I know nothing about stamps. I am guessing that I am not alone on this topic. With the exception of those out there who are serious about stamps and stamp collecting, it is a world (some would say an ancient one), that is just not on the larger radar screen in a very prominent way. But there is no denying the art and beauty in stamps.
I stumbled upon a wee gem of a store here in Calgary recently called “Stampede City Stamps.” It completely reminded me of that store in the Harry Potter movies where Harry buys his wand. From another era. Slightly dusty. A tad cluttered. A huge, gentle dog on the floor. Full of treasure. No-one to be found.
Here are some of the highlights of what I learned from none other than “The Stamp Wizard” a.k.a Dwayne Miner :
* there are still stamp clubs
* if you are a small charity, 20,000 donors or less, you can increase your response rate by simply using out of circulation, yet still useable, stamps
*2 to 3 people come in daily to sell their personal stamp collections
* you can buy a bag of used stamps for $20.00/lb why? people are searching for various post marks for different geographical locations
* the right stamp can be an investment. For example a Canadian mint 12 Penny Black issued in 1851 bearing the face of a young Queen Victoria was sold for $250,000.
So my visit to the stamp store got me thinking. Thinking about all the little things, the little things that when all bundled up together, can suck the joy right out of my day. Things that really shouldn’t stress me out but do. Lately I have had enough of them. I have the desire to banish them. Something like the concept of spring cleaning perhaps. Anyway, the words “let it go” have tremendous power if we let it. Just let it go. Stamp it. Leave it and let it go.
PS. I bought some beautiful post marked Italian stamps while I was at the stamp store. Now I need to figure out what I am going to do with them.
Check out out these shoes!!!
Hop on over to my tips and ideas page for some more very cool ideas that might bring stamps back on the radar screen!