Charles W. Chesnutt, Author and Activist

Author and activist Charles Waddell Chesnutt will become the 31st person inducted into the Black Heritage commemorative stamp series today at a ceremony in Cleveland,Ohio.

Chesnutt was born in Cleveland, June 20, 1858, and grew up in Fayetteville, NC. He died in his hometown in 1932. Scholars describe Chesnutt not as a household name but note that, in recent years, his work has attracted growing interest.

Chesnutt’s writings include novels, books, essays, poems, a biography of Frederick Douglass and several unpublished works. His work in political and civic affairs and his stance against racial discrimination earned him in 1928 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Spingarn Medal, which recognizes distinguished merit and achievement among African Americans.

Delores Killette, vice president and consumer advocate for the Postal Service, who will dedicate the stamp is quoted as saying,“Charles Chesnutt was an American original, a gifted writer and social activist whose candid discussions of race in America helped set the stage for the successful civil rights movement of the 20th century.”

According to a USPS press release, "Chesnutt was of mixed racial descent, and provided insight into various perspectives along America’s color line. With light skin and blue eyes, Chesnutt could have disregarded his black roots, but he detested such actions. He believed that people of color who tried to 'pass' or represent themselves as white would never achieve political or social equality. His first novel, The House Behind the Cedars, explored this theme."

For more on Charles Waddell Chesnutt, click here.

Superbowl Postmarks and Envelopes

The Post Office in Glendale, AZ — the same city hosting this Sunday’s NFL championship game — is selling official Super Bowl XLII collectible envelopes and postmarks.

The first of the three envelopes highlights the New England Patriots and New York Giants helmets in front of University of Phoenix Stadium. Separate envelopes featuring photos of quarterbacks Tom Brady and Eli Manning also are available.

Each $8 envelope includes a U.S. Flag stamp and Super Bowl postmark. Customers can order the envelopes by mail, with a shipping and handling fee of $6 for orders up to $50 or $12 for orders over $50. Click here for an order form.

Orders must be postmarked by Feb. 29, 2008.

Include a return address, phone number, the quantity for each item requested and a check or money order payable to “Postmaster.” Send orders to USPS SB42 Products, Glendale Main Post Office, 5955 W. Peoria Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85302-9998.

Special postmarks will also be available by mail for 30 days following the game. Place a stamped, self-addressed envelope inside another envelope and mail to Football Postmark, C/O Postmaster, 6357 N. 55th Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85301-9998.

The lady on the two-cent stamp

"Abelstamps" asks on the Virtual Stamp Club website, "Does anyone know what stamp is the subject of this Harry Warren tune from the 1938 movie "Garden of the Moon"?"

Written for: Garden Of The Moon (1938)
Performer: John Payne, Jerry Colonna, Johnnie "Scat" Davis, Ray Mayer, Joe Venuti & Studio Chorus
Lyric: Al Dubin & Johnny Mercer
Music: Harry Warren
Year: 1938
Original publisher: Harms, Inc.

Here are the lyrics....

Chorus 1:

I'm in love with a lady in a stamp collection,
Yes, sir-ee, she's the lady on the two-cent stamp;
Late one night, looking through the Caribbean section,
There she was sittin' pretty on a two-cent stamp.
And like a dope, I keep her inside an envelope,
In order to hide her eyes from guys;
And soon I hope I'm able to snag a microscope,
That readily magnifies those eyes.
I'll take a boat that is traveling in her direction,
Just to look for the lady on the two-cent stamp.
Where the blue sea is rolling,
I'll drop a sentimental hint;
And through life we'll go strolling,
That's if she isn't out of print;
Oh, woe is me if it's nothing but a vain affection,
I'm in love with lady on the two-cent stamp.

Chorus 2:

I've been told she's a Caribbean institution,
Ev'ryone loves the lady on the two-cent stamp;
People say she's the reason for the revolution,
They would die for the lady on the two-cent stamp.
From ev'ry town, the mountains and plains,
They hurry down on busses and trains to see Marie,
The native sons all gather at night and grab their guns;
They're ready to fight for her, yes, sir!
When politicians are coming up for re-election,
They all call on the lady on the two-cent stamp.
At a conf'rence or parley,
You oughta see the way she vamps;
She's got more drag than Farley,
Besides she sells a lot more stamps;
Oh, woe is me if she really has a green complexion,
I'm in love with the lady on the two-cent stamp.
I'm in love with the lady on the two-cent stamp.

Click here to hear the music.

Junior Duck Stamp Contest

The New Hampshire Concord Monitor reports the demise of the New Hampshire duck stamp does not in any way mean there is a demise in the Junior Duck Stamp Contest, which starts March 12.

The contest is open to young artists from kindergarten through grade 12. Entrants are encouraged to submit original artwork depicting North American waterfowl to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

The Best of Show New Hampshire winner advances to the national Junior Duck Design Contest, where the top three winners receive a cash award and a trip to the adult Federal Duck Stamp Contest.

The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is an integrated art and science activity developed to teach environmental science and habitat conservation. "In the process of creating Junior Duck Stamp designs, students gain a better understanding of the importance of conserving habitat as they explore the esthetic qualities of wildlife," said Victor Young, who coordinates New Hampshire Fish and Game's statewide contest.

Teachers who want to integrate these lessons into their coursework can find a curriculum guide for teaching conservation through the arts at duckstamps.fws.gov.

If you have a young artist in your household, you are encouraged to contact Victor Young at (603)271-3211.

Shown above is last year's 1st Place winner. It was drawn by Paul Willey, 18, who lives in Arkansas.

Wyoming State Archives receives philatelic gift

A Wyoming family has given a gift to the state archives which traces a little known part of the career of a U.S. Senator and first assistant United States postmaster general.

The Jackson Hole Star-Tribune reports the gift consists of 258 pieces of correspondence spanning the years 1933 to 1952.

"Each stamped letterhead envelope in the collection is stamped to a Cheyenne constituent of O'Mahoney and holds a special cancellation applied on the First Day of Issue in the city where the stamp was issued.

"Ninety of the colorful envelopes are accompanied by letters from O'Mahoney explaining the background behind the newly issued postage stamp.

"Some of the letters refer to the direct personal involvement of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, an avid stamp collector, in the design process for a number of the new stamps. Roosevelt frequently submitted pencil sketches of his ideas.

"O'Mahoney served under Postmaster General James A. Farley, a close New York political ally of the president.

"In the collection is a 1954 envelope, autographed by Farley, bearing a stamp depicting Old Faithful Geyser (shown above) and postmarked Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming."

To read the entire article, click here.

Noted Author, Educator Appointed to Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC)

Postmaster General John Potter has announced the appointment of Fordham University professor Clara Rodriguez, Ph.D, to serve on the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC).

“I am pleased that Professor Rodriguez has accepted my appointment to this distinguished committee,” said Potter in a USPS Press Release.

He went on to say, “She has received national acclaim as an educator and is recognized as one of the 100 most influential Hispanic Americans. I am confident she will make significant contributions to our historic stamp program.”

Clara Rodríguez is a professor of sociology at Fordham University’s College at Lincoln Center.

To see her bio, click here.

A philatelic road trip

CNN reports,"Ramak Fazel, an Iranian-born American citizen who arrived in this country at the age of 2 months, was inspired to take a patriotic road trip when his mother dug his old stamp collection out of the attic in their Fort Wayne, Indiana home and told him to do something with it. When a dealer offered him less than $1000 for the collection, he decided to turn it into an artistic project instead."

According to CNN, Fazel "spent the next three months criss-crossing America, visiting every state capital. He would snap a picture and then make a postcard decorated with stamps from his collection."

Fazel mailed each of the postcards (one of which is shown above) to himself, using the artistically arranged patterns of stamps as ordinary postage. "That's when I felt that this collection had been liberated, when I was using it in that way," he told CNN.

To read the entire story and see a video, click here.

For more on Fazel's philatelic road trip, click here.

Alphabetilately

To celebrate their 15th anniversary in 2008, the National Post Museum is planning an exhibition called, Alphabetilately this summer.

Alphabetilately is a combination of "Alphabet" and "Philately."

According to the museum's website, "Alphabetilately will be a universally appealing exhibition and a lively educational experience for visitors of every age. It will also provide an extraordinary showcase for selections from our unparalleled collection of American postal and philatelic history."

Each of the 26 letters stands for some aspect of the collecting of stamps or the sending of mail. The stamps, ephemera, and artifacts exhibited in Alphabetilately will graphically document the spectrum of the American experience, from historical subjects to popular culture, from actual events to important ideas.

To see what the museum has in mind and to learn about sponsorship opportunities (for $1500 you can sponsor a letter), click here.

There is currently (and has been since 1998) a website, Alphabetilately.com which was created by Bill Senkus of Walnut Creek, Calif.

Click here to view.

A Tale of Two Collections

WSIL-TV in Southern Illinois ran a nice piece on Wesley Clemmons who collects both shoes and stamps.

According to the station, his grandmother left him her collection when she died in 2001.

Wesley, a 6'3 guard for the Southern Illinois University basketball team, said his grandmother would call him over and let him put stamps in her album (shown above)which he now cherishes.

He's quoted as saying about his grandmother, "She was a close person to me. She taught me a lot things."

Wesley hasn't added to his grandmother's collection just yet but he says he hopes to someday join a stamp club and continue her tradition.

To watch a video about Wesley and his two collections, click here.

Louisana woman discovers ambassador's stamps

KLFY-TV in Lafayette LA reports that a local woman discovered an accumulation of stamps belonging to Jefferson Caffery, the former US Ambassador to EL Salvador, Columbia, Cuba, Brazil, France and Egypt.

According to the station, the Lafayette native's career in international diplomacy spanned 43 years serving under five Presidents from Coolidge to Eisenhower - his stamp collection a hallmark of his colorful career.

The woman, Loretta Sinette, found the stamps in an antique store.

She said she couldn't be happier about her discovery. As for the value of the stamps, Loretta says "yeah they might have some value, that would be nice too, if they are not worth anything, I'm still going to keep them just to say that I found them."

To read the entire article, click here.

Famous stamp collectors on stamps

Janet Klug, past American Philatelic Society president, writes in Linn's, "For those who really love stamp collecting and all things philatelic, collecting stamps that are stamp-on-stamp designs is a tribute to our avocation. Such a collection is easier than you might think."

She goes on to write you could just as easily collect famous stamp collectors on stamps.

Referring to the stamp shown above, she uses Franklin Roosevelt as an example.

"There he is, the president of the United States, one of the most famous stamp collectors of all time, working with an open album, a magnifying glass, what appears to be a stack of albums and a Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue on the desk next to him."

She then points out, "The only fly in the ointment is that the stamp's design shows Roosevelt holding a stamp in his bare hand."

No tongs? Tsk, tsk Mr. President.

To read Janet's entire article, click here.

Wreck & Crash Mail Society joins APS

The Wreck & Crash Mail Society has joined the American Philatelic Society as Affiliate # 259.

Organized in 1994, the Society currently has 73 members. Worldwide in scope as well as membership, the Society is devoted to the collecting and study of all aspects of delayed and damaged mail and interrupted mail service, including but not limited to mail salvaged from accidents in transport by land, sea or air, in war or in peace, and mail delayed by conflict, crime, and other man-made misadventure or natural catastrophe, such as fires and earthquakes.

The Society consists of four study groups: the Air Crash Study Group, Railroad Wreck Study Group, Ship Wreck Study Group, and Suspended Mail/Conflicts Study Group.

Each contributes articles to the society’s quarterly English-language journal, La Catastrophe, which has articles on all aspects of wreck and crash mail, news on new discoveries, auction realizations, and questions from members seeking information on their crash and wreck covers and the stories behind them.

Sample copies of La Catastrophe are available to non-members for $8 U.S., plus postage.

Shown above is a envelope recovered from the May 6, 1937, Hindenburg crash at Lakehurst,NJ. It was sold last year at auction for $15,000.

To visit the Wreck & Crash Mail Society website, click here.

Stamp causes political embarrassment

According to Radio Free Europe, "Every president wants to be popular. But one of the latest public-relations efforts launched by Moldova's Communist leader, a postage stamp bearing his image, has caused little more than embarrassment."

According to an article that appears on their website, the stamps hint at a degree of political wishful thinking on Vladimir Voronin's part, featuring a formal portrait of the 66-year-old leader against a blue backdrop, with the words "Council of Europe" (of which Moldova is a member) and a ring of stars suggestive of the logo of the EU (of which it is not).

The stamps have been available for some time. Shortly before Christmas, however, all other stamps abruptly disappeared from post offices across the country, forcing many reluctant Moldovans to paste President Vladimir Voronin's visage on their holiday greetings.

To read the entire article, click here.

Postal first for the armed forces.

The USPS Board of Governors has approved a new, larger Priority Mail Flat Rate Box which will be offered at a discount to overseas military addresses — a postal first for the armed forces.

In addition it enables customers to ship 50 percent more than with the current box according to a USPS announcement.

The current flat-rate box — introduced in November 2004 — gives customers a single, predetermined rate regardless of the weight or delivery zone.

The larger flat-rate box will sell for $12.95 domestic and $10.95 to APO/FPO addresses. Internationally, it’s $29.95 to Canada or Mexico and $49.95 to all other countries.

Customers can begin using the new boxes March 3.

Special deliveries from Hollywood

Valerie Zehl of the Press & Sun- Bulletin wrote an interesting article about Virginia Seath Grover, 88, who back in the 30s and 40s would write and ask movie stars for their autographs on cacheted envelopes on which she had drawn their portraits and had had cancelled on their birthdays.

Such illuminaries as Don Ameche, Robert Taylor, Myrna Loy, Bing Crosby,Fred Astaire, Virginia Bruce, Judy Garland, Dorothy Lamour, Norma Sheaver, Katharine Hepburn, Claudette Colbert and others all responded.

Grover has also been inducted into the American First Day Cover Society's Court of Honor for her cachets.

To read the entire article, click here.

Click here to learn how to contact your favorite celebrity.

Formula error on chemistry stamp

Use it as a postage stamp, not a chemistry text says the Associated Press.

According to an Associated Press report, in spite of a small error in a chemical formula, the Postal Service is going ahead with a commemorative stamp honoring biochemist Gerty Cori. She discovered cori ester, a derivative of glucose.

The formula for the chemical is shown on the stamp. The error is in the placement of a line in the formula and does not create a new chemical, Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts said Monday.

The Cori stamp is among a set of four 41-cent stamps honoring American scientists and scheduled to be issued March 6.

The error was discovered by Chemical & Engineering News, which published an image of the stamp, and was first reported by Linn's Stamp News.

Guam rethinks curtailing home mail delivery

Pacific News Center reports the United States Postal Service may put on hold its plan to stop home delivery to some routes on Guam after local postal employees filed a grievance with the agency.

According to the report, Honolulu Postal Services Spokesman Duke Gonzales, however, declined to discuss the specifics of the grievance.

The US Postal Service recently ordered home delivery stopped on some routes because the condition of the roads on the island were not acceptable to federal standards.

Shown above, 10c brown from the 1899 issue overprinted GUAM by the U.S. Navy for use in Guam when it was a territory.

For more on the stamps and postal history of Guam, click here.

Bonbobi mailbox

January's "Object of the Month" on the National Postal Museum website is the Bonbobi mailbox.

According to the site, "When the Southern Oaks Community of Santa Clarita, California, discovered their curbside mailboxes were not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), they went in search of a better mailbox."

"Their number one concern was to find a mailbox with proportions that would allow a wheelchair to pass along the sidewalk without interference. Traditional tunnel-style mailboxes were too deep and violated the city building codes."

The Bobicompany was founded in 1991 by two brothers in Finland. Bobi mailboxes are limited access boxes designed for mail drop off only. They do not have indicator flags. They are intended for postal customers who do not want letter carriers to pick up outgoing mail.

The Bobi mailbox is the first mailbox manufactured in the 21st century to be added to the museum’s permanent collection.

To learn more, click here.

Lightkeeper spots stamp error

Canada's Times Colonist reports Canada Post will correct the image of the historic Pachena Point lighthouse off the West Coast Trail that had been flipped in a recently released stamp series.

The new stamp will likely not have the lightkeeper's house which is currently shown on the left and will instead feature more of the walkway and the ocean that are actually to the left of the lighthouse. The new stamp will still have the flag on the top left side.

Iain Colquhoun, who was the lightkeeper at Pachena Point for 10 years spotted the error which supposedly originated at the photography stock company that provided the image to Canada Post.

Jim Phillips, director of stamp services for Canada Post, is quoted in the article as saying the Crown corporation will correct the error when the package of 10 stamps is reprinted later this year, at a cost of about $10,000. As well, Canada Post has suspended the production of a package of 30 stamps -- which had yet to be issued -- in order to correct the image.

To read the entire article, click here.

S.W.A.L.K.

Royal Mail will release a new Valentine’s retail stamp book on Jan. 15 to help retailers boost stamp sales and enable their customers to post special loving greetings on Valentine’s Day.

The new stamp book contains four 1st Class Stamps and two stickers bearing the Valentine’s messages, “Be My Valentine” and “SWALK."

"SWALK" is an acronymn for "Sealed With a Loving Kiss."

According to Wikipedia, WWII Postal Acronyms were used during the 2nd World War.to convey messages between servicemen and their sweethearts back home, hidden within regular letters.

Others included...

MALAYA - My Ardent Lips Await Your Arrival
HOLLAND - Hope Our Love Lasts And Never Dies
ITALY - I'm Thinking About Loving You or I Trust And Love You
BOLTOP - Better On Lips Than On Paper

Today these are sometimes used in online chats, Instant Messages, e-mails, blogs, or newsgroup postings.

APS Volunteer Recognition Awards

The American Philatelic Society has announced that it will be giving Volunteer Recognition Awards for "those unsung heroes" that serve the hobby at the local and regional level, as well as awards for outstanding young adult philatelists and young philatelists ages 15 to 24 who have served philately.

Nominations are now open for these awards in four categories...

- National Promotion/Service — maximum of five recipients each year
- Local Promotion/Service — maximum of ten recipients each year
- Outstanding Young Adult Philatelist (ages 25-40) — one award each year
- Outstanding Young Philatelist (ages 15-24) — one award each year

All these awards require at least five years of service, though APS membership is not required. APS board members, staff, and Luff Award winners are not eligible.

National Promotion/Service Award winners cannot subsequently win the Local Promotion/Service Award, and each award can be won only once. Winners of these awards will receive a pin and a certificate.

In addition to providing their name and contact information as well as those of the nominee, nominators should include details including length of service and positions the nominee held with local clubs, philatelic organizations and shows, including mentoring, promotion and leadership roles, as well as citing evidence of excellence, initiative and persistence.

Information and a nomination form (in pdf format) for the APS Volunteer Recognition Awards are available by contacting contact APS Public Relations/Media Manager Fred Baumann at fred@stamps.org or call him at 814-933-3803, ext. 212.

You can also send a letter requesting a nomination form to APS Volunteer Recognition Award Nomination, 100 Match Factory Place, Bellefonte PA 16823.

The deadline for receipt of nominations is April 1, after which any nominations received too late for consideration in 2008 will be considered for 2009.

U.S. issues Lunar New Year stamp

In observance of the Lunar New Year, the U.S. Postal Service will debut a new stamp series for the 12 different animals in the Chinese calendar. The series will continue through 2019.

The first stamp in the series (shown here) is for the Year of the Rat(which begins Feb. 7, 2008) was released yesterday.

According to legend, the animals raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race.

A USPS press release states, "People born in the year of a particular animal are said to share characteristics with that animal. Those born during the Year of the Rat are said to be adaptable, clever, ambitious and industrious.

According to the release,"Famous Rats include Antonio Banderas, Claude Monet, David Duchovny, George Washington, Hugh Grant, Prince Charles, Samuel L. Jackson and Sean Penn."

100 Greatest American Stamps

Past APS President Janet Klug and Donald J. Sundman have written a new book about America's greatest stamps along with a foreword by well-known philatelist William H. Gross.

According to an announcement from Sundman's Mystic Stamp Company, the stamps were chosen in a survey of dealers, collectors, and philatelic writers.

With more than 370 full-color stamps, the 140-page, hardcover book (which retails for $29.95) also traces the history of stamp collecting, famous collectors, as well as intriguing stories about how stamps helped forge our nation.

To get an autographed copy by co-author Don Sundman, click here.

China's New Year stamp

China released a special set of stamps to commemorate the "Year of the Rat," according to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

A release ceremony (shown above) was held in Changshun County in southwest China's Guizhou Province, as the Shuchang post office there is the only one that contains the Chinese character for "mouse" in its name. Many people rushed to the county to obtain the rat indicia, which only can be postmarked in Changshun.

Each set contains one stamp, which has a face value of 1.2 yuan, or approximately 16 U.S. cents.

A colorfully clothed rat is depicted on the stamp, which celebrates the beginning of the new year. It is the first stamp China Post has issued in 2008.

According to the report, collectors lined up in post offices across the country to purchase the stamps, which are the fifth set in China's third collection of zodiac stamps.

India plans "Hobby Centres" to promote philately

According to The Hindu on-line, the Department of Posts will start hobby centres in 818 Post Offices across India on January 26 to promote stamp collection among school children.

Speaking at the India National Philatelic Exhibition-2008 (INPEX), K. Noorjehan, Postal Services Board Member (Operations and Marketing)is quoted as saying the centres would be similar to the Nehru Philatelic Centre.

The Department would seek the help of philatelists to enroll at least 10 schools in a region, and about 100 students would be selected from a school, and they would be asked to open a philatelic deposit account in the post office.

Noorjehan is also quoted as saying, “There are 92 Head Post Offices, and we hope at least 9,200 savings accounts can be opened in Tamil Nadu. Though it is mandatory to have a minimum balance of Rs. 200 per account, the children can open the account with Rs. 100, while we will provide materials worth Rs. 100 as a bonus. We will request philatelists to conduct workshops regularly. Besides, we will have an interactive page on our website to cater to the specific needs of philatelists.”

To read the entire article, click here.

Stand Watie

James A. Fussell of the Kansas City Star reports on the 2008 stamp program and how subjects are chosen in an interesting article titled, "Being on a Postage Stamp is an Honor That Sticks."

Fussell points out in his article, "But while you have to be a citizen to be on a stamp, you don’t have to be famous. Ask Terry McCaffrey, manager of stamp development for the Postal Service in Washington."

McCaffrey is quoted as saying, “One of the fascinating aspects of my job is when a new subject is brought forward. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said ‘Who?’ We try to use the stamp program as an educational tool, to get these people known and tell their story.”

As an example... the 1995, 20-stamp series on the Civil War has stamps of Gen. Robert E. Lee, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and President Abraham Lincoln

"But they also made a stamp of a man named Stand Watie," writes Fussell.

Who?

Watie was the only American Indian to attain the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War and was the last Confederate general to surrender.

To read the entire article, click here.

For more on Watie, click here.

Stamp collecting is more than just fun

The Voice of America News reports that hobbies are fun and make people feel good about themselves.

According to the report, a Harvard University medical school professor told the New York Times that hobbies sharpen your focus, help you think more clearly, and enhance your creativity.

Dr. Carol Kauffman is quoted as saying, "When you're really engaged in a hobby you love, you lose your sense of time and enter what's called a 'flow state' and that restores your mind and energy.

In turn, that high level of concentration increases your performance in other, less-pleasurable, tasks.

To read the entire article, click here.

Fun with stamps

Here's more from the 10th annual India National Philatelic Exhibition...

Hindu.com reports,"... philatelist P.S. Seshadri conducted a workshop for students where he taught students how to “bathe” stamps in order to remove them carefully from the envelope clippings.

He also gave away stamps to students who came up with right answers. The stamps were sponsored by a philatelists’ association in Australia and the Rotary Club.

Seshadri is quoted as saying, “I have friends in 65 countries because of my stamp collection hobby."

Shown above, Seshadri interacts with school students at his workshop.

To read the entire article, click here.

India's National Philatelic Exhibition

According to ChennaiOnLine.com, around 1,000 frames are being displayed this week at the five-day, 10th Annual India National Philatelic Exhibition, INPEX 2008.

Four stamps portraying colorful butterflies and a book, 1857 through Indian Postage Stamps, are being released. The exhibition will also have seminars, workshops and quiz programs as well as an artists’ booth visitors can have their favorite stamp imprinted on T shirts and coffee mugs.

Hosted by the Tamil Nadu Postal Circle for the first time, the exhibition is organized by the postal department along with the Philatelic Congress of India and the South India Philatelists Association.

Shown above, in a Hindu.com photo, students take a look at a stamp collection displayed at the national philatelic exhibition.

For more on this story, click here.

Impatient New Yorkers

The New York Times reports that since October, the Postal Service’s New York district, which includes Manhattan and the Bronx, has been mailing apartment-dwelling customers postcards asking them to be patient when collecting their letters.

According to the article by Gregory Beyer, "The postcards are meant to address a situation that often confronts mail carriers: In apartment buildings in which mailboxes are grouped together, residents often gather to retrieve their mail while it is still being distributed into the open boxes."

Apparently mail delivery time has become tense in some buildings, especially around the first of each month, when people receive their checks.

"A throng of people descending on a delivery-in-progress can also be socially awkward for letter carriers," writes Beyer, "...especially friendly ones who would rather not come across as rude by shooing people away."

To read the entire story, click here.

World's first CD-ROM postage stamp

The tiny nation of Bhutan has released the world's first CD-Rom postage stamp.

Show here, the CD-ROM stamp shows some of Bhutan's most historic events: the 100th anniversary of the monarchy, the coronation of the 5th king, and Bhutan’s evolution to an emerging democracy and its signing of the new Constitution.

According to a PR Web press release, the stamps are developed by Creative Products International of Pittsburgh, PA.

The CD stamps are the latest in a series of postage stamp "firsts" by Bhutan since the 1960s. The stamps are mini-CDs that fit into a self-adhesive envelopes. When affixed to a larger envelope, the CD stamp can be used as postage.

To learn more, click here.

Happy New Year! Get your free magnetic calendar!

The Stamp Collecting Round-Up extends best wishes for the New Year to our many readers around the world.

Started in March of 2005, the Round-Up is now the #1 listed stamp collecting blog on Google.com.

As a way of saying thank you, the Round-Up would like to send you one of its 2008 magnetic calendars.

To get your yours... send your name and mailing address to The Stamp Collecting Round-Up, PO Box 712165, Bunker Hill Station, Los Angeles, CA 90071.

Be sure to include $2 shipping and handling in check, money order or mint stamps. You can also use your credit card via Pay Pal. Send to donschilling@worldnet.att.net

Additional donations are also welcomed. While the Round-Up is a labor of love, there are costs associated with maintaining it ad free. Thank you!