Postmasters are hoping to see pink bracelets everywhere in their communities throughout the US which will indicate even more funds raised for breast cancer research during the month of October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. To date the U.S. Postal Service has contributed 70.7 million dollars in voluntary contributions for breast cancer research through sales of the Breast Cancer Awareness postage stamps. The special stamps, called “semi-postal” stamps sell for $.55 each with $.11 from each stamp going to breast cancer research. The stamps are valid for First-Class postage.

A Breast Cancer Awareness promotion at post offices located in the US will include an inspirational pink bracelet with every two sheets of Breast Cancer Awareness stamps purchased at local post offices or through a special mail in offer.

published September 22nd, 2010

You might think of caves as a natural habitat for bats and other similar wildlife. However, it now turns out that the environment inside the caves at the industrial complex Hunt Midwest SubTropolis in Kansas, USA is also perfect for postage stamps.

Since 1982, the United States Postal Service’s Stamp Fulfillment Center has stored postage stamps for the entire country inside of these caves just north of the river near the Ameristar Casino. Actually more than 10,000 postage orders a day are filled here – from businesses, individuals, and even collectors. Its also known to be called the Fort Knoxof stamps as some of the USA’s more valuable stamps are said to be housed there!

The storage room is three-quarters of a mile inside, as you come into the entrance, and at150 feet underground. The temperature remains 72 degrees fahrenheit year round.”

There are some humidity controlled areas for certain stamps, but, for the (read more)

published September 12th, 2010

 The U.S. Postal Service will pay tribute to Winslow Homer, an American artist honoring his works with the issuance of a commemorative stamp. The stamp, which is the ninth in the American Treasures series, features Boys in a Pasture, an 1874 oil-on-canvas painting by Homer.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) is considered one of the greatest American painters of the 19th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, he began a two-year apprenticeship in a lithography shop at the age of 19 and afterwards became a freelance illustrator. In 1859, he moved to New York City, where he (read more)

published August 15th, 2010

The U.S. Postal Service ended the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 (April 1 – June 30) with a net loss of $3.5 billion, compared with a net loss of $2.4 billion for the same quarter last year. Third-quarter mail volume totaled 40.9 billion pieces – down approximately 700 million pieces, or 1.7 percent, compared to a year ago. Complete USPS third-quarter results include operating revenue of $16 billion, some $294 million less than the same period last year, and operating expenses of $19.5 billion, an increase of $789 million, or 4.2 percent, over the third quarter last year.

The increase in operating expenses was attributable largely to higher workers’ compensation expenses due to a non-cash fair value adjustment and higher retiree health benefits expenses. Lower interest rates adversely affected the workers’ compensation liability, resulting in a $2 billion expense for the quarter – $870 million higher than (read more)

published August 7th, 2010

As per one of our earlier Post, we are delighted to let you all know that the US Post has issued today their comic strip stamps. We are confident that these stamps will prove to be an all time favourite of new issues collectors as were the recent Bart and Homer Simpson stamps and that thanks to these type of new issues, children will learn more about the enjoyable world of stamp collecting.

These undated handout images provided by the US Postal Service shows postage stamps featuring comic strips, from left, Beetle Bailey; Calvin and Hobbes; Archie; Garfield and Dennis the Menace, part of a set of five Sunday comics stamps going on (read more)

published July 16th, 2010

The postal rates might increase in the next year. This conclusion is arrived at when the non-profit community is trying to determine the postal rates. In fact, the Standard Mail Parcels would get a huge increase at the rate of 23 percent under the United States Postal Service.

The executive director of the Direct Marketing Association’s Nonprofit Federation, Christopher Quinn, however is in doubt regarding its impact on the nonprofit mailers. He also claims that USPS had singled out the nonprofits.

Though it is unclear the rate of Standard Parcel for the nonprofits as well as the other categories yet it is quite clear (read more)

published July 12th, 2010

The Apollo 15 postage stamp incident occurred within the United States astronaut corps in 1971-72. The crew of Apollo 15 took 398 commemorative postage stamp covers with them on their trip to the Moon (400 were printed, but 2 were damaged and destroyed prior to being packaged), with the understanding that, when they returned, 100 of the covers were to be sold to the German stamp dealer who provided them. Those 100 covers are known today by philatelists as the “Sieger covers,” named such after the dealer, Hermann Sieger. The remaining 298 covers were to be kept by the crew members as souvenirs but were later confiscated by NASA when the public sale of Sieger’s covers was discovered soon after the mission. The crew’s 298 covers were not returned until 1983, after the astronauts filed suit against the government for their return, citing NASA’s partnership with the U.S. Postal Service to sell covers flown on the space shuttle.

(read more)

published July 11th, 2010

On July 15, 2010, in Kansas City, Missouri, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44–cent, Negro Leagues Baseball commemorative stamp in two designs, designed by Howard E. Paine of Delaplane, Virginia.

The Negro Leagues Baseball stamp pays tribute to the all–black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. Considered the “father” of Negro leagues baseball, Andrew “Rube” Foster (1879–1930) established the Negro National League in 1920, the first successful league of African–American baseball teams. Although no longer a vital component of American baseball after about 1960, the Negro leagues led to lasting changes within the sport. The two se–tenant stamps feature a scene painted by Kadir Nelson of San Diego, California.

published July 4th, 2010

Last weekend the 2010 Rarities of the World stamp Auction (Sales 989) by Robert Siegel in the US once again gave proof to the world that the demand for stamps (especially rare ones) is higher than it has ever been in recent years despite the World Financial Crisis

A superb quality example of the 2 cents Inverted Jenny was being auctioned with a list price of $55,000 US .

It was a magnificent copy due to its beautifully centering with perfect margins, bright colours and clear impressions of vignette and frame. The item in question completely surpassed everyone’s expectation and despite the listing price of $55,000 US sold for the impressive amount of $105,000US

To check all the results please visit Siegel Auctions in the US

published June 24th, 2010

A U.S. Postal Service advisory committee is weighing a proposal that would have it approve the creation of a stamp commemorating workers compensation’s 100th anniversary.

The workers comp system was born in 1911 when nine states began adopting laws requiring companies to compensate workers for on-the-job injuries in exchange for workers generally giving up the right to sue.

Fifty years later, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson and Wisconsin Gov. Gaylord Nelson joined in a White House ceremony to recognize workers comp by unveiling a 50th anniversary postage stamp as seen featured on this post.

Wisconsin lays claim to adopting the first “constitutional workers compensation law” in (read more)

published June 22nd, 2010

Regency Auctions from Beverly Hills, California in the USA  are auctioning a very RARE special printing stamp, missing from even the most advanced collections from the US. The stamp in question is the US number 202, 1880 SPECIAL PRINTING OF 1879 PERRY 90¢ DULL CARMINE

The auction house describes the stamps as follows; deep rich luxuriant color. Sound, unused no gum as issued, fine example of this valuable stamp. (1974 PF Cert). Cat $45000, This example is extremely well-centred which makes it even more appealing for the very serious collector as it is notoriously known for being off-centered.

(read more)

published June 16th, 2010