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For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations December 18-19, 2004:

A Present From The Postal Service

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries. 

Next year marks the hundredth anniversary of the birth of Swedish-American actress 
Greta Garbo, a classic beauty who starred in both silent films and talkies. In 
September, both the U-S and Sweden will issue stamps honoring her, and the designs 
will be essentially the same. They're based on a nineteen-thirty-two photograph.

But when journalists were briefed in August on next year's stamps, we were told that 
Sweden's version would be engraved, while the American stamp would only be the 
less-expensive photographic reproduction.

The reporters asked if the Postal Service realized its stamp would look cheap by 
comparison, and officials shrugged it off.

Well, now we have the preliminary design for the Garbo stamp and guess what? It will 
be an engraved stamp after all. 

Both the design and actual printing will cost considerably more. And the fact is that 
most mailers won't even notice the difference. But stamp collectors will -- and 
hopefully say "thank you."

And that's Stamp Collecting this week. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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