Download this report as an MP3 sound file.

It's the Economy.


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


Neither rain nor snow nor sleet...but a budget deficit sure adds some gloom of night.


The U-S Postal Service is dropping 3 issues from this year's stamp program. The reason 
given is the economy and -- more importantly -- the Postal Service's economic woes.


One of the issues -- the ten stamps in part four of the Flags of Our Nation series -- 
will be pushed off until next year. There's no word now when the 6-part series will be 
completed. But, trust me, it WILL be completed eventually...since the series shows the 
flags of all 50 states. Can you imagine what would happen if a state were left out?


The stamp honoring the Edward Hopper painting of a sailboat is gone, as is Angel with 
A Lute, which was going to be, in effect, a third Christmas issue. They may be back in 
the future.


The Hopper stamp was to be the latest entry in the American Treasures series, which has 
showcased paintings, quilts, and blankets, and anywhere from 1 to 10 stamps, by artists 
ranging from Mary Cassatt to African-American women living in rural Alabama. The series 
started in 2001...and this will be the first time it's skipped a year. 


Cuts like these won't get as much attention as, say, cutting a delivery day. They 
probably won't save as much money either.


But they're a sign of the times.


I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, 
and the latest changes in the U-S stamp program, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

----------------------------------------------------------
Go to Previous Report
Go to Next Report 

Go to Report Index