For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations 
June 5-6, 1999:


Time for a facelift.


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


Recently I attended one of the three dozen or so top-level 
shows in the U-S....and was disappointed.  The show looked 
tired, worn-out, and not terribly friendly to beginners.


The first thought that struck me as I entered was, "Maybe 
the Postal Service has a point."  For the past year, 
there's been a fierce debate in stamp collecting over the 
agency's insistence on a sleek, modern look for stamp shows 
it underwrites.  Instead of tables and chairs, it wants high,
bright white counters without anywhere to sit.  Long-time 
collectors protest that's not terribly friendly, either.


The show put on by volunteers was crowded, the youth area
neglected...and neither is true of a Postal Service show. 
Yet part of the enjoyment of a stamp show is chatting with 
the dealers and taking your time to examine the stamps and 
envelopes being offered.  You can't do that for long while 
standing up at a counter, no matter how pretty it is.


I've got to think there must be a compromise between the 
two extremes.

And that's Stamp Collecting this week.  

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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