There’s exciting news for fans of The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album. The Philosateleian now contains pages for newspapers & periodicals stamps and postal note stamps.
You may notice the pages for newspapers & periodicals don’t include spaces for every single stamp that exists in that category. I intentionally omitted spaces for extraordinarily pricey varieties, just as I’ve done with the regular issue pages.
What back of book categories would you like me to tackle next?
New Philosateleian Post stamp pictures Georgia lake
As the proprietor of Philosateleian Post, I’m pleased to announce the upcoming release of my newest local post stamp.
Carters Lake, Georgia
Carters Lake is nestled amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia, and the new stamp’s design is based on an early-morning photo of that body of water. The design measures 1 square inch in size, and like all other Philosateleian Post stamps is issued in the 1 stamp denomination.
The Carters Lake stamp’s scheduled issue date is May 3.
You can obtain a copy of the stamp for your own collection at no charge by sending a self-addressed envelope or postcard with correct U.S. postage affixed to:
Kevin Blackston
Philosateleian Post
PO Box 57622
Jacksonville FL 32241-7622
I’ll affix one of the new stamps to the cover and mail it to you.
If you’re interested in local post stamps, you might wish to join the Local Post Collectors Society, of which I am a member. Dues are a very reasonable $20/year for U.S. members and $25/year for those living outside the U.S.
Have you ever made your own “stamps”? What subject(s) did you feature?
The easiest way is to download my blank page templates. These pages use the same border as my prepared pages, but otherwise they’re totally blank, giving you complete freedom to add any blocks, covers, or related ephemera you like to your album.
Another option is to download the ODT files and fire up OpenOffice.org. You can modify my files, or use them as templates to create your own completely new pages.
I’m considering preparing additional pages to house various back of book items, and I’m open to ideas. What BOB areas would you most like to see covered?
Chinatown stamps preceded modern personalized postage
It was only a few years ago that the USPS granted companies permission to begin selling “personalized” postage, stamps bearing photos of the buyer, his or her family, or a beloved pet. Precursors to those personalized postage stamps date back to the 19th century, however, and examples of such early cinderellas, stamp-like labels with no postal value, turn up even today.
Here we have a sheetlet of 16 labels picturing Chinatown in San Francisco. They are approximately perf. 14.
Chinatown Photo Stamps
Each label bears one of these captions:
Statue of Sun-Yat-Sen
Sing Chong Co., San Francisco
Bulletin of latest news
Chinese Phone Exch., San Francisco
Chinese roses
Latest news, Chinatown
Chinese Phone Exch., San Francisco
Chinese children, San Francisco
Chinese professor
Street scene at night
Chinatown, San Francisco
Strolling in Chinatown
Interior, Tin How Temple
A prospective citizen
Chinatown, Grant Ave.
Chinatown, San Francisco, Calif.
The exact date of issue is unclear, but since automobiles are depicted on no less than five of the stamps, I presume they were probably produced in the 1920s or 1930s, perhaps a bit later than that. If you’re familiar with automobiles from that time period and care to hazard a guess, please feel free.
This set of labels was apparently sold for a dime. The envelope in which they came bears the imprint “Gumling Importing Co., San Francisco, Calif.” My Internet searches indicate this company was in existence at least as late as 1940, but I haven’t found any current references to it.
Chinatown Photo Stamps Envelope
The envelope is boldly labeled “18 photographs…gummed and perforated,” which would make one think a couple are missing. An insert in the envelope, however, says it contains “a series of 16 Photo-Stamps,” so perhaps the two affixed to the envelope were counted among the 18, or perhaps they were originally enclosed in the envelope along with the others.
The insert has room for an address, and the wording makes it clear the whole assembly was designed to be mailed to a friend.
Front of Insert from Envelope
The back of the insert offers 100 ¾×1 inch gummed and perforated stamps—“photographic copies of the picture you give us”—for $1. The copyright imprint reads “Apeda Studio, Inc., New York.” That company was apparently better known for its images of actors and actresses on Broadway, along with other photography-related endeavors.
Reverse of Insert from Envelope
The front of the slip of paper seems to suggest similar “stamps” were available for other cities. Have you seen these before, or do you have similar examples picturing other scenes?
You might not see your friendly neighborhood mail carrier much longer on the weekends.
In a move not exactly unexpected, the USPS has formally requested permission to cease Saturday deliveries except for Express Mail.
In a report submitted to the Postal Regulatory Commission, postal officials say “there is no longer enough mail to sustain six days of delivery.” Add to that expected savings of $3 billion per year, and it’s hard to imagine the change not being approved.
There is, of course, still the possibility that Congress could mandate the USPS continue delivering mail on Saturday, but whether or not that will happen is anyone’s guess.
What do you think—do you support the plans to trim mail delivery to five days a week, or would you rather keep getting deliveries on the weekend?
