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The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries. The name of the recently-announced Celebrate Scouting stamp for the U-S is disingenuous. It's obviously celebrating the centennial next year of the Boy Scouts of America. That organization was involved in the announcement, not the Girl Scouts or Camp Fire Girls or any other youth group. The design shows a young MAN in a campaign hat and a red jacket. And other countries commemorated the entire scouting movement's centennial several years ago. But the U-S stamp selection guidelines say there won't be stamps for organizations....so we're getting a stamp with a generic name. The U-S-P-S often does an end run around its own guidelines. This year alone, we had stamps for an ongoing television show, "The Simpsons," and the Macy's department store's annual Thanksgiving parade. The guidelines also say no commercial enterprises or products. And The Simpsons were celebrating a 20th anniversary. 2007's Star Wars stamps a 30th anniversary. The guidelines say multiples of *50* years. The guidelines also say no stamps or postal stationery for schools or colleges. So we get postcards showing a university's oldest building, on a significant anniversary of the school, as part of the Historic Preservation series. Personally, I'm glad there will be a stamp for the Boy Scouts of America. I just wish the U-S Postal Service had the honesty to admit that's what is. I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, and a discussion about the Celebrating Scouting stamp, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com. ---------------------------------------------------------- Go to Previous Report Go to Next Report Go to Report Index |
