For those of you who mail a lot of letters, do you give any thought to the stamp, or do you just slap on the equivalent of 42 cents and go on your merry way?

On the other end of the postal system, does anyone else get just a teensy bit excited when they see a nice different stamp on their mail every once in a while? These forever stamps are handy, but it does get a little boring to see every envelope that appears in my mailbox have one.

I just bought postage, and selected some nice large stamps of Tiffany windows for that same aesthetic reason.

Lost interest in postage stamps when the USPS dropped the fine engraving and went to the cartoon printing.

I buy mine online because the stock they carry at the post office is so boring. It's gotten so bad that I've been purchasing stamps for my sister lately ... and she's a postal teller. They don't get the variety of stock that they used to.

I don't like the Forever Stamps. I like stamps that are unique. Right now I'm into the Frank Sinatra stamps, but I also saw that there are stamps out with sunflowers on them. The ones that pay homage to black theater are also interesting to me.

Whenever possiable I select the BIGGEST and most beautyfull stamps to go on my personal mail. It pleases the gods of letter carriers and speeds up delivery. That's also why bills and invoices get the run-of-the-mill stamp.



....................Stani

If all I have is regular ol' stamps I'll use 'em, but I've recently been paying more attention to what's available for my pen pals.

I just found a stash of 37 cent stamps I got awhile ago, now I have to add a patch of penny stamp I got a long time ago to get the postage to 42 cents , so half the envelope is covered in stamps.

oh my gravy, I MUST pay attention to the stamp!!

I use a bunch of different ones, old and new and also personalized ones from photostamp and zazzle.com.

examples:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenvelvet/2...57605397575815/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenvelvet/2...57605397575815/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/greenvelvet/2...57605397575815/

Lots more that I just didn't bother to photograph. I have a stamp folder full of a million different denominations (is that how you say cent value) and like to change 'em up.

GreenVelvet's cat is on her stamp -- she/he must be a national hero or something!!!! I enjoy when I get a letter with great stamps but I just use the really boring ones most of the time.

P.S. - "Oh my gravy" is my new favorite expression.

I try to get interesting stamps. There is a Post Office branch in town, where a lot of the members of the very active local Stamp Collectors Club buy their stuff at. So the managers of th e Post Office carry a big selection. I just picked up a sheet of James Baldwin stamps

I use stamps I like, rather than just anything. I like retro stamps, such as the USA Lewis & Clark stamps, or triangular stamps. I bought a lot of the triangular stamps and used them for years and kept adding make-up postage as the US postal service kept raising rates.

The current US 27-cent pink postcard stamps are getting awfully "old."

Fred

Oooo, yes! The stamps are importatant! I have a fettish for stamps as well as pens. As someone else mentioned, I too order all my stamps from usps.com because the selection is so much better.

I've also started keeping a stamp journal - not a conventional stamp-collecting album. When I get an interesting stamp on a pen pal's letter, I put it in the journal with a notation (done with a fountain pen, of course) about whose letter it came on and where they live. If there was some unusual news in the letter I might make note of that.

I just discovered a stamp collecting forum and I'm learning some new things from the folks there. One thing I've learned is that when self-stick stamps first came out they were made with a water-soluble layer of paper so it was easy to soak them in warm water and remove the paper they were stuck on. But now most self-stick stamps are made without that water-soluble layer making some of them impossible to remove from what they're stuck on without damaging the stamp. Anyway, these stamp collectors suggest saving used stamps by simply cutting around the stamp - being careful not to cut the stamp itself. One person suggested trimming around the stamp with scrapbooking scissors that produce a stamp-like edge. Then the stamp can be put in an album/journal with regular stamp hinges.

I'm not trying to turn this into a stamp-collecting thread, but yes! I get excited when I see a different stamp on a letter.

------- Just decided to edit this post to say that I love getting letters no matter what kind of stamp is on them. Don't want any of my pen pals to put off sending me a letter because they don't have interesting stamps.

Judybug

I think great stamps are part of a great culture. I do miss the old "engraved" ones. (Sorry, I'm not sure if I used the right term.) I know the self-adhesive ones are convenient, but that glossy finish is not my favorite. There are so many great subjects to use for stamps. I wish they would vary the sizes more as well.

Once again, in this world of standardization, customization has all the more value. My fear is that eventually it'll be like the old Soviet Union: everything a concrete block with a sans-serif number. Blah.

44

I found that you can buy big collections of uncancelled stamps on Ebay, usually at BELOW PRICE! I don't know exactly how that works. I bought a big collection and it's enormously fun.
Every denomination. None particularly valuable so I like to put them on my envelopes. However I also like to make my own envelopes and I find those stamps that you have to lick, don't
adhere well to glossy paper which means I'd have to use rubber cement to attach them. So I use the self adhesive on those envelopes. I also get my stamps for usps.gov and that makes it
easier than standing in line at the PO. Then when you get to the counter there are people behind me so I don't like to hem and haw over all the stamps that the clerk gets out for me.
skyppere

I choose stamps with aesthetic criteria whenever I can, and I love receiving letters with beautiful stamps though I do not collect them.
Alejandro

Dear nolagraph,

I am always interested in new types of stamps on the envelope. Anything equestrian, canine, feline, railroad and or historical figures.

That said, I would love to see letters with a stamp seal on the backside of the envelope. I really do miss my sealing wax and the seal. On documents that I want to make sure someone knows it is authentic; I made up ages ago; a custom seal just like a notary with my full name and general location; which I emboss into the correspondence originals.

I don't know if there would be a market for it but, wouldn't it be nice to have your own monogram and emboss envelopes you buy from Staples, Office Depot and or any correspondences you have; as well as to have one for the heading of your correspondence.

IF, memory serves me correctly you can create a stamp. I wouldn't personally be interested however, I am sure the US Post Office could answer such inquiries.

Just a few thoughts and wishes.

Respectfully,
Maria

For those of you without a well stocked post office, ordering online is very handy.

They only charge a dollar for delivery. I can't even drive to the post office for a dollar!

For me, stamps are like a necktie. It doesn't have to be special or do anything useful, but if properly chosen it can really dress things up. All part of the fun!!

Dear Dip Head,

The postage stamp did have an 'protocol' as to permit the Post Office to cancel the stamp. Of course this was before modern machines and all hand done.

However, I can't see why someone cannot create a 'pen and ink' boarder around the affixed stamp; dressing it up with your own type of framework, e.g. fancy, a picture art frame, boarders.

Just a few thoughts.

Respectfully,
Maria

I check usps.com for interesting stamps all the time. I still have some of the hologram envelopes that came out when stamps were 32 cents, as well as the Buckminster Fuller geodesic domehead stamps, and various fruit and flower ones that I thought were beautiful. (I wonder if I can get the cloud sets any more.)

I think that choosing a stamp to go with the letter is part of the fun of preparing it. While I handwrite most of my letters these days, I print the address labels with the zip+4 bar code, to make sure they get through; but everything else -- rubber stamps, stickers, notes on the back -- is chosen with the intent to amuse or delight the recipient.

I use to pick with care but since the prices shuffle I keep the forever stamps and leave the excitement for my writing on the letter and what's inside.

Kurt

I'd love to use a variety of different stamps, but I hate having to add random additional penny-postage every time the Post Office increases the rates. I like the idea of the Forever Stamp. Hopefully they'll release them in different styles, but if not, well, I like the Liberty Bell. It's a grand old chunk of metal, and one I don't mind putting on my envelopes.

I agree Fred. "Awful"ly being the operative word here.

Oh yeah. I never liked those things, have never even bought them - just use extra postage with older P-card stamps. Blech.