Last week’s incoming mail brought us a couple of new business reply envelopes for my collection.
The first is from the American Lung Association and has four stamp-sized images picturing birds, candy canes, candles, bells, and so forth.
American Lung Association business reply envelope
A quick dig through the archives revealed the ALA used this same artwork right down to the rotation of the individual images on a business reply envelope in November 2021. The envelope I received last week represents a new variety, however, as none of the images have an outer border around the stamp designs; the images on last year’s BRE did.
The other new BRE is from Shriners Hospitals for Children, and has five identical stamp-sized images of a teddy bear. If you look very closely, you can just make out the Shriners Hospitals logo on the bottom of the bear’s left foot!
Shriners Hospitals for Children business reply envelopeShriners Hospitals for Children business reply envelope stamp design
That’s a nice touch of personalization, and the first that I can recall seeing on a nonprofit’s business reply envelope; most use fairly generic imagery that you wouldn’t be able to link to any particular organization.
Generous collector shares Hawaiian postal card clipping
Although I’ve long been aware that Hawaii—first the kingdom, and then the republic—issued postage stamps prior to becoming part of the United States of America, I’ve never put much effort into pursuing those things. There are some really pricey Hawaiian stamps even once you get past the famous Missionaries.
This week, I did receive a surprise mailing from Brian W., one of the users of The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album. He sent several items for my collection, including a clipping from a Hawaiian postal card issued in either 1894 or 1897. Knowing the size of the frame around the edge of the postal card would help us pinpoint the exact year, but since we're working with a cut square, we can’t get any more specific.
Hawaii 1¢ ʻIolani Palace postal card cut square
The design pictures ʻIolani Palace, which was the residence of Hawaii’s rulers during its time as a kingdom, and later capitol building for the republic, territory, and state. As you can see, this item was postmarked in Hilo, Hawaii, on July 8, 1899, less than one year before Hawaii became a U.S. territory.
Intact, this postal card is worth a bit of money; my aging Scott Specialized Catalogue values it at $40! Postal stationery collectors tend to frown upon cut squares from postal cards, however, which means this has very little retail value, but I’m still thankful to have it.
Brian noted that he was sending this item and the other stamps he included as a token of appreciation for my work on The Philosateleian. While that’s not at all necessary—I offer my album pages for free as a means of giving back to the hobby in some small way—I do appreciate such surprises when they show up in my mailbox. So, as we get ready to enter Thanksgiving week, I want to say thank you to Brian and other supporters who have contributed over the years.
On October 25, Purgatory Post issued a pair of 5-sola stamps commemorating the SpaceX Crew-5 mission. Crew-5 launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on October 5, carrying three astronauts and one cosmonaut to the International Space Station.
Purgatory Post 5-sola SpaceX Crew-5 stamps
One of the stamps pictures Russia’s Anna Kikina the United States’ Josh Cassada and Nicole Mann (commander), and Japan’s Koichi Wakata, along with the launch of the Crew-5 capsule. The other stamp features an image of the spacecraft in orbit plus the mission patch.
Crew-5 is expected to remain docked with the ISS until February 2023 and to return to Earth the following month.
Bat’s Private Post reissues postal tax stamps on rose paper
Earlier this year, Bat’s Private Post in Beverly Hills, California, issued a set of six postal tax stamps on white paper in various denominations to raise funds for Yemeni Civil War relief efforts. On October 24, those stamps were reissued on rose paper.
The reissued stamps include the following values:
10¢: Mother and child
20¢: Dar al-Jahar (museum)
50¢: Early Yemeni stamp
$1: Yemenis searching through rubble
$2: Military aircraft dropping bomb
65¢ + $1: Yemeni Arabian Nights stamp (semipostal with postal tax included in price)
Bat’s Private Post Yemen Relief stamps
The 65¢ + $1 stamp is a denomination change, with the original issue being a 63¢ + $1 stamp. In addition, the text on the new stamp is in black instead of the red used on the original. Otherwise, there are no glaringly obvious differences except for the paper color.
According to a press release issued by Bat’s Private Post, all domestic mail carried by the private local post between September 15 and December 31 must bear one or more of the postal tax stamps, with letters facing a 10¢ charge in addition to normal postage, parcels a 20¢ charge, and freightsheets a $1 charge.
Flowers adorn American Parkinson Disease Foundation envelope
I was all but certain that I blogged about this business reply envelope last month, but after receiving another copy of it in the mail this week, I can’t find a previous post about it, so…
This is an envelope distributed by the American Parkinson Disease Association in September and October 2022 fundraising mailings. The envelope features three stamp-sized images with simulated perforations, all of which depict flowers.
American Parkinson Diseases Association business reply envelope with flower images
As I’ve mentioned before, this sort of BRE pales in comparison to the envelopes with actual labels attached to them that Boys Town distributed a while back, but it’s still colorful and worth a mention.
