U.S. Postage Stamp Day

The postage stamp is the ultimate traveler, whether globally or domestically.  As a stamp collector (philatelist), this more than makes up for my travelling ambitions.  Recently a friend gave me a bunch of Canadian stamps he had recently received as postage on one of his packages.  I was truly excited about the new acquisition.  Since they were current stamps used on the market, so to speak, I knew they did not already exist in my collection.  The stamps used over the previous fifteen years or more have a new type of adhesive not easily removed from the paper backing they are affixed upon.  This is a challenge I have yet to find a solution for.  In years gone by, the "old" stamps used an adhesive that would fall away after a time of soaking in water.  These new stamps seem resistant to such a method.  Until I can figure out how to remove the paper backing and integrate them in to my collection, I have all the stamps organized and stored in boxes.  (To date, I have a lot of stamps in need of this sort of attention.)  I have many stamps representing countries from across the globe: Russia, South Africa, Spain, to only name a few.  Finding the opportunity to add to the collection always brings excitement and intrigue.  Sometimes I'll find stamp collections at estate or garage sales.  When I do, I immediately jump on the chance to purchase the new-found treasure.  Stamps are also rich in history, and I learn a lot from what I find.  This may have been the basis for my love of history and geography.  Today I celebrate the postage stamp on its special holiday.