Como Park Post recently released a recut version of one of its 5¢ stamps. The design from the local post operating out of Saint Paul, Minnesota, is printed in blue.
Como Park Post 5¢ stamps
Based on information provided by Como Park Post operator Tom B., it appears that there is at least one recut variety of this stamp, and while it may look a bit rustic, keep in mind that Tom hand-carves the blocks he uses to print his stamps. It makes me sound like a lazy bum in comparison, doing my graphic design on a computer and then running the results off an inkjet printer!
This is a time of year when there’s not always a great deal of stamp news, so I was happy to receive this from Tom so that I could share it with you.
In addition to including spaces for the United States postage stamps issued in September and October, this update adds pages for the narcotic tax stamps issued between 1919 and 1970. If you don’t collect fiscals, you can omit those pages and print just the updated pages for 2021.
If you’ve previously switched to The Philosateleian’s annual update track instead of printing updated pages on a quarterly basis, my file for 2021 should be ready for download early next year.
This marks the conclusion of my sixteenth year of producing The Philosateleian, and I truly appreciate everyone who has supported my project or even just dropped me a line to say they’re enjoying my album pages. It’s nice to know folks out there are benefiting! I hope you enjoy this update.
Latest ALA envelope features new faux stamp designs
The post office box has been pretty well packed the last couple of times I’ve checked it, mostly with holiday fundraising mailings from a variety of non-profit organizations. Today’s haul included a mailing from the American Lung Association, which included a business reply envelope with four pre-printed Christmas-themed stamp-sized designs on it.
American Lung Association business reply envelope
I still prefer envelopes that have actual stickers or labels affixed to them; those seem more like cinderella stamps than simply pre-printed designs. Nevertheless, this is more interesting than a plain old business reply envelope, so I don’t suppose we can complain much.
(By the way, this doesn’t really fit into my current collecting interests, so I’ve listed it in my online shop at a very low price just in case someone else would like to have it.)
The most appealing of the designs to me is the set of 16 featuring various National Marine Sanctuaries. Those stamps feature everything from landscapes to close-ups of various marine animals, and they’re quite attractive. Oddly, the preview artwork suggests that none of the stamps bear any text identifying which sanctuaries are pictured, which seems a bit of a lost opportunity.
Also catching my eye was the design for the newest entry in the current series of low-value definitives, a 4¢ stamp picturing blueberries. I think those fruit stamps look very nice.
For the most part, I’m not crazy about the other designs. The Mountain Flora stamps picturing various flowers are fine, but do we really need new flower stamps every year? Of the 62 different designs pictured in the USPS press release, no fewer than eight (nearly 13%) picture flowers. Maybe, in today’s politically charged climate, flowers are a “safe” subject not likely to inspire controversy, but yawn.
One positive note on the flower stamps: two of them are intended for use by nonprofit organizations and will presumably supplant the Patriotic Nonprofit design released in 2017. Could this be an initial foray into larger sets of nonprofit stamps? I, for one, would like to see the USPS issue a coil of nonprofit stamps featuring 10, 25, or even 50 different designs—not necessarily flowers, but presidents or landmarks from each of the 50 states or something like that. It sure would make receiving junk mail more interesting!
What do you think of next year’s announced stamps? Take a look at the press release, then leave a comment below.
Purgatory Post commemorates 19th-century steamship Belknap
Purgatory Post this month launched a new series of stamps picturing steamboats that have sailed on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire with the November 2 release of a 1-sola stamp picturing the Belknap.
Purgatory Post Belknap stamp
The Belknap carried passengers and cargo between villages on the lake from 1833 until 1841. The ship met its end in October of that year when storm winds blew the Belknap and a raft of logs that it was towing into rocks near what is now known as Steamboat Island, where it sank in shallow water. Purgatory Post operator Scott A. tells me the wreck site is popular with divers today.
I really like seeing local post stamps that commemorate local subjects, topics that are relevant to the geographical area in which they operate. This certainly qualifies, and I doubt too many people outside New Hampshire have ever even heard of the Belknap before now, but I’m happy to feature it here.
