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A partial look ahead

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

The U-S Postal Service isn’t going to release next year’s subjects or designs until
all the rights have been nailed down, because of past lawsuits. So while we know
there will be two music icons, two Black History-makers and a Hollywood legend, we
don’t have names. A leaked document indicates Elvis Presley, James Brown and Ingrid
Bergman will be the entertainers.

To me, the most interesting designs we WERE shown were for Summer Harvest and the
Coast Guard. Next year has TWO significant anniversaries for the maritime agency, and
the stamp design is an original painting showing a sailing ship and a rescue helicopter.

The four Summer Harvest designs are in the style of fruit-crate labels of the early
20th century. The foods are watermelon, corn, cantaloupes and tomatoes. The stamps are
intended for mailers, not collectors, but I think everyone will like them.

No surprises, but both the War of 1812 and Civil War series wrap up next year. The
specific events are the Battle of New Orleans, which made Andrew Jackson a national
figure, the Battle of Five Forks and the Surrender at Appomattox Court House.

And there will be plenty of flower stamps — an engraved rose and tulip for wedding
invitations and water lilies just for their beauty.

A greeting card stamp’s design is just text, and wasn’t well-received by those seeing
it. I’m not sure how the text-only Love stamps will do, either, but at least that
design is more imaginative.

The first U-S stamp of the year will be for the Lunar New Year. 20-15 is the Year of
the Ram, but the main illustration shows a traditional candy dish. Watch for that stamp
in January.

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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