Bat’s Private Post issues seals, postal tax stamps
Bat’s Private Post, a local post based in Beverly Hills, California, this spring released two large sets of stamps that I have not previously mentioned here.
The first is a set of non-denominated official stamps or seals that will be used to seal packets of letters being transported between different Bat’s Private Post facilities. Each of the eight seals issued on March 27 is die-cut with scalloped corners, with the following subjects on the seal for each location:
San Diego: San Diego Mission Palm (illustration from vintage postcard)
Bat’s Private Post Inter-office Post stamps
On April 11, Bat’s Private Post issued a set of six postal tax stamps intended to raise funds for relief efforts related to the Yemeni Civil War, which began in 2014, as well as two postal tax due stamps. Between April 15 and July 4, and again from September 15 to December 31, all mail carried by Bat’s Private Post is being taxed according to the following structure:
Letters and large envelopes: 10¢
Parcles: 20¢
Freightsheets: $1
The set includes these stamps:
10¢: Mother and child
20¢: Dar al-Jahar (museum)
50¢: Early Yemeni stamp
$1: Yemenis searching through rubble
$2: Military aircraft dropping bomb
63¢ + $1: Yemeni Arabian Nights stamp (semipostal with postal tax included in price)
10¢ & 20¢: postal tax due
Bat’s Private Post Yemen Relief stamps
Official seals and postal tax stamps are, in my experience, uncommon in the local post world, so kudos to Bat’s Private Post operator Scott Z. for his creativity.
For more information about any of these stamps, you can write to:
Bat’s Private Post
PO Box 11175
Beverly Hills CA 90213-4175
United States of America
Pink rose used on Boys Town business reply envelopes
Sometime in late April or early May, I received a fundraising mailing from Boys Town containing another in their ongoing run of business reply envelopes bearing stamp-sized images. In this case, there are five examples of a design featuring a pink rose that are arranged along the top edge of the envelope to the left of the “No postage necessary if mailed in the United States” message.
Boys Town business reply envelope bearing stamp-sized designs picturing a pink rose
As with most of the Boys Town BREs I’ve received, the images in question are printed directly on the envelope rather than being stickers or labels applied to it. They would seem far more like cinderella stamps if they were individual labels like some of the earlier envelopes of this type that I saw had on them. Nevertheless, it’s a colorful design that might appeal to you if you like flowers.
Purgatory Post celebrates space missions, Smithsonian leader
As I continue to try to catch up on blog posts, perhaps nothing proves just how far behind I’d gotten as the fact that I have three months’ worth of new issues from New Hampshire’s Purgatory Post to share with you!
The first pair of 16-sola stamps, which were issued on April 6, 2022, commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 16 mission between April 16 and April 27, 1972. One of the stamps depicts astronauts John Young, Ken Mattingly, and Charles Duke and the launch of their spacecraft, while the other has a reproduction of the mission patch and a photo of Young standing next to the Apollo Lunar Module.
Purgatory Post 16-sola Apollo 16 stamps
Next up is a pair of stamps celebrating the successful launch of SpaceX Crew-4 on April 27 of this year. Astronauts Robert Hines, Samantha Cristoforetti, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren are pictured along with their spacecraft’s launch on one of the stamps, while the Crew Dragon and mission patch are shown on the second stamp. The 4-sola stamps were issued on May 4.
Purgatory Post 4-sola SpaceX Crew-4 stamps
Finally, Purgatory Post on June 8 issued a single stamp in miniature sheets of four that has a personal connection to its designer. Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot (1872–1973) was an astrophysicist who served as Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution from 1928 until 1944. According to Purgatory Post’s operator, Scott A., his great-great-uncle maintained an office at the Smithsonian and continued working there until shortly before his death at the age of 101! He held more than a dozen patents related to solar energy, and also helped negotiate the return of the Wright Brothers’ flyer from England to the United States.
The 17-sola Charles Greeley Abbot stamp commemorates the 150th anniversary of Abbot’s birth.
Purgatory Post 17-sola Dr. Charles Greeley Abbot stamp
And with that, I think we’re caught up on Purgatory Post stamps. My hope is to do a better job of letting you know about new issues moving forward!
Como Park Post issues two stamps including Ukraine semipostal
It has been a few months since I mentioned any new stamps from Minnesota’s Como Park Post, but there are a couple of relatively recent issues that I’ve received or at least heard about.
The first of the stamps is a red 1¢ design that was enclosed in a cover postmarked March 29, 2022. There appear to be some black overprints, though I’m uncertain of the significance of those.
Como Park Post 1¢ stamp
The second new issue is a 3¢ + $1 semipostal stamp, with proceeds from the surcharge being earmarked to support various Ukrainian relief organizations working in the country during the ongoing Russian invasion. According to Como Park Post operator Tom Betz, the stamps are being printed and perforated by Purgatory Post, another private local post whose stamps I’ve featured here in the past.
Como Park Post 1¢ stamp
Semipostal local post stamps are not unheard of—I previously wrote about a Bat’s Private Post stamp issued in 2020 to raise funds for the Lebanese Red Cross—but they’re certainly not common.
If you’re interested in either of these stamps, you can write to:
Tom Betz
1337 Avon St N
Saint Paul MN 55117-4005
For the Ukraine stamp, Tom does request a minimum donation of $1 per stamp (i.e., the amount of the surcharge).
I’m running a week late with this, but I’m happy to announce that as of last Sunday, the Summer 2022 Supplement (107 KB, 2 files, 7 pages) for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album is online and ready for you to print and download. This update includes spaces for United States postage stamps issued between early March and May of this year.
Within 24 hours of when I uploaded this update, eagle-eyed user Steve R. contacted me to let me know that I'd omitted spaces for the coil varieties of the Mountain Flora stamps. In the words of former Texas Governor Rick Perry, “Oops.” I’ve rearranged a few things to fit those in, and the updated updated pages in question are also available as of today.
If you spot any other errors or omissions, please let me know. In the meantime, enjoy!
