John Lennon's Stamp Collection

John Lennon was a stamp collector for only a few short years. His collection that was bought from an auction in 2005 is still a point of interest by stamp collectors. Mostly it is his subsequent fame that has brought the collection the most value. The National Postal Museum purchased the collection at an auction in 2005 for $53,000. There are 565 stamps in the entire collection.

When John Lennon was in grade school (in the 1950’s), his teenage cousin introduced him to the fun of stamp collecting. He gave John a hardcover stamp album so that he could collect stamps on his own. Many of the stamps that Lennon collected came from children’s families who lived out of the country, who also attended boarding school with him. Lennon’s stamps are displayed in an alcove of the National Postal Museum in Washington, DC. The album is opened to
the flyleaf, where young John wrote his name and address. It is not surprising that Lennon added his own touches to the stamps in his collection. Many stamps have mustaches and whiskers in blue ink on the images of King George VI and Queen Victoria.

To view the album, visit the National Postal Museum which is next to Union Station in Washington, DC or click here for an online viewing of the album.