The latest new stamp from Mick’s Local Post in Oregon pays homage to Thomas Pynchon’s The Crying of Lot 49.
According to a release included with the copy of the stamp I received, the “1” on the stamp indicates it is intended for local use.
Purgatory Post Harriet E. Wilson stamps
The Crying of Lot 49, which was released in 1966, tells the story of a woman who unearths evidence of a feud between Thurn-und-Taxis Post (a real postal service that operated in Europe from 1806 to 1867) and a competitor known as Trystero or Tristero, which was driven underground by the better known operation. The protagonist suspects Trystero developed into a secret society. Wikipedia says it’s “both an ‘exemplary postmodern text’ and a parody of postmodernism” with plenty of cultural references that would have been widely understood at the time.
While I’ve never read the book myself, the title apparently refers to the auction of a collection of rare local post stamps—an interesting topic to be included in a book intended for general consumption!
Project HOPE BRE repeats five preprinted faux stamps
It feels as if the past few weeks have been insanely busy, and as a result, I don’t have a great deal to write about this evening, but I did want to share one recent arrival: a business reply envelope included in a mailing from the nonprofit Project HOPE.
Project HOPE business reply envelope with preprinted stamp-sized designs
If this looks vaguely familiar to you, there’s a reason. It has been very nearly a full year since Project HOPE used the same basic images on a previous business reply envelope, but on that example, the designs had imitation perforations printed around them. This new copy has a straight border around each image.
USPS Mailin’ It podcast covers counterfeit coupons
I have to admit that I’ve never listened to a huge number of podcasts; it seems there’s always something else going on that requires attention. But when I saw a promotion in a recent USPS email regarding a podcast featuring a United States Postal Inspector, my interest was piqued, and I tuned in.
The Mailin’ It podcast episode titled How Postal Inspectors Clipped a $31 Million Coupon Scam covers the US Postal Inspection Service’s involvement in tracking down the people responsible for selling counterfeit coupons.
Counterfeiting coupons may sound like a fairly harmless crime, but we’re not talking about 25¢ or 50¢ discounts. No, the coupons in question had face values much, much higher; one example given was worth $25! By the time inspectors finished their investigation, charges had been filed against multiple people accused of producing over $30 million worth of counterfeit coupons and distributing them through the mail; that’s where the Postal Inspection Service came in.
Admittedly, counterfeit coupons fall more than a bit outside the world of philately, but if you’re interested in learning more about the Postal Inspection Service’s activities, I think this podcast is well worth a listen.
