There are many great resources online and at the local library designed as primers for beginning stamp collectors. When were postage stamps invented? What are perfs, and how do you measure them? What tools do you need for the hobby? These questions and many more have been answered ad infinitum. Conversely, nearly two centuries of... Continue Reading →
One of my lovely coworkers got married this month. And like any good stamp collector, I gifted her something that every newly married couple should have, but few ever receive: thank you stamps. So many wedding gifts were received! So many thank you notes to write in return! Wouldn’t any happy couple appreciate a small... Continue Reading →
Closeup of the sun’s corona, taken during the April 20, 2023 total solar eclipse from Exmouth, Australia. Photo by Phil Hart. America is once again rampant with eclipse fever! The April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse will be drawing millions of eyes toward the sky. I won’t be as close to the path of totality... Continue Reading →
Celebrating “Moby-Dick Day 2023” with homemade clam chowder | Promotional logo for Moby-Dick Marathon 2024 Here in Asheville, one of my avocations is leading a literary walking tour of downtown—guiding locals and visitors who want to take in the sights and sounds while learning about our city’s rich literary history. In that role, I help... Continue Reading →
What’s red and green and cherished all over? Every year, Americans purchase approximately 70 million poinsettia plants within a six-week period leading up to Christmas. That’s two and a half times as many live Christmas trees as are sold each year (25–30 million)! Poinsettias help people the world over celebrate the holiday season. But a... Continue Reading →
Biltmore House by Richard Morris Hunt 🇺🇸 United States, 18¢ | Issued August 28, 1981 | Scott 1929 We all know that postage stamps were invented as proof of postage paid. But philatelists understand that stamps have a greater value: They are an incredible conduit for travel across space and time! Long before the wonders... Continue Reading →
Signed FDC for International Geophysical Year issue 🇺🇸 United States, 3¢ | Issued May 31, 1958 | Scott 1107 One of my central topical philatelic interests is the International Geophysical Year. I’m fascinated by these nascent days of space science and global cooperation. The IGY also marks a period when the last few empty spots... Continue Reading →
Message to the Shepherds, Nativity, Adoration of the Magi🇭🇺 Hungary, 4–30f | Issued December 1, 1943 | Scott 617–619 There are many ways to approach stamp collecting: by topic, by nation, by volume. But in any collection, primacy is a key component. What came first? The issue of what was the first Christmas stamp issue... Continue Reading →
George Rogers Clark 🇺🇸 United States, 2¢ | Issued February 25, 1929 | Scott 651 Picture this: You walk by the break room at work, and you see one. You drive home from work and check your mailbox before going inside, and there one is again. The doorbell rings, and there’s one sitting on your... Continue Reading →
International Geophysical Year stamp and official emblem on cacheted first day cover 🇺🇸 United States, 3¢ | Issued May 31, 1958 | Scott 1107 When did space exploration begin? Nailing down an origin point on such a subjective timeline is objectively impossible. Was it with the first human spaceflight in April 1961? Or when the... Continue Reading →
Armchair Philately 