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For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations December 30-31, 2006:

Fun With Numbers

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

The Postal Service says the Nineteen-Ninety-three Elvis Presley stamp is the most collected 
of all time, with 124 million of them saved. 

Most of the other issues on the list are multiple designs. The next single-stamp issue, 
Marilyn Monroe, sold far less.

But keep in mind: The Postal People only started their survey eighteen years ago. 

And Ken Lawrence, a columnist for Scott Stamp Monthly, says if you include ALL U-S stamps, 
Elvis isn't even CLOSE to the record.

"The most popular were the 1932 commemoratives for the George Washington Bicentennial, which 
ran all year long. Those stamps were issued in the billions."
RUNS :11

...many of which were kept by collectors. Many of the Elvis stamps were purchased by 
accumulators, some of whom are now beginning to dump them.

What's that saying about lies and statistics?

MUSIC: "Your cheatin' heart....."
:03 establish and under.

And that's Stamp Collecting this week. 
I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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[Longer Version]

Download this report as an MP3 sound file.

Fun With Numbers

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

The Postal Service says the Nineteen-Ninety-three Elvis Presley stamp is the most collected 
of all time, with 124 million of them saved. 

Most of the other issues on the list are multiple designs. For instance, this year's Wonders 
of America set had 40 stamps. A collector would have to buy FORTY of those stamps, compared 
to just ONE Elvis stamp.

The next single-stamp issue, Marilyn Monroe, sold only about a third as much.

But keep in mind: The Postal People only started their survey eighteen years ago. 

And Ken Lawrence, a columnist for Scott Stamp Monthly, says if you include ALL U-S stamps, 
Elvis isn't even CLOSE to the record.

"The most popular were the 1932 commemoratives for the George Washington Bicentennial, which 
ran all year long. Those stamps were issued in the billions."
RUNS :11

...many of which were kept by collectors. The Columbians exactly a hundred years before the 
Elvis stamp were also a big hit with collectors...

"...which are, even today, the most popular United States stamps among collectors, all over 
the world."
RUNS :06

Most of the Elvis stamps were purchased by his fans, and by speculators.

The Postal Service doesn't distinguish between stamps saved and stamps collected. Many people 
throw sheets of stamps into a drawer for a few decades, thinking they'll be worth lots more 
some day. Most of the time, they're not...and get dumped on the market and used for postage. 
We've already seen a little of that with the Elvis Presley stamp.

What's that saying about lies and statistics?

MUSIC: "Your cheatin' heart....."
:03 establish and under.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more about stamps and stamp collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com

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