What's a Philatelist? According to Webster, a philatelist is a person who studies and collects stamps. I would definitely not consider myself a stamp collector, but there are a couple stamps available now that could spur on a new hobby for our family.
A couple years ago, while cleaning out the file cabinet I noticed an obscure file folder labeled "Stamps." In it I found a couple forgotten purchases. Apparently, if the stamp features someone of interest, I might buy a sheet. Look at what I found.
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| Elvis Stamps, 1992 |
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| James Dean Stamps, 1996 |
In the last 15-20 years my interests have dramatically changed. James Dean still holds a special place in my memories as does Elvis, but Ronald Reagan is now my kind of Hero. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. There were and continue to be a number of Centennial Celebrations being held at The Ronald Reagan Museum and Library, including a recent renovation. We've been blessed to attend a number of the festivities.
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| My sweetheart and I at the Reagan Centennial Celebration |
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| Centennial Celebration Concert For America |
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| With Fred Thompson |
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| Lee Greenwood singing |
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| At the Birthday Celebration, Simi Valley is so beautiful! |
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| Enjoying President Reagan's favorite Chocolate Cake |
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| We also attended a leadership symposium with great biographers moderated by Tom Brokaw |
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| With Tom Brokaw |
Recently at Reagan Museum & Library the United States Post Office
unveiled the second Ronald Reagan stamp issued. The
first stamp was issued in 2005 as a 37-cent stamp and reissued as a 39-cent stamp. The centennial stamp commemorating the birth of our 40th President is a
Forever Stamp.
We didn't make it to the stamp dedication ceremony in Simi Valley, however we did purchase the stamp sheet this week. I think I'll need to find a nice frame to display this treasure. Maybe I should work on having a notable history/Reagan room in the house.
On this stamp President Reagan is casually featured at his beloved ranch outside Santa Barbara.
Another educational and historical stamp sheet available through the USPS is the tribute to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. I'm so glad we chose this year to study the Civil War and what a great item to collect as memorabilia. The first in the series features stamps of The First Bull Run- July 21, 1861 and Fort Sumter- April 12-13, 1861. The stamp sheet gives historical background and quotes from Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. Jackson and Frederick Douglas along with a traditional lament.
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| USPS Civil War Stamps- first in the series |
I guess it's never to late to start up a new hobby. Philatelists we may be!
