Many moons ago, I used to conduct stamp trades through this website. I had to give that up for lack of time, but managed to stay in contact and continue to conduct trades with one person, an individual by the name of Demetrios V.
Demetrios collected United States stamps only with round date stamps on them—regular machine cancels were of no use—so I would set aside the odd item with a round postmark to send to him, and in return he kept me supplied with new additions for my landscapes collection. We also corresponded by email over the years.
Last month, I received word from Demetrios’ wife that he had died after a battle with illness. It didn’t exactly come as a shock as Demetrios himself had mentioned that it looked like his time was near, but I was still saddened to hear the news.
Interestingly enough, it wasn’t long after that that Mrs. V. contacted me again to let me know that she had received a returned piece of mail that Demetrios had sent to me, but which was marked undeliverable and had been floating around for who knows how long. She forwarded the stamps inside to me, and when I received them, it was like receiving one last gift from Demetrios.
Although we never met in person, Demetrios was a friend in the Internet way, and I have no doubt he will be missed by all who knew him.
Philosateleian Post to commemorate end of World War I
In early 2018, Philosateleian Post will issue a special local post stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. The 1-stamp design’s vignette depicts a dove, a traditional symbol of peace.
End of World War I
World War I began in July 1914 following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. By the time it ended in November 1918, over 16 million people had died.
“The Great War was a bloody milestone in the history of mankind,” says Kevin Blackston, proprietor of the San Antonio-based local post. “This new stamp is intended not to glorify the war, but to commemorate the peace that followed, short-lived though it was.”
Philosateleian Post’s End of World War I stamp is scheduled to be issued on World Local Post Day, January 29, 2018. The Local Post Collectors Society, which sponsors World Local Post Day on the last Monday of each January, selected the centennial of the end of World War I as the topic for the upcoming event.
Technical Specifications
Format: sheets of 48 (6×8). Design size: 28×28 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.
Philatelic Services
To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s End of World War I stamp, or for first day cover service, send either $2 or a self-addressed stamped envelope and your request to:
Kevin Blackston
Philosateleian Post
PO Box 17544
San Antonio TX 78217-0544
United States of America
About Philosateleian Post
Founded in 2004, Philosateleian Post transports mail only from the proprietor’s home to the nearest mail receptacle or post office, and does not compete with any official mail service. For more information, please visit http://www.philosateleia.com/post/
I’ve been remiss in mentioning it, but over the past several weeks, two of Philosateleia’s supporters have sent generous contributions my way. In October, Vivian B. provided a gift via PayPal, and earlier this month, James F. sent a check by mail.
Vivian and James are both longtime supporters who have sent gifts to help pay the bills in the past, and I’m pleased to say that their contributions this year should cover virtually all of Philosateleia’s expenses for 2018. Thank you to you both!
An error corrected
Steve R., a user of The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album recently pointed out an error on one of the pages for 19th century official mail stamps. The page for stamps of the Executive Department contained a space captioned “Daniel Webster,” the individual depicted on the 15¢ value used during the 1870s. The problem is that no such stamp ever existed!
The highest value in the Executive Department set was the 10¢ Thomas Jefferson, and I’ve updated the page with the correct name. You can download the corrected file from the updates & supplements page.
Interestingly, this mistake had apparently existed since I launched The Philosateleian way back in 2006, and I’d never caught it. That probably tells you something about how much time I spend in that part of my album, but I’m glad to be able to put it right. Thank you, Steve, for pointing out the problem!
The USPS has issued only a dozen new stamps over the past few months, but some of them may have already started showing up on your incoming mail, and you probably need spaces for them in your stamp album. You'll get those needed spaces with the Winter 2017 Supplement (197 KB, 4 files, 5 pages) for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album, which is now available!
This is a rather small update as far as stamp album supplements go, so it shouldn’t take long for you to print the pages and integrate them into your album. I hope you enjoy.
While visiting an antique mall in New Braunfels, Texas, last month, I saw several postal scales of varying sizes and designs. One in particular caught my eye, and although I didn’t purchase it during that visit because I thought it was priced a bit too high, I later returned and made a lower offer which was accepted.
Ideal Postal Scale
The basic design of this Ideal Postal Scale, which can accommodate items weighing up to two pounds, has been around for well over a century. The label on the front of the scale has markings for each ounce, but instead of simply having a number indicating each ounce, the label indicates lists what was at the time of its manufacture the appropriate amount of postage for each step up in weight.
Ideal Postal Scale label
By consulting a reference book that I purchased earlier this year—U.S. Domestic Postal Rates, 1872–2011 (Third Edition), by Henry Beecher and Anthony Wawrukiewicz—I’ve concluded the scale dates to the latter half of the 1920s.
Although the 2¢ per ounce rate used for first-class mail was in effect from the 1880s on until 1932, the rates listed for other classes of mail indicate that rate changes introduced in 1925 had already come into effect.
Granted, this scale can’t handle heavier packages like modern digital scales can, but I can certainly weigh my outgoing mail and small parcels in style!
