Sorting Through Some Stamps

A while ago, I was at a shop on the North Side of Chicago called Transistor, looking for presents for a few people on my list. I saw some great jewelry featuring sections of old stamps made by a  company called Foxglove Accessories. When I was a kid, I collected stamps, and I had some that I thought were fun that I wanted turned into jewelry. What I liked best about the Foxglove designs is that the artist, Betsy Siber, pulls out the most interesting design elements rather than slapping the whole thing on a pin back.

I pulled out my old collection to see what I had that would work, and it was fun. I have what’s known in the trade as a Schoolboy Collection: a lot of miscellaneous stamps that are colorful and interesting, but with no cohesive theme and little cash value. That’s okay.

My favorite stamp is a fuschia Spanish definitive featuring Francisco Franco. But, really, who wants to wear the image of a dictator around her neck? Not I. I sent Betsy some of my many Queen of England stamps instead.

One of the more interesting stamps in my collection is a Weimar German overprint to reflect the hyperinflation of the age.

Finally, I have a few stamps from the Iranian Revolution. I’m not sure why I like them, I just do. Maybe, as an American, I was struck by the idea that people would have happy about having the Ayatollah in charge.