Back Of The Scott Catalog

Recently, a few folks on the board helped me ID an old $0.02 Franklin with a red I.R. stamped on the front as not a pre-1940's general issue, but a back-of-the-book R154. Bummed, yes, but it got me to start looking at the back of the book.

Some of the revenue stamps are beautiful, and as with most stamps, the better the condition, the higher value. What caught me by surprise (mind you, I've been collecting seriously for about 3months), is the section for CVP, 1CVP, 2CVP series.

I can't believe that 1) people collect computer-issued stamps, and 2) some of them command such a high price.

So here's my thought: people collect them because they've simply collected everything within their current scope of interest, or newer generations of collectors have access to them.



Just picking at a brain knot here. Personally, I love the artwork and colors of general issue stamps from the 1940s and 1950s. Computerized stamps don't have that, or the allure of the history behind their artwork.

Just sayin'...

Thoughts? Opinions? Anyone collect them and have a different reason?

Cardinal Bass

There are specialists who delve into computerized postage stamps, just as there are those who specialize in postage meters and other sorts of mail franking.

The fact is that postage stamps as we used to know them are on a decline thanks to the ability to print postage from your personal computer or postage meter at the office. There are also subtle varieties in all of these "collectibles" and the very fact that some of them have been replaced by updated computer equipment or meter types, means that there are often many more varieties than you can find even on postage stamps. There's even an online catalog to identify postage meters, some of which are allegedly valued at high prices, because many of them were in use for such a short period of time before they were replaced.

Are they ugly compared to postage stamps? Yes. But are they collectible? Yes. Whether we like it or not, these will become the collectibles of the future, not because of the subject matter but because they are the sort of items we will see in future mailings.

We collectors had to adapt when the US Postal Service went from handstamp or machine cancellations to the ugly spray-on type cancellations. As much as we may not like them, the fact remains that they are the cancellation devices of the present day until something else comes along.

Everything is collectible. Whether you or I choose to collect them is up to each person's preference. No one is forcing you to collect them, but the fact remains that they represent the postal use of the present day and at some point in the future, some collectors will be interested in them. Those that choose not to collect them today will simply mean that the items will become scarcer in the future, as fewer will be available to the next generation of collectors who may wish to acquire them.