Letter Writers Alliance

Stamp Releases: May 2019

How is it the end of May? I just went for a dental cleaning and they made me another appointment for six months from now... in DECEMBER! What is time? Anyways, May was a really lovely month for stamps, maybe the best month for stamps this year so far. I really like the Scenic Rivers and the Transcontinental Railroad stamps manage to be non-boring train stamps. I just love that lettering. But the best release this month is definitely the Ellsworth Kelly stamps. I have purchased an embarrassingly large number of sheets of these. They are perfection. They are the kind of stamp that makes me what to write more letters just so I can use more stamps.

U.S.P.S. Stamp Releases: April 2019

Another snoozer for me. Marvin Gaye is, of course, awesome, but I haven't liked any of the Music Icons series, and I think that's because I find them difficult to compliment with mail art. I tend to steer clear of a lot of portrait and person stamps; so I'm not that in to the "Little Mo" stamp either. Those Post Office Mural stamps are great though. Who's seen any of these? I have seen the ones at the Oak Park, Illinois post office, but they didn't make the cut.

Stamp Releases: March 2019

March was another snooze-fest of a stamp release month. We only got two new ones, but thankfully one is a new postcard stamp design. The Coral Reefs postcard stamps seem a bit uninspired after having the shells for so long, but again, they didn't ask me. (They should really ask me.) I think the Star Ribbon is alright. I don't have much use for it, but it could look nice on an airmail envelope I suppose. The only exciting stamp news from last month was an announcement for new stamps for later this year. I know you all are all about those Sesame Street stamps, but did you see the Halloween Silhouettes?!?!?! Ya'll know I love dinosaurs, but the T. Rex stamps don't do it for me. Those new Halloween stamps though. That's all I want in life.

Stamp Releases: February

After the bonanza of January stamp releases, in part due to the rate change, the new offerings from February seems like slim pickings. We've got the Alabama statehood issue. I'm sorry, ya'll, but I find state stamps to be very snore-worthy. Even when they try for a design-focused issue (see the Illinois stamp) over a pictorial issue like this one, I can't seem to muster any enthusiasm for them. 

I am all about the Cactus Flowers issue though. How fun! One of my favorite rooms at the Garfield Park Conservatory is the Desert Room, in part because it's always such a surprise to see these sorts of blossoms. I'm also fond of booklet stamps as a rule. And that's it. That's all the new U.S.P.S. stamps that came out this month. 

 

At least we have a new postcard issue to look forward to and these Ellsworth Kelly stamps are !!! I don't entirely like the new postcard design, but it's something different. The shells have been around far too long.

Stamp Releases for January 2019

New years and new stamp rates always mean a bunch of stamps come out in January. Most of these are being released on January 27th to coincide with the rate change. Every year brings with it a new Priority mail design and a new Express mail design. I still don't know who really has use for those high value stamps, but the continuation of the theme of a lovely nature scene in a tasteful black border is still very aesthetically pleasing to me. This year's Lunar New Year release is fine, I guess. I still like the paper cut versions of these more. You can see that the post office also still loves those paper cut designs because the newer pictorial set always features the paper cut up in the corner. I am sad that this is the final year for them though. Gregory Hines is a treasure. I love how happy he is in his stamp portrait in this 42nd stamp of the Black Heritage series. This year's flag issue is a bore, as is that Love stamp. It isn't half the stamp last year's Anna Bond design was. (And the U.S.P.S. site wants to tell you that the Uncle Sam's Hat 15C stamps are new, but they ain't. They are just available in a different format is all. I'm waiting for the Meyer Lemons and the Strawberries to get that same treatment. I don't need $200 dollars worth of lemon stamps. I just want to buy $2.00 worth.)

October 2018 Stamp Releases

Time for our monthly segment where I give you my opinions on stamps! You're welcome. It's past the September equinox, so that's the klaxon to release all Winter holiday items meaning that October's postage is all primarily Solstichristmahaunnakwanzikarific. There's little change from the preview post about these stamps we had back in July. I really think the menorah is the nicest of the new designs this year. What bugs me about the Santa stamps is that they are Coca-Cola Santa designs and I'm made a little queasy by thinking about what sort of business negotiations were involved in securing the image rights. It's called "Sparkling Holidays" which is definitely a nod to that carbonated beverage connection. I'll still probably end up using some of them. Honestly, I think most of my December mail will feature the "Winter Birds" released last month.

All of these stamps are currently on sale. Remember, not every post office orders the same stamps; so if you can't get it at the local P.O., you can always order online. Plus, a lot of previous year's holiday stamps are still on sale there as well. 

September 2018 Stamp Releases

After the dynamite releases of August, I find myself a bit ho-hum about these. Those Birds in Winter stamps are nice, but like birds on stamps is about as exciting as cars on stamps. And also, didn't we just do winter birds?  I do think the Hot Wheels cars are fun, but I don't think I will have a lot of use for them, which, come to think about it, is exactly how I feel about the toys. If you like John Lennon or the Music Icons series, I don't think you'll find anything objectionable about the stamp. It's nice to have a John Lennon stamp. He was a stamp collector. I think he'd've been pretty thrilled. Last but not least is the stamp Honoring First Responders. There's a lot to like about it. I wonder if there was some sort of international initiative, as Canada just released a similar stamp series. 

P.S. The Hot Wheels stamps release on the 29th. All others are available now.

Stamp Release: August 2018

The Art of Magic! Dragons! U.S. Airmail P.O.D. Service Stamp! Global Poinsettia! All this month's stamp releases were marvelous. I am most pleased. Oh, and it's not apparent in the photos, but the Dragon stamps have a spot printed red foil accent that makes them EVEN BETTER! Oh my gosh. Love them all. Can't wait to write more letters so I can use more stamps! Definitely click those links so you can check out all the different magic and dragon designs.

Stamp Release Round-Up: July Stamps

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I let July slip by without a round-up of U.S.P.S. releases, but in my defense, July was kinda a snoozer. I'm just not into Scooby-Doo, folks. The O Beautiful stamps are indeed beautiful. They've been printed with a varnish to really make the photographs rich and vibrant. War is war and I'd rather we not glorify it in stamps, but maybe I've just been watching Ken Burn's Vietnam and am extra jaded. The posterized style in the stamp WWI: Turning the Tide is pleasing, but I just can't shake the propaganda feeling. (I rather prefer the First Responders stamp coming out in September.) August is a big month for stamps! Stay tuned!

Christmas (Stamps) in July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not that one can really imagine the Winter at the height of this hemisphere's sunshine and heat, but the U.S.P.S. just announced their new stamps for the holidays. Not bad. I can work with those. I really like the international poinsettia and the menorah is really beautiful. I like this move away from the older cutesy design for the Kwanzaa stamp too. The "Coca-Cola" style Santa stamps are charming, but I'll need to see them in person to really decide if I like them. How do you folks feel about these stamps? What's making its way onto your Winter mailings?