Back of Book items

I don't venture into back of the book items very often, but yesterday I was rummaging one of my older U.S. albums and found these pages. There were eighteen stamps in the series. If I remember correctly, the toughest one to fine used was the 90 cents. They are inexpensive stamps -- all minimum Scott value. There is no money in them for dealers and I don't know if a collector can even find them offered at a stamps shows. My guess is I purchased most of these stamps from U.S. sales circuit books.

The postal note stamps were a short-lived series, being sold and used from 1945 to 1951. Scott says there were introduced to supplement postal money orders. The stamps were used to provide a way to send small amounts of money through the postal system. Here is an example of a postal note [not mine, off the internet].

Don

 

I had heard of them but never explored...grazie for the information! You must have quite a 'stash' of philatelic items, Mr Stamp.

 

Thanks, Molokai. I've been collecting stamps and covers for 54 years. The stuff mounts up!

Don

 

Hi Don,
I don't have any of these, but I have seen sets being offered at stamp shows at least a couple of times. Each time I passed on them, perhaps because it was a one and done acquisition or I was just looking for something else. I don't remember. They used to be quite common in album collections being offered in the '90's, box lots and collection remainders. Maybe next time I see them I'll snatch them up. Thanks Don for showcasing this somewhat obscure revenue issue.

 

Rummaging through my U.S. collection for dog stamps brought to the surface some pages I have not viewed in years. Here is a back-of-the-book collection (simplified) of U.S. special delivery stamps, a service that is long gone from the postal scene. These pages were drawn at least 20 years ago using my Fila-Framer, black ink, and typewriter. The last U.S. special delivery stamp was issued in 1971. While there is no longer special delivery service, I believe the stamps can be used for regular postage.

Don

Page one of three

Page two of three


Page three of three

 

They were attractive stamps. You did an awesome job with the tools you mentioned. You are obviously very artistic <DON>. Do you still have you Fila-Framer?

I have a book on Airmail Special Delivery by Sloat, but I don't think I've seen a volume on Special Delivery specifically. I imagine there must be one...

I go through my shoe boxes every few months and even tho I've only re-collected for four years I still find something, "Oh, yeah, I remember buying those." Fun.

 

Thanks again for the kind words about my pages. Yes, I do still have the Fila-Framer, but have not used it in years. The page maker software does such a better job, there is no need for the Flia-Framer any more. Sad, but technology has replaced it.

I remember that I used to accumutlate stamps until I had enough for a full page. Now, all I need is the number of stamps per page and their dimensions and I can draw it. Also, if I made a typing mistake with the hand drawn pages I was either stuck with it or forced to redraw it, a time consuming process. Now mistakes are corrected with a touch of the mouse and the enter key. I sometimes miss the old ways, but technology is nice too.

Don

 

Technology is indeed a double-edged sword! I just wish we thought about both the pluses and minuses before embracing it.

I am going to try to put my Herst covers pages together this weekend. Can you send over a little of your artistic talents for me?

 

Here's a recent purchase to supplement my pages of Postal Note stamps PN 1-PN 18 (posted above, this thread). This is a new-to-me aspect of this PN series. It is a first-day cancellation. The PN stamps were not intended for use on cover and were not sold to collectors for FDCs. Collectors, however, being the crafty rascals they are, quickly figured out how to get a first-day cancellation -- go to the local post office on the first day of issue (Feb 1, 1945), buy a postal note stamp of any denomination, have it affixed to the postal note form and have it cancelled. The scan below is an example of a first-day-of issue postal note cancellation. This one is for the 1 cent denomination, but I have no doubt a complete set of first-day issues can be purchased. My plan is to mount this one on a page and put it in the album with my used postal note series.

Don

 

Interesting! Learn something every day...a postal note FDC!