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The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries. Bill Gicker is now the acting director of the Stamp Services unit of the U-S Postal Service, but he's been part of the operation for 20 years. Stamp Services is responsible for what stamps are issued. And Gicker says he has a good idea of its mandate. "To bring new energy into the stamp program, while respecting the stamp program. That's very important to me, is not going into the gimmick realm, but adding things that help to tell the story that we're trying to convey with the stamps." RUNS :12 What IS that story? "Stamps are miniature works of art, and they are educational, and part of our history and culture, and I take that very seriously." RUNS :06 But not every stamp subject has to be serious. "I think that there's room for fun in the program, but it has to be balanced with a respect for what we're doing here." RUNS :06 Gicker for many years edited U-S-A Philatelic, the catalogue the Postal Service issues telling what stamps are available or coming up. He promises customers will see a change in January. "I want to get us on a very predictable four-times-a-year and plus maybe a gift catalogue, but very predictable, like it was." RUNS :07e Gicker has also led the design teams for many issues, such as History of Hockey, Hot Wheels, Frogs and Purple Heart. It's not always easy. "We found that if a difficult subject is to a buying market, they're not going to buy it or use it. So it's a trick of taking something as emotional and potentially negative, and give it an appearance that works." RUNS :14 The classic goof was the 1981 stamp that proclaimed, "Alcoholism: You Can Beat it!" Imagine getting THAT on a letter. But Gicker says a big SUCCESS was 2015's Missing Children stamp, which featured the forget-me-not flower. "By giving it the flower, people were willing to use it." RUNS :03 And that's important to Bill Gicker. "If they're not going to use it, we're not getting any message out. It's important to balance the two." RUNS :05 One of his predecessors once told me that being in charge of the stamp program is considered a dream job within the Postal Service. And now Bill Gicker has it. I’m Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com. ---------------------------------------------------------- Go to Previous Report Go to Next Report Go to Report Index |
