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Viva La Commercialism!

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

The latest stamps from France are raising a few eyebrows: They celebrate the Harry Potter 
series of books and movies, which are ENGLISH.

Or maybe it's not that surprising. Stamp collector Joaquim Capitao in Brussels says France 
has a long-running series honoring stories for children, usually comics.

"This year, they diverted a bit into other fields outside comics, but they're still going 
for very popular youth books in France."
RUNS :09

It's not the first time France has gone outside its borders for subjects in the series.

"If you look at the last years, most of the authors have actually been Swiss or Belgian."
RUNS :07

And a few years ago, Capitao says, the subjects were American.

"In 2004, for instance, it included Donald Duck, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, as part of the 
annual series."
RUNS :07

Harry Potter is a worldwide phenomenon, both in books and movies. Other countries have 
issued stamps for the young wizard, including Taiwan, the Isle of Man, Australia. 

Of course, it's probably no coincidence the last book in the series comes out this summer, 
and another movie in the fall.

"It's probably not the only reason, but it is, I'm almost sure, one of the reasons."
RUNS :05

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


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