The Postcrossing stats for June are in, and during the month, I sent 85 postcards and received 79 postcards. That brings my all-time total sent cards to 12,368, putting me in 27th place among the 83,000 Postcrossing members in the USA. Still #1 in Alabama. Good to see an active exchange of cards to and from Russia once again, after the recent resumption of USPS service to Russia. Write on.
In a surprise announcement, the USPS will issue a new stamp to honor the 150th anniversary of the US Coast Guard Academy. The new stamp will be issued at the academy in New London, CT on September 12. This is of special interest to me because of my connection to the place: I was a Coast Guard cadet at the academy in the mid 1980s. Yes, I had intended to embark on a career as a Coast Guard officer, doing noble work like stopping criminals and rescuing distressed boaters, though realistically it would have mostly been more mundane chores like painting navigational buoys and counting fish in fisherman's nets. Not since the stamp issued in 2015 honoring the CG Cutter Eagle on August 4th, Coast Guard Day (and my birthday), have I been so eagerly anticipating a new stamp release. My own Coast Guard career was cut short when I washed out of the academy after two years. But in that time, I met many very fine people among my classmates and remain friends with a few of them. Two members of my academy class of '87 went on to command the CGC Eagle. One would eventually run the academy itself. And the current top guy running the entire US Coast Guard is a former classmate of mine. So with pride and nostalgia, I eagerly await this new stamp issue, and everything it represents.
After a long day at work and a harrowing commute in a severe thunderstorm, I arrived home yesterday to find my order of the new Postcrossing stamps had finally arrived. And this morning, I sent off my first one! As I've mentioned before, the USPS Postcrossing stamp comes after years of petitioning by Postcrossing members to the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee, the group that recommends new stamp designs to the USPS. I had written my own letter to the committee several years ago, and never received any reply or acknowledgement, so I had come to believe it was a dead issue. But then only a few weeks ago, I learned that a Postcrossing stamp issue would be at last released, as it indeed was at the World Expo stamp convention in Boston last week. So today, the first maxi card (a postcard featuring the stamp image, an actual stamp with first day of issue postmark, and a matching stamp for international postage on the address side) went out in the mail today. Hope you enjoy it, Richard in the UK! Write on!
The long awaited announcement was just made in Boston at the 2026 World Expo of the USPS encore stamp issue. And the winner is... *opens envelope*... Mr. Rogers! The commemorative honoring Fred Rogers in 2018 will now be once again available starting June 1. Mr. Rogers was such a beloved figure, and is entirely deserving of the honor. But I still would have liked frozen treats to be available once again. Regardless, write on!
We are now just hours away from Boston 2026 World Expo, a multi day convention featuring all things postal. This event has special interest, as the USPS will be releasing several highly anticipated new stamp designs, including the long-sought Postcrossing theme stamp. The USPS celebrated 250 years of existence last year, and the USA will do the same this year, so many stamp issues are of a patriotic nature. These include bald eagles, American bison, and treasures of the Revolutionary Era. But what has held my attention more than anything else is the Encore Issue. On Saturday, May 24, a special repeat release of some previous stamp favorite will be announced. About a year ago, voting was open to the public to choose which design from a large selection will be chosen for re-release. For myself, I chose the frozen treats scratch and sniff stamp, which smelled like delicious ice cream. The chosen design has been a closely guarded secret, and I've not heard any rumors as to which former stamp will once again become available. The "stamp con" will undoubtedly be a great experience; I wish I could be there in person. But I will be soon sending a whole slew of new stamps on postcard to recipients all around the world. Write on!
As I requested a batch of addresses from Postcrossing this morning to write some postcards, I was surprised to be assigned an address for Russia. Because of US sanctions, USPS mail service to Russia has been suspended for the last couple of years. I have been receiving postcards from Russia, but could not send any postcard to Russia. Until this morning. Not wanting to waste time and expense, I have tried to verify this change. A check of the Postcrossing Postal Monitor page, and the USPS Service Alerts page shows that Russia is no longer listed as a suspended destination. But it seems to be a very quiet policy change since I can find no specific announcement of a resumption of Russia service by any reputable source. So I guess I'll take a chance and write the postcard and I hope it reaches you soon, Nikolai in Leningrad. Stay tuned for any updates. Write on!
Last December, I wrote about a blog that displays postal covers from around the world. The blog's author, Daniel Mathieu, solicits postal covers from like-minded people: those with beautiful stamps and interesting postmarks receive extra thanks. So back in December, I sent an envelope with the newly issued USPS Revolutionary War stamps. Then a couple weeks ago during National Letter Writing Month, I sent another cover with brand new stamps depicting famous individuals of the Revolutionary War. President George Washington was an obvious choice to use, in combination with the Marquis de Lafayette, a nod towards the important contributions of France in obtaining American freedom. This time, in addition to a letter using my best Duolingo French, I included some photo postcards of my hometown, Birmingham, Alabama. Daniel shows these in his post, along with some links to additional info for those who might wish to know more about Washington, Lafayette, the Boston Tea Party, Birmingham, or our Vulcan Statue. Write on!
Each year on the second Saturday in May, the US Postal Service, along with the National Association of Letter Carriers and local agencies, collect non-perishable food as part of their campaign to Stamp Out Hunger. In my part of the world, this noble effort is joined by the United Way. To do your part to help feed those in need, you can simply leave a container of non perishable food items at your mailbox on Saturday, May 9th. Your donated items will be collected by your mail carrier and brought to local food banks for distribution. The need for basic food items never goes away, and at this time of year when holiday donations have been depleted, any help is very welcome. Collection day is one week away, so it's not too soon to gather some items to have ready for collection next Saturday. Join me in this effort to make the world a little better place.
In addition to it being Tax Day (don't forget to file your returns!), today is the midpoint of National Letter Writing Month. I'm glad to report my goal of writing and sending one letter each day to family and friends has so far been uninterrupted. The commonly given benefits of handwritten letters are that they are a pleasant and personal way to communicate with another individual. In today's digital age, it is certainly unexpected and hopefully a pleasant surprise to receive such an old fashioned message; an actual, physical object, manually transported by a postal system that remains by far the world's largest. But being a scientist myself, I must mention that there are actual biological benefits to writing letters. It's science! According to one scientific paper:
Handwriting is a complex neurophysiological process integrating motor, cognitive, and emotional components. Beyond its functional role in communication, it carries cultural and psychological significance.
Handwriting develops more areas of the brain than keyboard or texting messages. It contributes to enhanced memory development and greater engagement with the material. It's also a classy, joyous, and affirming way to strengthen relationship. It may take more time and effort, but that also has value in fostering a deliberate and thoughtful moment in what otherwise can be a frantic life. So in the remainder of the month, I will continue to improve my neural pathways, burnish my penmanship, and sustain my friendships. Write on!
It's April once again, which means Letter Writing Month is here. As in past years, my goal is to write one letter each day to mail to family and friends. (Last year's efforts were interrupted by a medical event, which I don't expect to be repeated this year.) The letters I write during the month may be typewritten or hand written using my small collection of machines and fountain pens. But all will be sent by USPS mail, while the service still exists. This is a time of year I always look forward to: renewing friendships, catching up with those who aren't online, and practicing the nearly-forgotten communication method that served mankind for centuries. The paper, ink, and stamps stand ready, so let's go. Write on!
For about as long as I've been a member of Postcrossing (well over 13 years), there has been an effort to create a US postage stamp design dedicated to the hobby. In fact, many American Postcrossers have a plea in their profile urging everyone to contact the USPS Citizen's Advisory Committee to include a Postcrossing stamp design in each year's new stamp issues. Many years ago, I myself wrote the committee on more than one occasion and never received any sort of response. I'd given up hope that the USPS would ever issue a Postcrossing stamp, even as other nations continue to do so: Germany, Estonia, and Czech Republic are but a few. Well, today I was thrilled to learn that in May the USPS will release a new stamp dedicated to Postcrossing. The issue includes four different designs, and are triangular. It will, of course, be at the international 1 ounce rate (currently $1.70). Seems like persistence pays off, as they say. I can't wait for the USA to join the family of nations with a stamp dedicated to Postcrossing. Write on.
In its 250 years of history, the US Postal System has been the driver of diverse areas of technology and innovation. It was at one point, more than the military, an early user of aviation. It has been a leading innovator in the advancement of optical character recognition (OCR) that we take for granted today. And on this day in 1964, Mr. Zip was introduced to the nation. He was, for over 20 years, the character who would represent the introduction, some months before his debut, of postal zip codes. Familiar today, these five digit (becoming 9 digit in 1983) codes would help increase accuracy and speed of mail delivery by assigning a systematic code number to each post office in the country. It was a great step forward in postal efficiency, and would later aid in delivery automation that continues to today. So happy birthday, Mr. Zip! Your place in the history of this country will never be forgotten.
Today I received a postcard from China. Not in itself a rare thing, but I'm glad to see mail from China has resumed, after being stopped for a time after confusion resulting from the de minimis duty changes. No, this card had a unique feature: stamps with fluorescent ink. When I shined an ultraviolet light on them, unseen features appeared. (I am a research scientist, and use a UV light in my daily experiments in the laboratory.) The sender of the card explained that the stamps showed prehistoric fossils, and under UV light, the location where they were discovered is revealed. Pretty nifty! Even the other stamps, like the one on the lower right, with the large Chinese characters and the '3' on it had some fluorescent security features embedded in it. This is the first time that I'm aware of fluorescent ink being used in stamps. However, nearly invisible fluorescent barcodes have been applied to mail by the USPS to aid in sorting for many years.
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| Stamps under normal light. |
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| The same stamps under ultraviolet light. |
As we roamed around the midcoast region of Maine this past week, I've kept my eye out for all the local post offices we have happened to pass. It's been extremely convenient that one of them is directly across the street from where we've been staying. So each day I drop off a stack of postcards - my personal travel ones, along with Postcrossing cards - to go out to the world. But we've glimpsed many others, some large and stately in the imposing style of 1940s-era government buildings, some very quaint and tiny. The closest one, here in Tenant's Harbor, looks like a simple wood framed single story ranch style house. It appears to share space in the building with the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. Inside, it has all the basic requirements: PO boxes, mail slots, and a clerk's counter. Curiously, this post office is not the only one I saw this week that still has a relic of the recent past. There is a dedicated drop slot for Netflix disks. I assume this reduced the number of disks that were broken by other heavy objects, but I'm surprised these slots still exist for Netflix DVDs, which were discontinued two years ago. Still, it's fascinating to see the variety of facilities, from a tiny post office on remote Monhegan Island, to the stately, large office in Camden Maine, which we were told by a passing local resident that it served as a location shot in the Steven King movie Thinner. Each post office serves its role as an entry point into the mailstream of the USPS, and to the wider world. Even in this digital age, they provide an essential tie to the wider world.
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| My postal home base for over a week: Tenant's Harbor |
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| Tenant's Harbor wasn't the only post office that still has a dedicated Netflix DVD slot |
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| The Tenant's Harbor office has all the basics, including a clerk's counter... |
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| ...and a PO box lobby. |
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| Thomaston was not quite the smallest post office I saw. |
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| The main post office in Camden reputedly served as a courthouse exterior in the movie Thinner. |
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| Even remote Monhegan Island has a tiny full-service post office. |
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| As a souvenir, I sent myself a postcard from Monhegan Island to get the rare postmark stamp. |
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| Port Clyde also has a small post office. |
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| The Rockland post office wins the award for most drab architecture. |
On every vacation I've ever taken, I always have a book or two with me to fill the quiet moments. Though it is apparently now rare, I still frequently read for pleasure, and a cozy little house in midcoast Maine is the perfect spot for it. A cup of coffee, a sofa, and a good book are all anyone needs, according to Anthony Trollope. And this vacation is no different. I've been reading two books, and picked up a third while here at a local bookshop. The first is The Three Clerks, by Anthony Trollope. This is the current book in a year-long series that is the subject of bi-weekly zoom meetings from London, UK. While I have a fine print copy, I've been reading this one on my ancient 2nd generation Kindle reader. It's no longer fully functional, as Amazon stopped supporting direct connections to it some time ago. But the device works perfectly well, and I can patch it into my laptop to download free books from Project Gutenberg which provides open access text files that work with this old reader. So I've been plodding along with this novel, which is not my absolute favorite of all Trollope's works. It is the story of three clerks in the English civil service, and the trouble they get into- in relationships and in business.
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| Even 15-year old Kindles have their place for avid readers |
Much more interesting is a book that was recommended to me by a reader of this blog. Mailman, by Stephen Starring Grant is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the operations of the US Postal Service. In 2020 when Covid started to change the world, Grant was a high earning consultant living in Blacksburg, Virginia but often travelling to NYC and other cities on business. But as the pandemic raged, he suddenly lost his job and was simultaneously diagnosed with cancer. With a family to support, he decided to take a job as a postal carrier in rural Appalachia. This book recounts his gripping experiences. From an intense training period, to a long period of learning the actual skills required on the job, this is an attention grabbing book that reveals the work we, the public, take for granted in our postal system. It is a huge and complex operation, and much more goes into delivering the daily mail - letters, bills, magazines, and parcels - than most of us think about. I have a new appreciation for the USPS, and those who do their difficult job well without the recognition they deserve.
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| A fascinating look behind the curtain |
And finally, I've been reading a small volume I bought while here in Rockland. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder is a timely book that addresses the current state of the country. Snyder is the Levin Professory of History at Yale University, and in this book he proposes 20 "lessons" to guide us as the USA goes through these dark days. Each lesson is accompanied by historical context and examples of what happens when despots rule unchallenged. A sobering and thought-provoking book.
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| A thought-provoking book for this dismal period |
Not for the first time, USPS tracking has provided me with some entertainment and not a little frustration as I've followed the path of a package as it travels to my home. This time the package is a shipment of new stamps from the USPS itself. All went well as the package travelled the familiar route from Kansas City to central Alabama. It covered that distance in a single day, which is unusually fast (I buy a lot of stamps via the USPS web site, and I'm familiar with this route and the normal transit time. In the Birmingham sorting center on the Friday before the Labor Day three day weekend, I reasonably expected it to be delivered on Saturday the 30th of August. But instead, the next tracking update showed the package - less than 20 miles from my home; So close, USPS! - next showed up in... San Franciso, California! Yes, according to the tracking info, the package made it across the continent in a single day. Whether this is a tracking system anomaly, or the package physically travelled to northern California is unclear. The package languished there over the holiday weekend, and part of this past week before returning to Birmingham a week later than when it had last been there. It is now supposedly safe at the Helena post office, and will hopefully be delivered to my home in the next hour or two. What a roundabout way to get stamps!
As a part of the celebration of the 250th year of the US Postal System, a contest is underway to choose one of the many past stamps designs that will be reissued. Over the years, many beautiful and innovative designs have been released, and now the public can vote on which one of these will return. Voting is free and continues until September 30, 2025. The winner will then be announced at the Boston 2026 World Expo in May, 2026. ( A special stamp for this huge philately convention will be issued in a couple weeks on August 14.) Looking back on the many wonderful stamps designs eligible for voting, I see some I have really liked. The innovative color-changing lunar eclipse stamp. The beautiful dual design transcontinental railway stamps. and the fun stamps depicting Bugs Bunny, Peanuts, and Star Wars characters. But my favorite stamp is the scratch 'n sniff scented ice cream treats stamps. They really did work and smelled like a summertime ice cream treat. Voting is free and requires no registration, so vote early and vote often. Write on!
This year, the US Postal System will celebrate 250 years of service. As most of us learned in school, the service was begun by Benjamin Franklin in 1775 as a crucial means by which the 13 colonies could communicate and unify against British rule. Later on, in 1787 when the US Constitution was created, it specified the postal system as an essential service of the government. Today, the USPS is the largest postal service in the world, processing about 318 million pieces each day. To recognize this moment in history, the USPS will later this summer issue a sheet-sized stamp mosaic of postal functions. Leading up to the release, the USPS podcast, Mailin' it!, has put out an episode examining the history of rural free delivery, an important service of the USPS. From the episode notes:
USPS Historian Steve Kochersperger joins us to discuss the origins and lasting impact of rural free delivery—an initiative that began in 1896 to bring mail directly to farm families across the U.S. Learn how this historic service helped bridge the gap between urban and rural communities, supported economic growth, and laid the groundwork for modern mail delivery.
Give it a listen at the link below.
Yes, there is such a thing as "Mailbox Improvement Week", and we are currently in the midst of it. During this week, we are reminded that it is important to maintain the receptacle that receives household postal mail. For many of us who live in single-family homes, this amounts to a streetside box on a pole. But how many of us know there are detailed specifications for the size, design, and position of these boxes? This effort to standardize home mailboxes is intended to make the postal carrier's life easier and delivery more efficient. From speaking to postal carriers myself, I gather the thing they like best is for you to have a well-maintained, sturdy and clean box of sufficient size for daily mail delivery. And in these days of increased parcel delivery (from Amazon and similar vendors) a box that will accommodate at least the smaller parcels is greatly appreciated by working mail carriers. Beyond that, there recently have been increasing reports of mail theft, both from home boxes and from blue collection boxes. The latter is a headache for the US Postal Inspection Service but the former is something we must deal with individually. For myself, I recently installed a sturdy, lockable box made by a company called Mail Boss. It relies on a long chute and baffle arrangement to receive mail and hold it in a steel box with a locked door. Even though I live in a sleepy, low-crime suburban community, I sleep better knowing that checks (yes, they are still used, on occasion) and other important documents are protected from casual pilfering. Whatever choices you make regarding your mailbox, this week is the right time to think about it being properly maintained, clean, and usable for the purpose it was intended. Write on!
