a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4lHNxhlSTI/AAAAAAAAD5c/qWPR0u-GTSk/s1600-h/Postmaster%2BGeneral%2BPostal%2BDiscusses%2B3rd%2BQuarter%2BkbE-xCkj9WPl.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 175px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4lHNxhlSTI/AAAAAAAAD5c/qWPR0u-GTSk/s320/Postmaster%2BGeneral%2BPostal%2BDiscusses%2B3rd%2BQuarter%2BkbE-xCkj9WPl.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442959926612019506″ //aPostmaster General John Potter writes in today’sem Washington Post/em, “For 235 years, the U.S. Postal Service has delivered your mail in snow, rain and dark of night. However, tough market conditions are creating new challenges for our business. Misconceptions about the future of our enterprise abound; dispelling these myths will show that we can continue to deliver the mail.”br /br /He goes on to list, and respond to, what he considers five myths about the U.S. Postal Service.br /br /They are…br /br /1. The Postal Service wastes taxpayer dollars.br /2. The Postal Service is inefficient.br /3. Mail is not reliable.br /4. The USPS is not environmentally friendly.br /5. The USPS can’t compete with the private sector.br /br /He concludes with, “Though we operate in a difficult legislative and economic environment, we are prepared to forge ahead. On March 2, we are releasing our plan for future financial viability and greater business flexibility — a plan that will keep the Postal Service thriving for years to come.” br /br /Shown above, U.S. Postmaster General John Potter speaking during a news conference last summer about the Postal Service’s financial troubles.br /br /To read the entire article a href=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/25/AR2010022504888.html”click here/a.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-1818256940708315562?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4f5ETF0QzI/AAAAAAAAD5M/eaE632wranA/s1600-h/200307285g_hr.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 250px; height: 170px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4f5ETF0QzI/AAAAAAAAD5M/eaE632wranA/s320/200307285g_hr.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442592526939996978″ //aemThe Am Law Daily/em reports that the U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled, 2-1, in favor of 85-year-old sculptor Frank Gaylord regarding a photo of his Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. that was used on a a href=”http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2003/sr03_040.pdf”U.S. postage stamp/a.br /br /According to the article, “John Alli, a retired U.S. Marine and an amateur photographer…took hundreds of photographs of the memorial on a snowy day and eventually produced a single, haunting photo. In 2002, the federal government paid Alli $1,500 to use his photo as the basis for a 37-cent postage stamp.” br /br /Reporter Zach Lowe writes, “The U.S. Postal Service raised more than $17 million from sales of the stamp–including about $5.4 million in sales to collectors–before the agency retired it.” Gaylord, the suit argued, deserved a piece of that money in damages and sued the government in the Court of Federal Claims in 2006.br /br /The government won the case saying the photo and stamp of the memorial was “fair use”. It also found that the memorial constituted architecture, and thus was not subject to the usual copyright protections. br /br /Having lost the case, Gaylord, who served as an Army paratrooper in World War II, received no damages.br /br /In 2008, Gaylord and his lawyers appealed the case and this week they won on the grounds that “a new work must make some sort of criticism or commentary to fall under fair use,” which clearly the stamp and the photo on which it was based did not.br /br /The appeals court remanded the case for a hearing on damages. The government could petition the U.S. Supreme Court for review.br /br /Shown above, the preliminary design for the 2003 Korean Memorial stamp.br /br /To read the entire article, a href=”http://amlawdaily.typepad.com/amlawdaily/2010/02/frankgaylordip.html”click here/a.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-2310900597081349985?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

Somewhat related to last post about golden era stamp collectors and philatelists is this Finnish booklet commemorating collector Agathon Faberge. Yes, he was a member of the same Faberge family that created the fabulous Winter Eggs for the Russian czar. But above all, he was one of the first “grand collectors” of Finnish stamps.

Notice [...]

a href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4c5MrRGGnI/AAAAAAAAD5E/icvsSkGPp3M/s1600-h/Victorian+Mail+Carrier014.jpg”img style=”float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4c5MrRGGnI/AAAAAAAAD5E/icvsSkGPp3M/s320/Victorian+Mail+Carrier014.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5442381564636174962″ //aRandall Stross writes in the emNew York Times/em, “In Victorian London, though service wasn’t 24/7, it was close to 12/6. Home delivery routes would go by every house 12 times a day — yes, 12. In 1889, for example, the first delivery began about 7:30 a.m. and the last one at about 7:30 p.m. In major cities like Birmingham by the end of the century, home routes were run six times a day.”br /br /He quotes Catherine J. Golden, a professor of English at Skidmore College and author of emPosting It: The Victorian Revolution in Letter Writing (2009/em) as saying, “In London, people complained if a letter didn’t arrive in a couple of hours.” br /br /An overview of ema href=”http://www.upf.com/book.asp?id=GOLDEF09″Posting It/a/em on the University of Florida website points out, “Although ’snail mail’ may seem old fashioned and outdated in the twenty-first century, Catherine Golden argues that the creation of the Penny Post in Victorian England was just as revolutionary in its time as e-mail and text messages are today.” br /br /Shown above, a British mail carrier in 1839.br /br /To read the entire article, a href=”http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/21/business/21digi.html?scp=1sq=Randall%20Strossst=nyt”click here/a.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-3626384759242772901?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4XVOfkA17I/AAAAAAAAD40/qkdBHaW7j7I/s1600-h/!BeomF0w!2k~%24(KGrHqEH-DkEre9cYPo2BK-EccBLOw~~_3.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 202px; height: 320px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4XVOfkA17I/AAAAAAAAD40/qkdBHaW7j7I/s320/!BeomF0w!2k~%24(KGrHqEH-DkEre9cYPo2BK-EccBLOw~~_3.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441990169714546610″ //aA tip of the tongs to emRound-Up/em reader Richard Cannata of New York who sends along a listing on eBay about a 117-year-old mystery stamp that is being hailed as “The King Arthur” of stamps because “supposedly all of the experts have heard of the legend, but no one has ever proven it, until now.” br /br /Going for the “Buy It Now” price of $25,000, it is “… very first and only known, P.F. Certified, Graded Fine 70, U.S. used 220 cap on right in the world,” according to the seller who is listed as “philatelic_rocker” of Oceanside, New York.br /br /a href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4XVdciZSYI/AAAAAAAAD48/Jf68zVBBvdY/s1600-h/!BgPs)KgBWk~%24(KGrHqIOKi4Er)63BvfpBLEnt7RkoQ~~_3.jpg”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 130px;” src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4XVdciZSYI/AAAAAAAAD48/Jf68zVBBvdY/s400/!BgPs)KgBWk~%24(KGrHqIOKi4Er)63BvfpBLEnt7RkoQ~~_3.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441990426600491394″ //abr /According to the listing, “This stamp was once listed by Scott as a U.S. #220b cap on right from 1935-1939 The 220b was the most valuable of the three cap varieties and was also mentioned in an early 1900’s Lester G. Brookman catalog.”br /br /It goes on to say, “The 1890 US 220 was criticized for its color and was reissued between 1891-92. These reissues produced the very popular ‘cap’ varieties, known as the US 220a (cap on left 2), and the US 220c (cap on both 2s).” br /br /Apparently the stamp was originally purchased on eBay in February 2008, with its authenticity unknown. Then in March 2008, the stamp was taken to the A.S.D.A.’s (American Stamp Dealers Association) Mega Postage Stamp Show, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, for appraisal.br /br /The seller says, “The A.S.D.A. referred the appraisal to member and renowned stamp expert, Richard A. Champagne. Being very familiar with the 220 Cap on Right 2 legend, but of course never having seen one, he was very skeptical at first. However, after careful examination, to his surprise, Mr. Champagne found this stamp to be genuine. He advised taking the stamp immediately to the Philatelic Foundation in New York (chartered in 1945 by the University of the State of New York) to be certified.br /br /”Following up on the advise of Mr. Champagne, this stamp was brought to the Manhattan office of the Philatelic Foundation to be certified. It was examined by a team of P.F. experts before being deemed genuine for certification. In its 64 year history, the P.F. has had only two other submissions for certification of a 220 cap on right 2, but these submissions were deemed Not Genuine. Therefore, making this stamp the very first and only known certified, used cap on right 2, in existence today.br /br /”In its 64 year history, the P.F. has had only two other submissions for certification of a 220 cap on right 2, but these submissions were deemed Not Genuine. Therefore, making this stamp the very first and only known certified, used cap on right 2, in existence today.”br /br /The listing ends today at 8:21 AM PST. Bidding starts at $15,000. a href=”http://cgi.ebay.com/NYPF-Certifies-1st-Ever-US-220-Cap-On-Right-Myth-Stamp_W0QQitemZ230438448922QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a733af1a”Click here/a to purchase or bid.br /br /For any further information please call 516-209-6449, or email: hazyjade1@aol.combr /br /Shown above, the Philatelic Foundation Certificate and a blow-up of the “cap on the right.”div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-3156275131462400988?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

One of my favorite stamp related books is “Filatelian taito” (roughly translated “The art of philately”) written and printed in the 1950’s. Why such old book? Besides the very obvious reason that very few stamp related books exist in Finnish language, I’m very much in love with the “feel good stories” of [...]

a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4SV4l_zkNI/AAAAAAAAD4U/u2GfEmmaax8/s1600-h/japanesecranerecto.jpg”img style=”float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4SV4l_zkNI/AAAAAAAAD4U/u2GfEmmaax8/s200/japanesecranerecto.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441639049275347154″ //abr /a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4SVrJxRqnI/AAAAAAAAD4M/wefAG1TUDZQ/s1600-h/japanesecraneverso.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 200px;” src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4SVrJxRqnI/AAAAAAAAD4M/wefAG1TUDZQ/s200/japanesecraneverso.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441638818359913074″ //abr /Wear a piece of history with postage stamp jewelry from around the world!br /br /Anna Van Tuinen’s Dad collected stamps as a boy in the ’60s and she loved sorting through stamps with him when she was a kid. Now she’s making pendant necklaces using stamps from their collection.br /br /Anna can also custom design a necklace with one of your stamps if your prefer. An Inverted Jenny would look nice.br /br /Shown above, a necklace made from Japanese stamp with a crane and Japanese characters. The back is covered in Japanese Chiyogami paper with blue parasols.br /br /To visit Anna’s site, a href=”http://www.dropsofsun.com/postagestampjewelry.html”click here/a.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-6053902543313015926?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4HpSwqMUrI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/-3zljjkubrY/s1600-h/DSCN4677.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S4HpSwqMUrI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/-3zljjkubrY/s400/DSCN4677.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440886333349057202″ //aShown above a photo by Sid Avery of movie star Yul Brynner. Taken in 1953, it appears emHollywood at Home: A Family Album 1950-1965/em along with other celebrity photos.br /br /In Avery’s 2002 obitiuary emThe New York Times/em wrote, “Mr. Avery’s work in the 1950’s and 60’s was a departure from the glamorized, soft-focus portraits of an earlier Hollywood era when images of the stars were tightly controlled by the major studios. Mr. Avery showed celebrities on the movie set between takes and away from the job, relaxing with the family or engaged in household chores.”br /br /In emYul Brynner: a Biography/em, author Michelangelo Capua writes, Brynner “…aspired to have one of the most important collections of rare stamps ever. Yul transformed a small hobby collection (inherited from a friend who lost interest in it) into an investment collecting, exclusively United Nations stamps.”br /br /Capua goes to say, “…his 35-volume collection was one of the most complete in the world.”br /br /To learn more, a href=”http://books.google.com/books?id=mAllHF9-7ZYCpg=PA85lpg=PA85dq=YUl+Brynner+stampssource=blots=G8mEvfaKQpsig=_D4y2HWHWTVsopknWLMMS1qFia8hl=enei=J2mDS6rZPIT8tQP4gNmfDwsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=3ved=0CBAQ6AEwAg#v=onepageq=YUl%20Brynner%20stampsf=false”click here/a.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-7596195194644994802?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div

In early January I wrote a short introduction about Seebeck reprints on some Nicaraguan stamps. Well, it’s time for a short revisit on the topic as I’ve received few more Nicaraguan stamps from various stamp exchanges. The following examples are from the 1891 “Goddess of plenty” / “Allegorical figure with cornucopia” series (with very [...]

a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S37IHo7W5QI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/a0ILvea14Oc/s1600-h/feb19-vetsstamp-pi.jpg”img style=”float:right; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 190px;” src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_bTvISTq6I5I/S37IHo7W5QI/AAAAAAAAD1Q/a0ILvea14Oc/s320/feb19-vetsstamp-pi.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”"id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440005433481159938″ //aThe emPacific Citizen /em in Los Angeles reports over 30,000 Japanese Americans served in the U.S. military during WWII and some feel there should be a stamp issued in their honor. br /br /The latest proposal for a Japanese American veterans stamp was rejected according to the article. The reason: the U.S. Postal Service’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee’s policy against honoring separate military sub-branches, units or divisions.br /br /Instead the committee, which works on behalf of the postmaster general to evaluate stamp proposals, suggested creating a stamp honoring the National Japanese American Memorial to Patriotism in Washington, D.C. br /br /But some supporters of the Nisei vets stamp disagree with creating a stamp to honor the memorial according to the piece by reporter Nalea J. Ko.br /br /Since the proposal for a stamp has been turned down, supporters are now focusing their efforts on changing the U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) informal policy against issuing stamps for individual units, branches or divisions.br /br /In the past stamps have been issued honoring Hispanic Americans: A Proud Heritage(1984) and Buffalo Soldiers (1994). Recently, the USPS issued the ‘Distinguished Sailors’ stamps to commemorate the service of William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy and Doris Miller.br /br /Shown above, George Fujimori at the “Go For Broke” Memorial in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo.br /br /a href=”http://www.pacificcitizen.org/site/details/tabid/55/selectmoduleid/373/ArticleID/512/reftab/36/Default.aspx?title=Campaign_to_Honor_Nisei_Veterans_Won%E2%80%99t_Be_Stamped_Out”Click here/a to read the entire article.div class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/11420717-2815126611047753913?l=stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div