Boys Town uses bird cinderellas for third time in month
Boys Town managed to squeeze in one more fundraising mailing to finish up 2019. The thick envelope stuffed with a calendar, return address labels, and other “gifts” was waiting in my post office box today, but the most interesting part to me from a philatelic perspective was of course the business reply envelope that was included.
Boys Town business reply envelope with cinderella stamp depicting four birds
The cinderella stamp on the envelope includes four different roughly stamp-sized designs picturing a bluejay, a cardinal, a thrush, and a bluebird. The designs are separated by vertical lines, but are all printed on the same label.
Boys Town cinderella stamp depicting four birds
If the designs look familiar, there’s a reason. The business reply envelopes in two separate Boys Town mailings that I received earlier this month bore individual labels featuring the same cardinal, bluebird, and thrush artwork by Washington state artist Jane Shasky, though the designs were cropped slightly differently for those labels than for the combined strip that I received today.
Neither of the earlier mailings that I received featured the bluejay design. I’m not sure if that means the bluejay was not included among the individual labels that were printed, or if I just didn’t happen to receive one.
Boys Town turns Christmas scenes into cinderella stamps
When I pulled the business reply envelope out of the most recent mailing that I received from Boys Town yesterday, I thought something seemed a bit familiar, and I was right! The envelope bears three stamp-sized Christmas-themed stickers with the words “Hope,” “Love,” and “Faith.” All three designs were previously preprinted on a pair of BREs distributed in September and October of this year.
Boys Town business reply envelope with three Christmas cinderellas
Boys Town hope, love, and faith cinderella stamps
The designs on these three seals appear a bit brighter than their preprinted predecessors, probably because of the glossy stock on which they are printed.
A fourth design captioned “Believe” also appeared on one of the earlier envelopes. I have not seen a copy of that design reproduced as a stamp-sized label, but I can’t rule out the possibility that it might be out there somewhere, or that some other combination or arrangement of this set of labels may exist on other BREs distributed this month.
Philosateleian Post to mark anniversary of end of World War II
Next year is the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. Historians estimate that as many as 85 million people died during that conflict due to warfare, or to disease or famine directly related to the war. To commemorate the end of the deadliest conflict in human history, Philosateleian Post will issue a special stamp on World Local Post Day, January 27, 2020.
Philosateleian Post End of World War II stamp
The design of this 1-stamp stamp is based on an original photo that I took titled From the Ashes, Peace. The single yellow flower standing out against a background of brown flowers is symbolic of the blossoming of peace, however fragile, in the aftermath of World War II. The stamp also bears the text “World Local Post Day 2020” and “remembering the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.”
Members of the Local Post Collectors Society earlier this fall voted to select the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II as the official topic for World Local Post Day 2020. Philosateleian Post is participating in that annual event with the release of this stamp.
Technical Specifications
Format: sheets of 36 (6×6). Design size: 36×28 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.
Philatelic Services
To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s End of World War II 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
December 2019 mailing contains new Boys Town bird cinderellas
Boys Town’s newest addition to its ongoing run of business reply envelopes bearing stamp-sized labels or preprinted images thereof is now a part of my growing collection of such material. The envelope shown here was in a mailing waiting on me when I checked my post office box over the weekend following the Thanksgiving holiday.
Boys Town business reply envelope with three bird cinderellas
A close-up reveals that the three cinderellas depict a cardinal, a bluebird, and a thrush. Washington state artist Jane Shasky’s name is just barely visible in script near the bottom of each label; the Licensing page on Shasky’s website lists Boys Town among the companies and organizations that use her work.
Boys Town cardinal, bluebird, and thrush cinderella stamps
It is still a bit puzzling to me that Boys Town is not placing its own name on these labels; it seems like it would be a great advertising tool. On the other hand, since their hope is no doubt that these envelopes will be returned with donations, and since the vast majority of those that aren’t probably end up in the trash, perhaps they see no point in bothering, or perhaps no one has even given it that much thought. At any rate, I’m happy to keep adding these pieces to my collection.
Update (2019-12-18)
I received another mailing from Boys Town today that contains a business reply envelope using the same labels as the one pictured above, but arranged with the bluebird first, then the thrush, and finally the cardinal. Since the labels appear to be identical, I’ve listed that second envelope for sale in case you would like to add it to your own collection.
Purgatory Post got its December 2019 stamp issue out the door a few days early. The new 6-sola stamp placed into use on November 25 pictures a mural painted on the wall of the Milford, New Hampshire, post office. The mural, painted in 1940 by Philip von Saltza, depicts a group of loggers.
Purgatory Post post office mural stamp
“I think it’s a bit unusual they chose a logging scene for Milford since we never had a big lumber industry here,” writes Purgatory Post operator Scott Abbot, “but I think the traveling artists had a number of designs prepared and felt it fit the character of the town.”
Beginning in 1933, the U.S. Department of the Treasury paid artists to paint murals in post offices and public buildings in every state. The program ended in 1943 during the middle of World War II.
The United States Postal Service earlier this year issued a set of five stamps depicting post office murals from around the country, but not the one in Milford. I think Purgatory Post’s new stamp strikes a nice balance between local relevance (Purgatory Post is based in Milford) and popular appeal, which I know from experience is not always an easy accomplishment for a modern local post.
