2 of 4

Write now Article Tools

BOYHOOD STAMPS REVISITED
One snowy winter day I got out my old stamps and decided it was a good time to soak off two years' worth of torn off envelope corners that filled my shoe box.
I also came across another box of probably 1000 soaked off stamps from several years ago. I decided to sort them before mounting them while the others were drying between newspaper sheets.

The sorting process was fun. I was in a completely different world for many hours. All kinds of thoughts and memories danced through my head while looking at the various spent postage remnants:
*World stamp collectors must think Americans are a most peace-loving nation there were an abundance of Love theme stamps - both from different years and in different denominations. Are we living up to this theme?
*Various depictions of American flags were probably the second most prominent theme. Are we really that patriotic? And some would burn this revered US symbol.
*The picture of a kitchen Mixmaster on a commemorative stamp has got to be the most boring one yet. I remember the post office soliciting votes for the most popular stamp of the year. This one has got to be the loser.
*Some stamps, like the Hologram type 3-D stamp using tin foil are truly an innovation of our time.
*Since all the latest issues tend to be pre-moistened, self-adhering, or "peel-off" type, what's going to happen to the old glue type?

While sorting through the various stamps in the shoe box I discovered one I didn't recall having seen before. The stamp was a colorful 22 cent Girl Scout issue. On the face of it are 14 sample merit badges very similar to the ones the Boy Scouts have.
There have been approximately 4000 stamps issued since 1847 by the US Post Office and I was familiar with most of them. Having thrown a sheet or a plate block of 4 into a drawer for my retirement collection whenever I could afford it gave me a brief familiarity with most "icons" depicted on them.
My thoughts drifted to my granddaughter in Michigan and her upcoming 12th birthday. Since she is a Girl Scout I thought that I would send her this stamp. Then the thought occurred to me that Boy Scouts, in the 1950s when I grew up, offered a merit badge for stamp collection. Perhaps the Girl Scouts do the same. But then no, baseball cards are in stamps are probably out. Checking on the Internet I discovered to my surprise that yes, stamp collecting is still a current merit badge.
That reminded me of the stamp show I recently visited at a local hotel - mostly

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Stamp collecting: Oddities?
We want to hear your view. Write now!