Sawyer’s Crossing bridge featured on Purgatory Post local post stamp
Earlier this month I received a letter from Scott A., the operator of Purgatory Post, who used a copy of his latest local post stamp picturing the Sawyer’s Crossing covered bridge in New Hampshire.
Purgatory Post Sawyer’s Crossing cover
The Sawyer’s Crossing bridge is a 158 foot long span built in 1859 to provide a crossing point over the Ashuelot River. The stamp features a view of the bridge inside a frame that bears more than a passing resemblance to the frames used on the United States 1901 Pan-American stamps.
Purgatory Post Sawyer’s Crossing stamp
This is the fourth in a series of stamps picturing New Hampshire’s covered bridges. Although Purgatory Post has issued its share of stamps picturing subjects with broader appeal, a number of its issues do feature subjects that are geographically relevant to its operator, and I’m happy to include some of them in my collection.
British Guiana 1-cent Magenta fetches record price
The famous British Guiana 1-cent Magenta is back on top in the world of philately after selling at auction for nearly $9.5 million.
According to Linn’s Stamp News, the unique stamp was sold to an anonymous buyer during a Sotheby’s auction in New York on Tuesday. Its final sale price, which includes buyer’s fees, is roughly four times that of the previous record holder, Sweden’s Treskilling Yellow.
As you may know, the 1-cent Magenta was produced in 1856 as a temporary measure while authorities in British Guiana awaited the arrival of a fresh shipment of stamps from England. It was first recognized as a rarity in the 1870s.
My personal opinion is that the Inverted Jenny, although roughly 100 times more common, is a far more attractive stamp, but the 1-cent Magenta’s sale is getting a lot of press from mainstream media, which can only be good for our hobby.
What do you think of the record-breaking price? What’s the most you’ve ever paid for a stamp?
Some weeks when I check my post office box, I have mail from someone else. Some weeks, the only mail is from myself.
Such was the case this week when the only things in my box were a credit card offer (junk) and my Yosemite Grant first day cover.
Philosateleian Post Yosemite Grant FDC
Call me biased, but I think this is the best local post stamp design I’ve ever done, and I just had to add one to my collection.
For what it’s worth, I don’t actually write letters to myself; I’m simply a stamp collector. How about you? Do you ever send mail to yourself, or do you depend solely on others to fill your mailbox?
In just about a week and a half, you’ll be able to download updated pages for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album! I’ve been busy correcting little mistakes here and there, and I think everything is just about ready to go.
If all goes according to plan, I’ll be issuing Philosateleian Post’s new Yosemite Grant stamp on the first Monday in June. First day covers are ready to go in the mail, and I have to say, the stamp looks more like a real stamp than any others I’ve ever designed. Or maybe Yosemite is just so beautiful it would make any stamp look good.
“Real life” has prevented me from adding a lot of new content to Philosateleia, but I have posted a brief writeup about Cambridge, New Zealand. A collector friend, Demetrios, recently sent a stamp picturing a sunset near that town for my landscape stamps collection.
