I’m in the midst of preparing more detailed Stamp Talk columns, but in the meantime, I found this article very interesting. Most people think of postage stamps as being very innocuous parts of our daily life. In fact with the advent of email and other electronic communication, people only really use stamps when sending out wedding invitations or end-of-the-year holiday cards. So, it’s pretty crazy to think that the design of a stamp could cause two countries to almost start a war with each other.
Today is my dad’s birthday, which is one of the reasons why I’m starting this column on this day. On my 7th birthday, my dad gave me a green book. Inside it was 7 postage stamps, each carefully wrapped in saran wrap. Those 7 stamps have now evolved into a rather extensive stamp collection, spanning multiple large binders (along with a multitude of other collections; stamp collecting was my “gateway drug” to collecting everything that caught my eye like a magpie).
One of the things that I love about stamps is that they are miniature pieces of art that also tell stories, stories of what we considered to be important, beautiful, and/or deserving of remembrance and celebration.
Stamps can also be a great educational tool. We can delve into the history contained within the stamp itself. We can discuss the shifting geography and world events reflected in the very country names printed on the stamps. We can discuss the context behind how and why stamp subjects are chosen in the first place. Postal history in and of itself is fascinating. We can discuss postal innovations and technology (such as recent stamp releases with cool features like scratch & sniff or ones that change color based on temperature). We can discuss art and design techniques. We can even just sort them by color and shape. And the list goes on and on.
I would love to explore all these possibilities in this monthly column. And I hope to inspire a few to join in on this fascinating hobby (where we can geek out together!). Let me know if there are any specific topics you’re particularly interested in.
