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Unrequited love stamps.

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

There's no love lost right now between some stamp collectors and the U-S Postal Service.

The agency scheduled this year's Love Ribbons stamp for release on Valentine's Day. But
that meant romantics couldn't use the Love stamps on their valentines. It didn't make
sense.... and stamp collectors said so, online.

I guess the Postal Service was paying attention, because it suddenly put the stamps on
sale almost two weeks earlier, on February 2nd.

There wasn't any advance notice, but that's not what's causing the alienation of affection.

The official postmark the Postal Service provides for the date on which stamps go on sale
WILL STILL READ February 14th.

The envelopes with these postmarks are called "first day covers," and some collectors
specialize in them.

Now, for years, collectors have had a couple of months AFTER the release date to obtain
these cancellations. They're more like birth certificates, telling when a stamp was issued.

But if the Postal Service doesn't change its mind, the Love Ribbons first day covers won't
even do that.

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

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