Home | Holygrailpress

Word of the Every So Often

philatelic: (adj.) (pronounced: fill-ah-tell-ick) pertaining to the study and collection of postage stamps and other postage related stuff, such as envelopes and postmarks. If your hobby is philately, then you are a philatelist, and you do all things philatelic.

Everyday History

It was on August 26, 1936, that the first Susan B. Anthony postage stamp was released in honour of the 16 year anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment, the one that gave women the right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony, who was born on February 15, 1820, was a key figure in the women’s suffrage movement – gaining women the right to vote, and the right to do pretty much everything a man could. She was also strongly opposed to slavery. She died on March 13, 1906, 14 years before the passage of the 19th Amendment.

There were earlier efforts to issue a commemorative stamp for Anthony. Thing is, the real profit in stamps is from collectors. New, or “uncanceled” stamps, are generally worth more to collectors. So they’re buying a product that will never be used as postage. Pretty much pure profit. And the Post Office, bless them, didn’t think collectors would be interested in a stamp with Susan B. Anthony on it. After all, over 90% of the people who collect stamps are men.

It was only with the help of Eleanor Roosevelt that the stamp was probably ever issued. Eleanor was a strong supporter of the women’s movement, using her position as First Lady to champion social reform, labour rights, and women’s involvement in politics. Supposedly, she used her influence on her husband, who definitely had the power to get the stamp issued. Franklin, though, probably didn’t need much convincing. He was an avid stamp collector, and he also saw it as a way to help get the women vote.

When the stamp was finally issued, it was almost immediately met with controversy. Because of the background lines on the stamp, if you hold your head just right and squint it looks like Anthony is smoking a cigarette. OK. I’ve tried it. You can easily find a picture of the stamp online, and you can even enlarge it. And I’m not seeing it. But then, they weren’t interested in my opinion back in 1936. It wasn’t that she was smoking a cigarette, though. True, the Post Office tends to avoid depictions of anybody smoking. But the fact that it was a woman smoking made it so controversial. Wow. Talk about your irony.

In all, there so far have been two stamps with Susan B. Anthony on them, the 3 cent stamp issued in 1936, and the 50 cent stamp issued in 1955. As well, there was the Susan B. Anthony commemorative dollar coin, first issued in 1979, and last issued in 1999. You can still find an original 3 cent stamp, and they really don’t cost that much, relatively speaking. After all, the thing that most determines any collectible’s value is rarity, and they made over 269 million of them. You can get a set of four on Amazon for around five bucks. Same for the 50 cent stamps. The dollars, on the other hand, can get a bit pricy. One of the 1981 releases that had various errors on it sold at auction for over $20,000. If you don’t care about particular mint marks and what have you, you can pick up a dollar for... well... a dollar.

Cartoon of the Week

Bear With Me

Stuff

Dog Days

The screen door slams

and bounces and bounces and bounces,

the loose mesh flapping flies,

suspended in the mirage vapours

of awningless sunshine

rising off the cement slab excuse

for a back porch,

flapping them in to dreamily weave the room,

filling shadowed corners with the rise and fall

of meaningless flight.

Eventually to land,

just out of reach of thee swatter.

It is not guessing.

They know.

And there they wait,

rubbing their hands,

waxing their wings,

screwing and unscrewing their heads,

but never quite taking them all the way off.

Until you lunge,

with a magazine

or a newspaper

or even your hand.

And then they’re gone,

to circle once

or twice

and then return,

passing just close enough

to your head

so you’ll hear

the soft snicker of wings.

And all the while,

the never ceasing insult

of the window unit drone

carries beyond the lawnmower line.

It carries from where that damned dog –

our damned dog –

lies beneath the air conditioner

that sticks from the neighbor’s window

like the chubby tongue of some obnoxious child

that you aren’t allowed to swat.

And there, folded into the two feet of shade,

is that damned dog,

lying there like he has nothing else better to do

than just to watch those tiny drops of frustration

let go one at a time,

and drop and drop and drop,

falling into a small puddle of nothing

just beyond his nose.

Comments? Criticism? Insults? Money Orders?

Earl, our editor, wants to hear from you!

(But that doesn't necessarily mean you'll hear from him.)

Send your messages or bank account information to:

Earl@holygrailpress.com