My post office box contained several interesting items when I checked it last Thursday, and I plan to share them with you over the next few days. The first is this postcard from Jamos C., the operator of Angeles City Local Post in Angeles City, Philippines. It bears a copy of a 1-peso local post stamp.
Angeles City Local Post Sisig stamp on postcardAngeles City Local Post Sisig stamp
The text within the design reads “sisig”; when I enter that in Google Translate, it returns a translation of “head cheese,” which Wikipedia further defines as a cold cut terrine or meat jelly. Doesn’t really sound like my sort of food, but it does probably explain the presence of the pig in the lower right corner of the stamp.
I don’t have any other information (such as first day of issue and so forth) about this local post stamp, but I’m quite certain I don’t have many local post stamps from that part of the world—and no others picturing this particular dish.
Didn’t we just start 2024? Yet here we are, already into March! And that means there are already a couple of months’ worth of new stamps that need spaces in our albums.
Preprinted BRE designs feature simulated stamp die cuts
It was only earlier this month that I wrote about a business reply envelope from Navigators with a cinderella label affixed to it. Today I received another noteworthy BRE from the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, this one with preprinted designs featuring a variety of Jewish symbols and simulated preprinted die cuts.
International Fellowship of Christians and Jews business reply envelope with preprinted stamp-sized designs
While business reply envelopes with preprinted designs are far from uncommon these days—they still don’t show up in the majority of nonprofit mailings I receive, but there are certainly examples to be found—most of those designs are stamp-sized without attempting to look like actual stamps. The designs on this example are exceptions.
Adding some pizzazz to APS business reply referral cards
In addition to selling a few odds and ends through Philosateleia’s own online shop, I occasionally make sales via eBay and Etsy, and I make sure to enclose an American Philatelic Society business reply referral card with each and every lot shipped. It’s an easy way to promote the largest philatelic organization in the United States.
On each referral card, there’s space to write in my name and APS member number. I got to thinking, though: wouldn’t it be neat to be able to do something with a little more pizzazz?
With that idea in mind, I’ve created a perforated label to use on the referral cards I distribute.
APS member referral labelAPS member referral label on business reply postcard
Measuring approximately 1.75″×1″, this label is the perfect size to fit the empty space on the back of the referral card. My design is simple, perhaps even utilitarian, but I’m pleased with the finished product.
If you could use some of these with your own name and APS member number on them, head over to my Etsy store. And if you’re not a member of the American Philatelic Society but would like to learn more, let me know and I’ll be happy to send a referral card your way!
Prison Fellowship business reply envelope features artwork
This will be a quick post, but the most recent business reply envelope to show up in my family’s mailbox is this example included in a mailing from Prison Fellowship Ministries out of Virginia. The envelope features three preprinted stamp-sized designs featuring artwork; I presume those may have been created by inmates somewhere, but I don’t know that for certain.
Prison Fellowship business reply envelope with stamp-sized designs picturing artwork
There’s not much more to say about this envelope except that it is a somewhat smaller size than the BREs often enclosed in nonprofit mailings. That could make it a bit easier to properly display in a collection.
