Meeting The Subject Of A Stamp

In the early 70's while delivering mail in Rockford, Illinois, I delivered a letter to one of my customers from his brother, John Bardeen. Two weeks later as I was delivering the mail a car from Pennslyvania pulled in the driveway, I was able to meet mr Bardeen and I was on my way. When the USPS came out with the Nobel Peace winners in 2008, I remembered that I had met him.

I have met the subject on every Great Britain stamp....Queen Elizabeth II.

Although, she is not my subject...I am her subject.

- stamporator -

One day it may be "Sir Stamp"!

stamporator: you have met the subject of every stamp of Great Britain? Victoria? Edward VII and VII, George V & VI? You must be very old.

There are some British stamps that did not show any monarch's picture or silhouette.

I would be scary to meet the subject of U.S. stamps. They are supposed to be dead.

basil, not anymore. They changed the rules, though for the life of me I can remember any examples.

KGB,

I've not heard that they've changed the basic rule about not putting living persons on stamps. There was some flap recently about putting Maya Angelou on a stamp so soon after her death. Supposedly, at some point, the "rule" was that they would not do this until 10 years after the death of someone. Maybe that was a "general rule" but there have always been exceptions. Both FDR and Churchill were memorialized on stamps the year of their death. The Kennedy memorial stamp was the following year, but less than 12 months after his death. I am sure there have been others.

But I am also pretty sure that the convention of waiting until a noted person's death remains in force. Otherwise, a certain President would have probably been on a stamp about the same time he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

I'm sure you're right about memorializing someone. However, the rule was bent to allow living persons to appear on U.S. stamps, though they are not always named. An example is the 9/11 stamps that portrays three firefighters raising a flag at the Twin Towers site.

Yes, various stamps have had living persons depicted on them who were not individually the subject matter of the stamp. Various military service stamps. The Iwo Jima stamp is somewhat similar to the 9/11 firefighter stamp. So I guess there are lots of examples like this. But noted persons, not so much. So it would be scary to meet the subject of such a stamp. Unless you meet them in the afterlife, and then I guess that all depends.

I believe that when a 'living' President passes a memorial stamp is issued by his (someday her) next birthday. That was the only exception to the 10 year rule. There have been attempts to change the 10 year rule to 5 years, and some discussion as to living persons. Personally, I can accept the 5 year waiting but as for 'live' person recognition no, there are sufficient subjects & subject matter to memorialize without bowing to political pressures. (and please let's not turn this into a living person depicted on past stamp issues discussion, those people were not named but convenient photo subject matter for the issue theme).

basil, you mean the dead letter office below?

This thread was about that opportunity, which I was fortunate to do at the time.

https://goscf.com/t/39985

Isn't Smokey the Bear alive?

Oh, tom, his name is Smokey Bear. (And of course he's alive.)

Don't forget Santa!

Quote: In the early 70's while delivering mail in Rockford, Illinois, I delivered a letter to one of my customers from his brother, John Bardeen. Two weeks later as I was delivering the mail a car from Pennslyvania pulled in the driveway

I have to wonder why he was driving a car from Pennsylvania. I grew up down the block from him in Urbana, IL, where he was at the Univ. of Ill.

Alan B.