For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations
April 11-12, 1998:


Would you pay 40 cents to mail a letter?

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries

The Postal Service this past week set the price for the
Breast Cancer Research stamp: 40 cents.  By Congressional
vote, that stamp has to come out by early August, and
the extra money goes to charity.  Backers say it'll
raise millions -- just look at how many Elvis stamps were
sold.

 RUNS=:07
"I don't expect that a breast cancer stamp will have
anywhere near the appeal of the Elvis stamp."

Stamp journalist Ken Lawrence.  Editor-Publisher Mike
Laurence doubts the stamp will sell, period.

 RUNS=:04
"My personal opinion is that the general public is not
going to pay 40c to buy a 32-cent stamp."

At most, that'll yield 8 cents per stamp for research
 -- or will it?

 RUNS=:08
"The Postal Service is not going to turn 8¢ over for
every stamp it sells. It's going to deduct its own
administrative costs, which are not cheap."

And, in fact, I've learned that even if the postal
rates go up, as they're expected to do, the price of
the stamp will stay the same, meaning even less for
research.

And that's stamp collecting this week.

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News  


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