Jefferson Territory Ghost Post issues two new stamps
Jefferson Territory Ghost Post, the successor to Colorado Ghost Post of the 1970s, on July 1 issued two new local post stamps.
The first of the self-adhesive stamps pictures The Wall That Heals, a ¾-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Jefferson Territory Ghost Post’s Ghostmaster General, Rusty Morse, says that the photo on the stamp was taken while the wall was in Arvada, Colorado, in June 2019.
Jefferson Territory Ghost Post “The Wall That Heals” stamp
The second stamp pictures Jefferson Territory Ghost Post’s guard dog, Lily, along with the text “On Guard.” Although the picture used on the stamp depicts Lily at a younger age, Morse notes that she is now a five-year veteran in her role.
Jefferson Territory Ghost Post “On Guard” stamp
Both of the stamps are denominated in pennyweights of gold, each having a face value of .01-dwt Au.
You can read more about Colorado Ghost Post and subsequent revivals of that local post service on the Rusty’s Maps Projects page.
In just a few days, we will reach the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon’s surface at what was late in the day on July 20, 1969, in the United States, making Apollo 11 the first of several missions to put human beings on the moon.
Purgatory Post in January issued a man on the moon stamp celebrating the anniversary for World Local Post Day. This month, the New Hampshire-based local post issued a pair of 11-sola stamps commemorating the Apollo 11 mission: one picturing astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and Michael Collins, along with a photo of their launch, and the other depicting the Apollo 11 patch and a picture of Aldrin standing next to an American flag on the moon.
Purgatory Post Apollo 11 stamps
Purgatory Post has been issuing a pair of stamps for the 50th anniversary of each of the Apollo missions, with the stamps for each mission denominated with the mission number. I would expect another six issues for the remaining Apollo flights.
Fixing spaces for the Transcontinental Railroad stamps
I realized just yesterday that the three spaces that I included for this year’s Transcontinental Railroad stamps in the Summer 2019 Supplement for The Philosateleian U.S. Stamp Album were much too small to contain the stamps. To quote former Texas governor Rick Perry, “Oops.”
To make up for my mistake, I’ve prepared a special update that corrects the sizes of the spaces for those three stamps, and you can download it now from The Philosateleian’s Updates & supplements page. I’m sorry about the error, and hope the corrected page will better meet your needs.
For the most part, I try to avoid getting into personal business here. You visit Philosateleia to read about stamps, not about what’s going on in my life. There are times, however, when so major a life event occurs that that general rule has to be set aside.
As you’re probably already aware if you receive the Philosateleian Post Horn, my mom, Anna Blackston, died back in March. She had been diagnosed with cancer in late 2017, and the effects of that terrible disease finally overwhelmed her body. There is no doubt in my mind that we will see her again, but there is also no question that her death was a major blow to our family.
Mama dedicated her life to taking care of my dad, sister, and me, and homeschooled both of us kids from first grade right on through high school. She always encouraged me to accomplish as much as I could, and to do the best job that I could, because she cared about me. Even during her illness, her primary concern seemed to be how it would affect the rest of us rather than how it would affect her.
In memory of my mom, who was such a huge influence in my life, Philosateleian Post this fall will release a local post stamp honoring her life. September 26 is the planned first day of issue.
Anna Blackston
The 1-stamp design features a photo of my mom taken in 2017, plus a peace lily that was given to us following her death. Each stamp is also surrounded by a black border, a feature historically encountered on mourning envelopes used to send notification of a loved one’s death.
Technical Specifications
Format: sheets of 48 (6×8). Design size: 28×28 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.
Philatelic Services
To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s Anna Blackston stamp, or for first day cover service, send either $2 or a self-addressed stamped envelope and your request to:
Kevin Blackston
Philosateleian Post
PO Box 17544
San Antonio TX 78217-0544
United States of America
New Boys Town mailing includes more faux stamp designs
Back in March, I mentioned receiving a Boys Town mailing that included a business reply envelope with several cinderella stamps or stickers on it. Today I received another mailing from the same charity, but this time the enclosed envelope featured five pre-printed images of flowers and butterflies that are roughly the same size as actual postage stamps.
Boys Town business reply cover with faux stamp designs
This sort of material is arguably on the boundaries of stamp collecting; after all, it would be difficult to argue that the images printed on the envelope are even cinderellas, much less real stamps. On the other hand, the designs are obviously intended to look enough like stamps to make people think that they’re stamps, so why not?
How many of these envelopes do you think will get saved? My guess is probably not very many at all.
