Philosateleia
Kevin Blackston
PO Box 217
Floresville TX 78114-0217
United States of America

Philosateleian Blog

Philosateleian Post to issue 10th wedding anniversary stamp

On September 18, 2020, Philosateleian Post, a private local post based in San Antonio, Texas, will issue a stamp commemorating the 10th wedding anniversary of the post’s proprietor and his wife. Sarah and Kevin Blackston were married in San Antonio in September 2010 in front of a crowd of family and friends.

1-stamp Philosateleian Post stamp commemorating Sarah and Kevin’s 10th wedding anniversary
Philosateleian Post Sarah & Kevin 10th Wedding Anniversary stamp

The purple and sepia 1-stamp stamp features a picture of Sarah and Kevin taken on their wedding day. It will be Philosateleian Post’s first stamp issued in a triangular format.

Philosateleian Post previously issued a stamp in 2011 celebrating the couple’s first wedding anniversary.

“It seems like just yesterday that I watched my beautiful bride walk down the aisle,” said Kevin. “The past ten years have been an adventure and I look forward to many more with Sarah.

“One of the nice things about operating my own local post is that I can commemorate events of family significance, and our tenth anniversary certainly qualifies.”

Technical Specifications

Format: sheets of 40. Design size: 62×31 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.

Philatelic Services

To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s 10th Wedding Anniversary 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

Como Park Post issues 5¢ stamp produced from recut die

My most recent trip to check my post office box resulted mainly in me bringing home a stack of non-profit fundraising mailings that were for the most part of little philatelic interest, but there was one local post stamp awaiting me: a 5¢ Como Park Post stamp from Tom B.

Como Park Post 5¢ stamp printed from recut die
Como Park Post 5¢ stamp

A written note on the back of the blue stamp identifies it as originating from a recut die. Although many modern local post stamps were at one time created in a similar manner as Tom’s, most these days, including my own Philosateleian Post stamps, are designed and printed using a computer.

Although Como Park Post’s stamps may not be quite as “slick” in appearance, there’s a special skill involved in creating something like this by hand, and it’s nice to see an example of the old methods still being used.

Purgatory Post commemorates former Bagley Bridge

It has been right at a year since Purgatory Post last released a covered bridge stamp, but a new 11-sola stamp picturing the Bagley Bridge that previously spanned New Hampshire’s Warner River was issued on August 3, 2020.

Purgatory Post 11-sola stamp picturing Bagley Bridge
Purgatory Post 11-sola Bagley Bridge stamp

Although most of the stamps in designer Scott A.’s series picture covered bridges that are still standing, Bagley Bridge, which was likely originally built in the 1830s, was dismantled in 1966. Scott tells me, however, that the bridge’s pieces were pulled out of storage in the early 21st century and reassembled as the Will Henry Stevens Covered Bridge outside an arts center in Highlands, North Carolina, where the bridge stands to this day.

The frames of Purgatory Post’s covered bridge stamps are, of course, inspired by the frames of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition stamps.

Faux bird stamps on business reply envelope look familiar

Last year, it seemed like I was receiving a business reply envelope with cinderella stamps or preprinted stamp-sized images on it from Boys Town just about every other week. Similar envelopes from a couple of other organizations turned up in the mail, too, but I haven’t seen much in the way of that sort of material in recent months. Maybe that has something to do with the general impact of COVID-19, maybe not.

At any rate, a mailing from the American Lung Association that was waiting in my PO box on Monday did contain an envelope with five preprinted stamp-sized images picturing various birds. The containing envelope took a beating in transit, so the BRE has some dents, but it was nice treat to receive in junk mail.

American Lung Association business reply envelope with five preprinted stamp-sized designs picturing birds
American Lung Association business reply envelope with faux bird stamp designs

The bird images did seem vaguely familiar, so I did a bit of looking around and—surprise!—four of the five were used on the BRE enclosed in a November 2019 Boys Town mailing! It’s almost like a not-quite-cinderella joint issue of sorts.

This has to be more than coincidence, and I can only assume that Boys Town and the American Lung Association are using the same marketing outfit. I’m curious to see if these same birds turn up in any other mailings in the future.

Caught up on writing up 14¢ American Indian covers

At long last, I’ve finally finished writing up the various 14¢ American Indian covers that I had accumulated over the past few years! I’d been chipping away at that little project since early last month, and I’m happy to be able to share the last three covers with you here.

The first item is a 2¢ John Adams “Prexie” first day cover that had a 14¢ American Indian stamp added to it. Completely and totally philatelic, and a bit of an oddball item, but finding this example was a nice surprise.

Front of 2-cent John Adams first day cover bearing 14-cent American Indian stamp
14¢ American Indian first day cover

Next up is a 1942 air mail cover sent from the Canal Zone to Pennsylvania that bears a copy of the American Indian stamp. Although this is arguably a late usage of the 14¢ value, this stamp was surprisingly difficult to find on cover, and I remember being pretty excited to pick it up at a TSDA bourse here in San Antonio some time ago, back when we were still able to attend such things.

Front of 1¢ Canal Zone stamped envelope with 14¢ American Indian stamp
14¢ American Indian cover mailed from Canal Zone to Pennsylvania

And finally, we have an event cover marking the splashdown of Gemini 7 in the Atlantic Ocean in 1965. Yes, this is an example of the rotary press-printed American Indian stamp with Canal Zone overprint used over three decades after it was issued, but what a neat item commemorating one of the United States space missions.

Front of Gemini 7 cover with 14-cent American Indian stamp
14¢ American Indian Gemini 7 cover

I’m still on the lookout for American Indian stamps on cover, particularly solo usages of the stamp, but for now, at least, I’ve finished writing up the covers in my collection.

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