Stamps, like National Geographic magazine with its distinctive yellow cover and encyclopedias, used to be prized by families. We had a stack of the magazine in our home that we could all browse through to learn about other cultures. We had two sets of encyclopedias and my sister and I had stamp albums to be filled with stamps from all over the world.
I would leaf through magazines as a kid seeking the ad section with postage stamp sellers' sites. I could buy an envelope of worthless stamps that I could adhere to my album pages. I found the stamps fascinating because they gave me a little bit of each country's history in a 1/2 to 1-inch rectangle. I could then go to the encyclopedia or the National Geographic magazine to find out more. With the Internet, we have expanded our ability to find this same kind of information. Even the Nat Geo magazine is available on the web. But what about all the stamps? With people using texting and emails, will we see the end of stamps in our future? Maybe all those worthless stamps I collected will have monetary value after all.
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When I was collecting them and found a promising ad in a magazine, I attached four quarters to a card and sent off my order. I picked up the mail every day in anticipation of receiving my bounty. In the back of my mind was the one valuable stamp that I knew about: The Inverted Jenny, a stamp with an engraver's mistake that put a bi-plane upside down on the stamp. The stamp is now one of the most valuable in the world, last selling for $1.3 million. The Inverted Jenny never arrived in our mailbox, but each stamp that I received opened up another world to me.
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I spread the stamps out on a table and looked at the images of queens and kings, presidents and dictators, heroes, and other symbols of the country's history, culture, and economy. Many of the stamps are beautifully designed pieces of art just like the latest stamp to commemorate the passage of Title IX.
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I rummaged through the loose stamps, found their correct spot in my album, and attached them to the pages. When I was a teenager though, I closed the album and stuck it in my closet, the album forgotten till we cleaned out our parents' house. I unearthed the stamp book tucked in a box of childhood treasures.
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By that time, I had also accumulated U.S. commemorative stamp sets and stamp sets from our time in Japan. I saved them to give to our son. They now sit on a high closet shelf along with my stamp album and the album that belonged to my father-in-law. One of those small bits of family history that is so hard to discard. I kept a few envelopes of duplicate stamps that I use in mixed media art. I stick them randomly on the blank pages of an art journal and then incorporate them into my drawing. Art within art suggests a journey.
From Chandra: Wonderful post! ❤️ stamps!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Chandra. That's why we still send postcards, isn't it?
Deletefrom Linda by FB: Oooh! Stamps! I don’t know what happened to my stamp collection. I still collect stamps, panes of stamps. I have the Bugs Bunny one to save, as well as, one to use. I think we are losing a great way to appreciate art & history. Why isn’t there a class in school on stamps? Your blog has brought back memories of those times we collected stamps. The name I remember most was Magyar. A lot of stamps came from this area. Cheap, but interesting.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I agree.Lots slipping away from tactile touch. Computers have expanded so much, but sitting down and handling stamps or other collections is a different experience, I think.
DeleteFrom Audrey on FB: Love your art!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Audrey. Stamps are fun to work around.
DeleteFrom Eileen on FB: Oh my, I will have to read all these interesting things over again.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Martha, I very much enjoy . I could not imagine my life without snailmail art and postcards. As you said, I also look into map and find out about surrounding. It’s a never ending exploration… and I remember my start of collecting stamps in my uncle’s cigar box, until my father took over this hobby. Two years ago, I restarted an album because of these tiny pieces of art were so interesting, collecting roughly what comes in by themes. Others are recycled in art. One month challenge was in enlarging a stamp and drawing this..each stamp of another country for 30 days. ..and diving into date of issue, theme and artist.. it’s hard not to get attracted.
thank you, Eileen, for giving us a little window into your collecting too. I think we all collected precious things in cigar boxes, didn't we? And I like the 30-day stamp challenge too.
Deletefrom Letty by email: I’m still thinking we might be twins at heart. I collected stamps, but never quite prepared albums like you. In my 20’s a young boy who loved spending time at the public library shared his interest in stamp collecting. Within months he was hooked and I gave him my never sorted stamps from the ‘50’s. I did, however, save one tiny box of postage marked stamps that my Aunt Della gave me from her secretary desk at McConnel Air Force base in Wichita KS. I still have those world wide jewels showing royalty. Such great memories and so beautifully written. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLetty Watt
Thanks, Letty. I agree. We do have a lot in common. Except I don't have a dog! Thanks for including your stamping collecting story too. Now, did you keep your treasures in a cigar box?
DeleteFrom MP by email: This speaks so much to me. My late husband collected stamps as a kid ( as one friend said, every Jewish boy did). My parents' best friend was a mail man, so Alan asked him to keep special issues for him. I paid no attention since I had lost interest in my stamp book long ago. When my husband died, I found a bag full of stamps. His brother and another collector said they were worth nothing, Last week I gave the bag of stamps to my granddaughter who was thrilled. She thinks she can "repurpose them." I'm sure she will. And she may even learn a bit about history and sociology on her way. Thanks for you blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, MP, for writing a stamp story here. I think stamps have been a big interest for a lot of kids. Glad you could pass on those stamps to your granddaughter. Stamps have become a common piece to use by mixed media artists.
DeleteFrom Mary by email: That’s so fun that you collected stamps. Greg did too. I think you two are the only people that I know with collections. I collected Bazooka Joe Comics
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mary, for your comment. You made me laugh when you wrote about Bazooka Joe Comics. I hadn't thought of those in a long time. Remember trying to learn how to blow bubbles from bubble gum. Boy, is this post bringing up a lot of memories.
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