1.18.2006

Stamps and Stuff

I've noticed that when there's a postage rate increase, old oddball stamps come out of the woodwork. Today, for instance, I saw a letter with five old stamps whose face value added up to 39 cents, but were probably worth at least a couple of bucks to a collector. Three of the five stamps are older than I am: 1948 3-cent stamp - Moina Michael, Founder of Memorial Poppy; 1957 3-cent stamp - America and Steel, Growing Together -- Steel Centennial 1957; 1948 3-cent stamp - 100th Anniversary of the American Turners - 1848-1948 - A Century of Health. The other two were a 10-cent Bicentennial Era stamp from 1976 showing Carpenters Hall, and a 20-cent McGruff the Crime Dog stamp from 1984. I later saw a 1957 3-cent stamp honoring those who fought polio.

The other day, I saw one of "those" names on a letter that was being returned to the sender. The name: Mrs. Yu Suk. No, I'm not kidding. I guess it lost (or gained!) something in the translation.