Commemorative Postage Stamp Holds Special Meaning
Commemorate, that word holds a special meaning. Every year we celebrate certain events, we commemorate them. The signing of the Declaration of Independence, Thanksgiving, Christmas, our own birthday or wedding; all are special events in our lives, and we celebrate them to varying degrees. In the case of the United States Postal Service, it often issues stamps to commemorate all kinds of events. Now sure, some are fairly obvious; they've issued stamps for the moon landing, the birth of our nation, the lives of famous (or infamous) people: Elvis, Walt Disney, Benjamin Franklin, and so on. Still others, well… honestly, how many people would commemorate the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals? I would, I'm a dog lover, but I digress. The point is, some of their commemorative stamps are for rather obscure things.
Still, your average philatelist (stamp collector) doesn't care; they collect for the love of collecting, for the chance to view some beautiful pictures. And, these stamps often come in lovely bindings or gift packages. Also, there are what are known as "First Day Covers." With some special stamps, the first day that they are offered for sale to the public, the Postal Service will do up a decorative envelope, put the stamp on it and give it a very special cancellation. As an example, a stamp commemorating the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts at the start of the Revolutionary War was cancelled by both cities. A stamp commemorating a famous person often has a brief biography of them on the envelope. There was even a letter cancelled on the moon! The First Day Cover for the Armstrong and Aldrin landing on the moon had two cancellation marks: one for Washington, D.C. on the Earth, and one for the moon. However, there is a very important point to keep in mind with these sorts of stamps: it is highly unlikely they will ever be very valuable. The key factor in making something valuable can be summed up in one word: rarity. So, for a stamp to increase in value, it has got to be just that, rare. The thing is, with commemorative stamps, lots of them are issued. So, people buy them because they are interested in the subject, because of the beautiful artwork, or whatever. But, they should not be looked on as a good long-term investment. As a result, serious collectors tend to shy away from commemorative sets of stamps. Still, that should not deter anyone from buying them. As this article makes clear, they are often colorful, entertaining and even informative. For the collector who is doing it just for the joy of collecting, commemorative sets hold a special place. |