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A Cut Above

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

Most stamp collectors have several collections or specialties. When they get stuck in 
one, the concentrate on another for awhile.

That happened to John Hotchner, a well-known writer and editor and past president of 
the American Philatelic Society. 

"I had run out of things to accomplish in competitive exhibiting that I could afford to 
do, and so I decided to try to have some fun."
RUNS :08] 

The subject for his new topical collection came to him while doing a common household 
chore...

[Lawn Mower sound]
RUNS :03 and under

"Lawn moving, because I had been told there is no such thing as a stamp worldwide that 
has a lawn mower on it."
RUNS :08] 

Instead, Hotchner turned to RELATED subjects.

<"How did lawns get mowed in the past? Well, animals mowed them, if you want to put it 
that way, so a billygoat on a stamp....">
RUNS :07]

Hotchner also used advertising mail -- what collectors call "covers."

"There are lots of covers that show advertisements from companies that produce lawn 
mowers or other implements to take care of the lawn."
RUNS :09
When we caught up with John, he'd just added to his lawn mower collection, spending all 
of seven-and-a-half dollars.

"That's one of the nice things about fun exhibiting. You're not having to worry about 
impressing people with great rarity. You just come up with things that relate to your 
topic, and have at it."
RUNS :11] 

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more about stamps and stamp collecting, 
and to see a portion of John's exhibit, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com

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