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A lack of stick-to-it-ive-ness


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


The Postal Service is paranoid about the re-use of stamps. But then....why does it print 
stamps to which cancellation ink doesn't stick?


That's right, the Postal Service has actually made it EASIER to re-use stamps.


This isn't good for collectors, either. Some of them PREFER stamps that actually carried 
mail, and postmarks indicate that.


Instead, the ink beads up on the stamps and wipes off. Worse, postal clerks then sometimes 
deface the stamps with black markers...making them un-collectible. <When confronted, they 
say they're concerned about "revenue retention.">


Other people collect those special postmarks that commemorate events or anniversaries...but 
postal clerks who apply these cancellations often purposely MISS the stamps...because they're 
afraid the ink will smear. But these postmarks aren't really collectible if they don't touch 
the stamps.


If the Postal Service is so worried about the re-use of stamps, maybe it's time we went back 
to stamps with absorbent paper...instead of these glossy stickers.


I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.

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