Centerport local service stamp from early modern local
Purgatory Post operator Scott A. recently shared with me a local post stamp issued by what was arguably one of the older “modern” local posts: the Centerport, New York, local service.
Centerpoint local service stamp
According to reference material to which Scott has access, the local post was in operation only from 1953 to 1955, and the stamp pictured above—not denominated, but originally valued at 1¢—was part of its second issue. Although the design, which features an anchor and the outline of Long Island, is triangular, the stamp is rectangular and rouletted vertically, apparently having been issued in horizontal strips.
There seems to be little information about the Centerport service online, but I’m happy to add this to my collection.
Bat’s Private Post of Beverly Hills, California, on August 18 issued a pair of new self-adhesive stamps celebrating the local post’s 15th anniversary. The 63¢ designs picture a bat, with the standard use stamp having a blue background and the official stamp having a buff background.
63¢ Bat’s Private Post 15th anniversary stamps
According to a press release, each of the stamps has 16 scallops around its edge: 15 for the 15 years that Bat’s Private Post has been in operation, and an additional scallop representing the local post’s future.
In addition to the stamps, which are only the second self-adhesive issue in Bat’s Private Post’s history, two ungummed souvenir sheets were produced, each containing three copies of one of the issued stamps.
Bat’s Private Post 15th anniversary souvenir sheets
I hadn’t realized that Bat’s Private Post has been around as long as it has, but its only a couple of years behind my own Philosateleian Post. I like it when a modern private local post sticks around for a while, not just issuing a couple of stamps and then disappearing, and I wish the post’s operator, Scott Z., much success with his future local posting activities.
Como Park Post earlier this month issued a new tri-colored 3¢ stamp.
Covers that I received postmarked August 9, 2021, bear single copies of the Minnesota local post’s newest issue, the design of which is illustrated here.
3¢ Como Park Post stamp (type II)
According to Como Park Post operator Tom B., there are two design types differing in the scrollwork at the sides of the central oval. The variety shown here is type II; the type I scrolls, in contrast, are reportedly thicker.
As you may know, Tom handcarves the printing blocks for his local post stamps. I doubt the lettering on my own Philosateleian Post stamps would even be legibile if I attempted that, but he makes it work!
New Hampshire-based Purgatory Post on August 3, 2021, issued its latest stamps commemorating United States spaceflight missions. The pair of 15-sola stamps mark the 50th anniversary of Apollo 15, which ran July 26–August 7, 1971.
Purgatory Post Apollo 15 stamps
One of the stamps pictures astronauts Dave Scott, Al Worden, and Jim Irwin along with the mission’s launch, while the second stamp features the Apollo 15 mission patch and photograph of the lunar rover that Scott and Irwin used during their time on the moon.
The members of the Apollo 15 crew after their trip to the moon faced criticism for carrying and signing several hundred stamped envelopes on the mission without approval from their managers, and for receiving payment for the covers after the fact. Although the three ultimately returned the money, they never returned to space.
On October 1, 2021, Philosateleian Post, a private local post based in San Antonio, Texas, will issue a special stamp picturing Tenaya Lake in Yosemite National Park. The blue and green 1-stamp design is based on a photograph taken by Philosateleian Post’s proprietor, Kevin Blackston, during a 2013 trip to California.
Philosateleian Post Tenaya Lake stamp
At 8,150 feet above sea level, Tenaya Lake has an altitude more than twice that of the floor of nearby Yosemite Valley, and the water that flows out of the lake ultimately makes its way through a steep canyon down to the Valley. The lake was named after Chief Tenaya of the Ahwahnechee, who lived in the area.
The Tenaya Lake stamp is Philosateleian Post’s second to feature a scene from Yosemite National Park. The first, issued in 2014, featured a view of Yosemite Valley itself.
Technical Specifications
Format: sheets of 55. Design size: 36×21 mm. Separation method: perforated 12. Adhesive: water-activated dry gum. Printing method: inkjet.
Philatelic Services
To receive a mint single of Philosateleian Post’s Tenaya Lake 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
