Last year was the first time I’d ever kept track of how many pieces of mail I sent, and my total for the entire year was just a hair under 250. As we near the end of March, Philosateleian Post is already 40% of the way to that number this year, having carried right at 100 pieces of mail through just the first three months of 2014.
Why the uptick in the amount of mail I’m sending? At least part of it has to do with a renewed effort on my part to sell unneeded covers on eBay. I’m not doing especially large amounts of business, but getting sales packed up and shipped off does make a difference in how much I’m using postal services.
Sadly, no more than 10–15% of the mail I’ve sent out has been “personal” in the sense of carrying a letter. That’s certainly a percentage that I would like to see go up as the year progresses.
I get a fair number of pieces of mail from nonprofit organizations, but for the most part they’re of little philatelic interest to me. Certainly, if there’s a stamp, I trim that off, but that’s about it.
I have to make an exception for this cover from the Rainforest Alliance that arrived this week, however, because it’s just too pretty to throw away!
Rainforest Alliance cover
It’s too bad nonprofit mailings aren’t postmarked like (some) regular mail, but I would still argue this is one of the most attractive pieces of modern commercial mail with a stamp that has passed through my mailbox.
How about you? Is there any “junk mail” in your collection?
When I look back at some of the local post stamps I’ve created over the last 10 years, it becomes very obvious that some of the early designs were very…primitive compared to newer issues. I think it’s safe to say my stamp design skills have improved a great deal, and I hope they continue to do so.
What my stamps still lack, however, is perforations.
Here in the USA, companies like Rosback, Franklin, and Latham produced machines in the late 1800s and early 1900s designed specifically for perforating postage stamps. Some perforators were tabletop models; others stand on the floor and look very much like small tables. Rosback is actually still in business, but no longer manufactures stamp perforators, sadly enough.
I would love to own my very own stamp perforator one day, so…if you have a stamp perforating machine for sale, I may be your man. Due to how heavy these things are, shipping would probably be prohibitively expensive, so the closer you are to the Southeast, the more likely things will work out. At any rate, send me a note with details about what you have and how much you want for it, and I’ll be sure to respond.
I’ve heard of collectors focusing on a lot of different types of stamps: postage, revenue, locals, and so forth. What I hadn’t heard of before last week, however, is Sunday school stamps.
According to Sunday School Stamp Albums, a website maintained by an English collector named Steve, cinderella stamps picturing scenes from Bible stories and other religious-themed subjects—and albums in which to store them—were produced beginning in the early 1900s. Instructors doled them out as a sort of reward for regular attendance.
The majority of the stamps Steve shows on his site originated in the United Kingdom. He also points out examples from Australia and the USA, however, so the idea obviously did make it across the pond.
These are interesting-looking items, so if you get a chance, visit Sunday School Stamp Albums. Be sure to let Steve know you read about his site here.
Stamp collectors may be more familiar than any other group with the word “sesquicentennial.” Meaning 150th anniversary, sesquicentennial is commonly associated with stamps issued during the 1950s.
This June, Philosateleian Post will issue a local post stamp commemorating the sesquicentennial of the passage of the Yosemite Grant Act, a piece of legislation that set aside Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove as protected areas. As you probably know, both pieces of land were later incorporated into Yosemite National Park.
Yosemite Grant Sesquicentennial
Last September, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Yosemite during a trip to California. The entire area’s scenic beauty is incredible; if you’ve never been there, I can only advise that you go if you have the opportunity.
I based the vignette of Philosateleian Post’s new stamp on a photograph I took during our time at Yosemite, and went with a simple frame that I hope is suitably classy without detracting from the view itself.
If you would like a copy of my new stamp for your collection, see the press release for details. (Note that your request should include either $2 or a self-addressed stamped envelope, but not both.)
