Things To Look Forward To In 2009

Well folks, it’s official. The United States Postal Service has released their list of commemorative stamps that will be available to patrons in 2009. The list includes a wide array of choices to be had next year. All of the stamps will be released at the 42 cent rate until the expected increase in stamp costs this coming May.

Here are the stamps (in no particular order) that I have found.

The Alaska Statehood

Lunar New Year – Year of the Ox

Oregon Statehood

Edgar Allan Poe

Abraham Lincoln – Rail Splitter, Lawyer, Politician and President

Miami University Stamped Card

Civil Rights Pioneers – Mary Church Terrell, Mary White Ovington, J.R. Clifford, Joel Elias Spingarn, Oswald Garrison Villard, Daisy Gatson Bates, Charles Hamilton Houson, Walter White, Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, and Ruby Hurley.

Love: King and Queen of Hearts

Wedding Cake

Wedding Rings

Bob Hope

Anna Julia Cooper

Flags of Our Nation (Set 3 of 6) – Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and the Stars and Stripes.

Flags of Our Nation (Set 4 of 6) – Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota and the Stars and Stripes.

Hawaii Statehood

Gulf Coast Lighthouses

American Treasures: Edward Hopper

Early TV Memories: Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet; Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Dinah Shore Show; Dragnet; Ed Sullivan Show; George Burns & Gracie Allen Show; Hopalong Cassidy; The Honeymooners; Howdy Doody; I Love Lucy; Kukla, Fran and Ollie; Lassie; The Lone Ranger; Perry Mason; Phil Silvers Show; Red Skelton; Texaco Star Theater; Tonight Show; Twilight Zone; and You Bet Your Life.

Richard Wright

Thanksgiving Day Parade – Four stamps in the series.

Legends of Hollywood - Gary Cooper

United States Supreme Court Justices - Joseph Story, Louis D. Brandeis, Felix Frankfurter, and William J. Brennan, Jr.

Nature of America – Kelp Forest

Christmas – Madonna and Sleeping Child

Winter Holidays - Reindeer, Snowman, Gingerbread Man and Toy Soldier.

Angel with Lute

Hanukkah – Menorah

Kwanzaa – Family

Happy collecting everyone!

Crossword Puzzle Postage Stamp

The United States Postal Service issued the first ever commemorative postage stamp celebrating crossword puzzles. This adorable stamp was issued as part of the Celebrate the Century – 1910’s series on January 3, 1998. The Celebrate the Century series was the largest commemorative series ever issued by the USPS.

Crossword puzzles are wildly popular throughout the United States. They are the most popular word puzzle in the world. About 50 million people work crossword puzzles each day around the world. All newspapers in the country feature crossword puzzles in some section of the paper. These black and white grids can stump even the smartest of humans. Crossword puzzles are so popular, that they even have a day celebrating their existence…April 18th.

The first crossword puzzle was comprised by journalist Arthur Wynne. His first puzzle ran in the New York World on December 13, 1913. There are many types of puzzle to enjoy. The “Cryptic” crossword puzzles feature clues that are puzzles themselves. It’s no wonder that they can leave you scratching your head. The “Straight” or “Quick” puzzles have clues that are usually simple definitions for the answers. There are “Quiz” crosswords where the clues are in the form of questions. Some puzzles feature indirect clues where clues are taken metaphorically instead of literally. Originally, crossword puzzles were created by hand, but most today are created with the help of computer programs.

Regardless of your preference in puzzles, crossword puzzles will keep your brain sharp as a tack or cause you to pull your hair out in frustration!

These Christmas Stamps Will Make Your Hungry

Nothing beats decorated homemade cookies around the holidays. In 2005, the United States Postal Service brought baking fun to your Christmas envelopes. These deliciously looking cookies will make you smile and remember the fun that baking brings, especially during the holiday season.

The Holiday Cookies commemorative stamp featured four 37 cent stamps. These festively decorated stamps have a Santa Clause, two snowmen, an angel and two cute elves made from gingerbread and sugar cookie dough. Did you know that long before glass ornaments, people decorated their Christmas trees with real cookies? Gingerbread was the most used cookie dough of the time as it held up longest.

The Pillsbury Dough Boy was on hand for the dedication ceremony which was held in Minneapolis at the General Mills Headquarters. There was an additional unveiling at the Postage Stamp Mega Event in New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

These adorable stamps are made from photographs of actual cookies. Cookie creators made 1000 cookies just to find the perfect six for the making of these stamps. Sally Anderson-Bruce was the famed photographer of the cookies. She also served as the photographer of this year’s Nutcracker postage stamps.

If you are interested in purchasing these Holiday Cookie stamps or other Christmas themed stamps, stop by and check out our many selections.

Holiday Postage Helps Spread The Cheer

No bah hum bug here! With the holiday season in full swing, I thought it would be fun to showcase some of the beautiful postage stamps that represent this special time of year. Christmas stamps can be likely be found by every country that celebrates Christmas. They range from the religious variety (Madonna and Child) to the festive variety (trees and wreath types) to the cartoon type variety (Santa and Snowmen).

One of the funny postage stamps that I love comes from Antigua in 2006. It pictures Santa in his red and white bathing suit. Santa is enjoying his time on the beach in Antigua while being surrounded by presents. He is even wearing some cool Santa shades! Maybe this is where Santa hangs out while the elves are making all those gifts.

Of course in the United States, you are not just limited to Christmas stamps during the holiday season. You will usually find stamps representing Hanukkah, Kwanza and EID (Muslim holiday) at post offices around the country.

Be sure to check out Stamp Center for this Antigua stamp and all of your Christmas postage stamp needs.

Nutcracker Postage Stamps

Nutcrackers will not only be found on theater stages around the country this December, but on your envelopes as well. The new 2008 Nutcracker postage stamps issued by the United States Postal Service are amazing. They were released on November 8, 2008 and are already a very difficult stamp to find at post offices as well as authorized stores around the nation.

Nutcrackers have been made by German craftsmen in several varieties since at least the 15th century. You will often find them carved like a king, knight, or soldier. These wooden decorative pieces have a large mouth that opens and shuts via a lever in the back of the figurine. They are functional as they can actually crack a nut, just as their name states, but most nutcrackers made today are for decoration only. Nutcrackers are traditionally displayed at Christmastime. The famous ballet, “The Nutcracker” is named after these figurines.

The whimsical Nutcrackers featured on the postage stamps are a picture of four actual German style Nutcrackers. The Santa (Father Christmas), king, drummer and captain were custom made for the USPS by craftsman Glen Crider, whose workshop resembles what you could imagine Santa’s workshop to look like. It should be noted that Mr. Crider is one of the few craftsmen in America who has this rare talent of carving Nutcrackers.

Check out Stamp Center to purchase this beautiful Nutcracker postage stamp set.

Every Stamp Collectors Dream

Who among you in the stamp collecting world does not dream of a once (or maybe twice) in a lifetime find? One that is so spectacular that it leaves you dancing and screaming from one end of your home to another. You are going to love this story. Maybe, just maybe, one day the same will happen to you!

Denny Moreau has been a stamp collector for 35 years and belongs to the American Philatelic Society. Mr. Moreau is a recently retired Las Vegas Casino worker. An average Joe; living a nice life in Las Vegas. With time on his hands, he decided to get back to work on his passion….stamp collecting. He happens upon a previously ignored box of stamps that he purchased from a friend 20 years earlier for $7.50.

This little box held many stamps that he believed did not hold any value. Upon further examination, he discovers what he believes to be one of the rarest stamps in history; a beautiful George Washington 2 cent red stamp with a completely intact perforation that is known as a Schermack. It should be noted that if he was correct, he would be in possession of 1 of the 40 rare George Washington stamps believed to be in existence.

He soon sent his stamp off to be authenticated, but was notified that it was not the stamp he was so excited about owning. Believing that he was correct, he decided to make an appeal on the opinion. A year after he had made his initial discovery, he received another registered letter stating that the stamp was in fact genuine. This was certainly the outcome that Moreau was hoping for.

Let the celebrating begin. It is not often that rare stamps are found. The stamp was sent to auction and fetched a whopping $109,250 (including the buyer’s commission).

Stamp collecting is great fun in its own right, but even grander when you find an unbelievable treasure!

Don't Make These Mistakes With Your Stamp Collection

Stamp collectors will attest that when you find a stamp that tickles your fancy, all is well with the world. But with such great enthusiasm for your new finds, mistakes can be made that can damage or destroy what would have been a fantastic yet fragile treasure.

Be sure to check your envelopes very carefully before you cut the envelope. Sometimes the envelope itself is collectible. To some collectors, the postmark itself is valuable if it came from someplace special. Sometimes people will buy stamps and not realize that they have a First Day Cover or Event Day Cover in their hands. If you have obtained an old stamp, you could find that it is from a special time in history like wartime mail with censorship markings. Always check your envelope first before doing any cutting, just in case.

If you find that the envelope has no foreseeable value, you will likely need to trim off the excess pieces of your envelope. You will need to do any trimming before you soak your stamp off of the envelope. Be very careful to not cut off any part of the perforation. With stamps coming in so many odd shapes and sizes, it is easy to become over zealous and cut off a portion of your new stamp. Many times, there is special writing around the stamp. Be sure to include these writings when you cut out your stamp.

Come visit Stamp Center for your entire stamp collecting needs.

John Lennon Stamp Support

There is a new petition that is circulating to have the United States Postal Service issue a commemorative postage stamp for John Lennon.

John Lennon was a British born citizen who rocked the world with his performances with the Beatles from 1957 to 1970. The Beatles caused a frenzy with legions of fans around the world. Lennon’s music has reached millions and is still loved after all of these years. In addition to being a singer/musician, he was also a songwriter, artist, actor and peace activist. He later went on to success as a solo performer. His work as a peace activist landed him in a bit of trouble in the 1970’s. During the Nixon era, the United States tried to deport him for his political ties, but was defeated in their efforts.

Sadly, Lennon was gunned down in New York City on December 8, 1980 by Mark David Chapman. His final album was released three weeks after his death.

Another reason that Lennon should be considered to be graced with a postage stamp is that he was an avid stamp collector. His collection containing more than 550 stamps has recently been auctioned off for a pricey sum.

The potential stamp is sponsored by Lennon supporter, collaborator and close friend Bruce Bieman. Sign your name on a petition heading to the Citizen’s Advisory Committee if you would like to see a John Lennon postage stamp issued in the near future.

Why Pay More For A Stamp Than You Should?

So why would anyone pay more for a postage stamp than they should. This entry is not about being ripped off by some unscrupulous stamp seller. It is however, about semi postal stamps.

A semi postal stamp is a stamp that is issued to raise money for some sort of charitable cause. The cost of the stamp is inflated above the cost of the normal postage stamp. Sometimes these types of stamp show the normal postage rate, but consumers pay a higher rate to help support the cause. Other times, a stamp will show two denominations that are joined with a plus sign. Purchasing these types of stamps is completely voluntary.

The first occurrence of a semi postal stamp was issued to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in Victoria and New South Wales. These 1897 stamps were sold for 12 times the face value of the actual postage.

In Switzerland and Belgium, stamp collectors prefer collecting semi postal stamps over regular postage stamps. Most of the time, these type of stamps out-sell regular stamps with the public as well.

The first semi-postal stamp was issued in the United States in 1998. This stamp helped support and bring awareness in the fight against Breast Cancer.

A Little Stamp Advice

Once you decide to enter the fun world of stamp collecting, it is important that you be careful to not damage your treasured stamps. Here are some simple things to think about when handling your stamps.

First, always make sure that you keep your hands clean and dry before handling any postage stamps. Better yet, don’t use your hands at all. Stamp tongs are a wonderful tool to use instead of your fingers when handling stamps. Using tongs will help keep the natural oil that human skin has off of your stamps altogether. It also helps to keep the dirt off of your stamps.

Collectors should consider purchasing glassine envelopes to store their stamps in. Many people make the mistake of storing their stamps in a shoebox or other type of box. You should be wary of this practice because damage can happen at any time in a box. Stamps can suffer the ill effects of this type of storage by becoming curled or bent. In areas prone to humidity, stamps often stick to each other. Sometimes the dye in the storage boxes will even transfer onto your stamps, leaving them worthless. Taking the time to use these special envelopes will ensure that
your stamps remain safe until you decide to mount them.

Come check us out for all of your stamp collecting needs.

Christmas Seals Part II Of II

Continuing from the post on Friday…

By 1907, there were many sanatoriums dotted throughout the United States. One sanatorium in Delaware was so in need of money that Emily Bissell decided to help raise money to keep its doors open. She had heard of a man in Denmark who sold seals; that were applied to envelopes, during Christmas to help raise money for people plagued with TB. She decided to give the idea a try as well. She designed her own stamp and had them printed in time for her Christmas campaign. She had 50,000 seals printed and sold them for one cent at post offices. With endorsements from high government officials, including Teddy Roosevelt, by the end of Christmas, she had raised $3,000…ten times the amount needed to help the sanatorium in need.

By the early 1900, and a national campaign, the legacy of the stamps was solidified. Christmas Seals have become a cherished American tradition. The colorful creations continue to decorate Christmas cards every year. Christmas Seals continue to be a major source of funding in the fight against various lung diseases.

The Christmas Philatelic Club is not only dedicated to collecting different types of Christmas postage stamps from around the world; they also embrace the Christmas Seals stamps. Collecting Christmas Seals are also a fun way to start children in stamp collecting. They are easy to obtain and their colorful creations are very nice to look at.

Christmas Seals Part I Of II

Christmas Seals are not postage stamps, but have become a very collectible stamp throughout the years. They are labels that look like postage stamps that are usually applied to the back of envelopes at Christmastime. Nowadays, they are distributed by the American Lung Society in hopes of raising funds as well as awareness for a variety of lung diseases. In some cases these stamps are just as valuable to collectors as actual postage stamps.

Christmas Seals have an interesting history that I would like to share with you. The first seals were issued in Denmark in 1904 and the first in America were issued in 1907. Originally they were produced to help fight the most feared of all diseases, Tuberculosis (TB), otherwise known as the “White Plague”. With TB not being a mainstream problem any longer, the focus was changed to help fight all lung illnesses.

In the last 1880’s, there seemed to be no cure for TB. An American doctor, Dr. Trudeau, who suffered from the illness himself, decided to live out his remaining days in a cabin in New York. After much rest, sunshine and fresh air, he began to get well. He became convinced that his peaceful surroundings cured him of the deadly illness. In 1884, the fully recovered doctor opened the first ever sanatorium to solely treat TB patients.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion to this post.

Insuring Your Collectibles

So you think you have a valuable stamp collection and wonder if your insurance will provide coverage if you have a flood, fire or other sort of loss?

While some basic homeowner’s policies do cover collectibles of some varieties, it is wise to make sure what your insurance coverage is before a disaster occurs.

Everyone should take a complete inventory of all of their valuables, ie…art, jewelry, stamp collections, etc. Stamp collection appraisals as well as other appraisals for important items should be obtained. Once you have your appraisals in hand, it is time to check out what your insurance coverage actually entails.

If your collectibles are not covered, consider adding an umbrella policy or specialized policy (a.k.a…floater) to your policy that will cover your additional valuables. These additional policies cover valuable items at an agreed upon dollar amount that is specified in the policy. For example, you have a stamp collection that is worth $50,000 and your insurance will not provide coverage if a loss were to occur. You can purchase inexpensive insurance that will cover a specific item(s), up to the dollar amount you want insured.

At the end of the day, it is better to be safe than sorry. If you have a fire or flood, you may never be able to replace your expensive stamp collection, but at least you will collect some cash in exchange so you can buy more stamps.

Need your stamps appraised? We can help!

Dr. Seuss Postage Stamp

On March 2, 2004 the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp for beloved author Theodor Seuss Geisel, otherwise known as “Dr. Seuss”. The stamp was issued to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize winning author’s birth. The stamp was released during the “Seussentennial: A Century of Imagination” year long celebration that occurred in schools, libraries and book stores around the United States. The 37 cent postage stamp features a picture of Dr. Seuss as well as six of his favorite characters from his books.

Dr. Seuss books have thrilled young children for years. The whimsical stories, many with words that make no sense at all, make children laugh out loud. There are 44 different children’s books to his credit. All have the lovable characters and silly rhyming words.

His first book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street”, was initially rejected by 27 publishers before it was finally printed to a population who loved his new type of writing style. Interestingly enough, Dr. Seuss’ publisher had read a report on how most school children had trouble reading because they thought their books were boring. So he challenged Dr. Seuss to create a fantastic children’s book that would be exciting and fun for the kids to read. The end result of that challenge was the finished copy of “The Cat in the Hat”; which is one of the most read children’s books of all time.

You can find Dr. Seuss and other fine postage stamps at Stamp Center!