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.)
I don’t remember exactly why I started collecting stamps. Given how much I read as a child, I have a feeling that I probably read a book in which one of the main characters had a stamp collection.
Likewise, I’m not absolutely sure what got me interested in landscape stamps, but if I had to guess, I would say it was the First Boca stamp issued by Trinidad and Tobago.
First Boca
I just finished posting this to my landscape stamps exhibit. I think this stamp—if not this exact specimen, then another copy—probably came from an old album that my grandma gave to me a number of years ago. It had belonged to a great uncle who died long before I was born.
There’s something about this stamp that really appeals to me. Maybe it’s the blue and green color scheme, I’m not sure. At any rate, it has been a part of my collection for a long time, and I’m happy to finally have a scan of it online.
A quick programming note, of sorts. It took a bit of time and a lot of clicks of the mouse, but I’m happy to report the spring update for The Philosateleian is ready to go. The current plan is to put it online this Sunday (March 2).
Stamp Exchange features trading, but discussions, too
If you’ve done much looking around at all, you’ve no doubt run across an online forum or two devoted to stamp collecting. I’m aware of several, have participated to some extent on a couple, and am an occasional “lurker” on two others when I have the time.
In spite of all this, I had somehow never run across Stamp Exchange until one of the administrators there recently contacted me to let me know about his site.
The organization of Stamp Exchange’s message boards suggests an emphasis on the selling and trading of postage stamps; although I haven’t tried to work out any exchanges myself, it looks like a promising resource if you’re trying to get rid of duplicates and acquire new material inexpensively.
(There’s always a risk associated with trading with an unknown individual contacted online, of course, but in my experience most such individuals are straightforward in their dealings, and those who aren’t are very quickly outed by whatever online community it is in which they’ve been participating.)
Stamp Exchange also features the usual mix of forums focused on United States or international material, plus a general discussion board for all things stamp related.
If you haven’t previously participated in the online stamp forum scene, or if you’re still looking for the right fit, give Stamp Exchange a try—and let me know how you like it.
