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Successful successions.

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

New stamps this spring are commemorating quiet, orderly changes of leadership.

In the Netherlands, Queen Beatrix has stepped down after more than 30 years on the
throne, in favor of her son, King Willem-Alexander. The postal agency Post N-L first
issued two interim stamps, just showing Willem-Alexander's initials, and will soon
add a set of stamps featuring photographs from his coronation.

The Vatican has issued stamps for its new leader, Pope Francis. They will replace the
temporary stamps the Vatican issues during vacancies in the Holy See. One biographer
says that the former Jorge Mario Bergoglio's chief hobby as a boy was stamp collecting,
but there's no word whether he still collects now.

Unfortunately, the Vatican office that handles its stamp and coin sales isn't accepting
orders over the Internet right now. But these Pope Francis stamps are sure to be
popular, and many stamp dealers will have them.

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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