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

Blog archives (December 2021)

Como Park Post reissues 3¢ stamp in coil format

I wrote back in August about a 3¢ local post stamp issued by Como Park Post out of Saint Paul, Minnesota. That stamp was initially released in imperforate sheets, but Como Park Post operator Tom B. informs me that it has been reissued in coil form, and he sent me a cover bearing a coil pair.

3-cent Como Park Post coil stamps on cover
3¢ Como Park Post coil stamps on cover

The initial run of coil stamps has no markings that distinguish those stamps from the earlier imperforate sheet stamps. Tom tells me that later printings of this stamp will have a red marking along one edge, which will make it possible to identify singles as being from coils; in the meantime, however, much like the imperforate United States coil stamps of the 1910s, these need to be collected on cover in order to verify their original format.

Update (2021-01-02)

When I checked my post office box on Friday, one of the items awaiting me was a cover bearing one of Como Park Post’s 3¢ stamps with a red stripe along one edge.

3-cent Como Park Post coil stamp with red edge on cover
3¢ Como Park Post coil stamp on cover

The red stripe is dark but noticeable particularly above and below the design, and should make the stamp easy to identify as originating in a coil even if it’s removed from the cover.

Philosateleian Post to celebrate LPCS Golden Jubilee

In 1972, several collectors of modern local post stamps banded together to form the Local Post Collectors Society, and in 2022, Philosateleian Post will issue a commemorative stamp celebrating the organization’s golden jubilee, or 50th anniversary. The new stamp is scheduled for release on January 24, 2022.

The new 1-stamp stamp features the LPCS logo in red within a dark gray frame. A tablet at the bottom of the frame notes the stamp’s release in connection with World Local Post Day, which is celebrated each year on the fourth Monday of January.

1 stamp Philosateleian Post stamp featuring Local Post Collectors Society logo
Philosateleian Post LPCS Golden Jubilee stamp

The Local Post Collectors Society promotes the study and collection of stamps issued by modern local posts such as Philosateleian Post through its bimonthly journal, The Poster, and supports its members in operating their own private local posts. The organization recently announced that it would lower annual dues rates for 2022 to just $15 for members in the United States and $20 for members outside the United States, and individuals with an interest in local post stamps are welcomed to apply for membership.

Technical Specifications

Format: sheets of 36. Design size: 28×36 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.

Philatelic Services

To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s LPCS Golden Jubilee 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

Purgatory Post commemorates launch of Crew-3

I have another new local post stamp to share with you as we close in on the end of 2021.

New Hampshire’s Purgatory Post on December 8 issued a pair of stamps commemorating the November 11 launch of SpaceX Crew-3. The 3-sola stamps picturing the four astronauts—Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Matthias Maurer, and Kayla Barron—along with their spacecraft and the Crew-3 logo.

Pair of 3-sola Purgatory Post stamps commemorating SpaceX Crew-3 mission
Purgatory Post Crew-3 stamps

Crew-3’s members are expected to stay on board the International Space Station until April 2022, after which they’ll make their return to Earth.

The Crew-3 stamps are Purgatory Post’s final planned issue of this calendar year.

Como Park Post issues recut 5¢ local post stamp

Como Park Post recently released a recut version of one of its 5¢ stamps. The design from the local post operating out of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is printed in blue.

Strip of three 5¢ Como Park Post stamps printed in blue
Como Park Post 5¢ stamps

Based on information provided by Como Park Post operator Tom B., it appears that there is at least one recut variety of this stamp, and while it may look a bit rustic, keep in mind that Tom hand-carves the blocks he uses to print his stamps. It makes me sound like a lazy bum in comparison, doing my graphic design on a computer and then running the results off an inkjet printer!

This is a time of year when there’s not always a great deal of stamp news, so I was happy to receive this from Tom so that I could share it with you.

Winter 2021 update for The Philosateleian

As we near the end of 2021, I’m pleased to announce that you can update your stamp album one more time before the close of the year. The Winter 2021 Supplement (203 KB, 3 files, 29 pages) for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album is ready for you to download and print whenver you like.

In addition to including spaces for the United States postage stamps issued in September and October, this update adds pages for the narcotic tax stamps issued between 1919 and 1970. If you don’t collect fiscals, you can omit those pages and print just the updated pages for 2021.

If you’ve previously switched to The Philosateleian’s annual update track instead of printing updated pages on a quarterly basis, my file for 2021 should be ready for download early next year.

This marks the conclusion of my sixteenth year of producing The Philosateleian, and I truly appreciate everyone who has supported my project or even just dropped me a line to say they’re enjoying my album pages. It’s nice to know folks out there are benefiting! I hope you enjoy this update.