy about putting the first family of dysfunction on the postage, it is a definite fact that the Simpsons have a stamp collector among them. Bart Simpson revealed he was a philatelist in episode 92/1F09 in the fifth season. Both the creator of the show and its executive producer have approached their show’s latest honor in a typically Simpson-like manner. Matt Groening, Simpsons creator had this to say about the new stamps, “This is the biggest and most adhesive honor The Simpsons has ever received” and James L. Brooks, executive producer stated, “We are emotionally moved by the Postal Service selecting us rather than making the lazy choice of someone who has benefited society”.

The USPS is encouraging Americans to vote for their favorite character at www.usps.com/Simpsons. Voting will begin on April 9th and go through May 14th, 2009. The USPS is also giving away 25 Simpsons posters autographed by Matt Groening to visitors (over the age of 25) who sign up on the website.

This release is a fun and colorful set that should prove to be quite popular with young and old alike. I'm looking forward to adding the stamps and the First Day Cover to my collection.

The Czech Republic has just issued a beautiful stamp sheetlet celebrating the Reliquary of Saint Maur at Becov Nad Teplou. A reliquary is used to house the relics of Roman Catholic Saints. This particular reliquary held relics of Saints Maur, Timothy and John the Baptist. It is a beautiful wooden box, shaped like a house and decorated with gilt, precious and semi-precious stone, and filigree. The reliquary was created in the 13th Century in what is now Belgium. In 1838 it was withdrawn from use due to excess wear and sold to an aristocrat who had lands in both Belgium and in lands now part of the Czech Republic. It was presumed lost during World War II and was only rediscovered in the 1980s. It has since been restored and is on display at a Czech chateau.

The sheet consists of one stamp showing the front of the reliquary, the sheet has the whole piece and a close up of one of the statues on it. It is a well done piece of postage and will be a perfect addition for the Czech collector, or those interested in historical or artwork stamps. Further information on the stamp is available from the Czech Post.