Feel Good Stamps - What About Them?

To start, I do believe that there are many types of 'feel good' stamps.

To a collector it could be that one stamp or stamps that you finally got that completes that set or page or year or collection. Doesn't have to be super expensive either, although that is a type of feel good stamp also.

But, collecting aside for the moment, what I am wondering about is the stamp(s) you use to mail your letters or packages with. Do they make you feel good? Why? Or, will they make the recipient of the mailing feel good? Should the Post Offices consider this idea in a bigger way than they do now?

I do get a feeling when I stick a stamp on an envelope I am mailing and wonder, what does this say about me and my country? And less often, for me anyway, how will the person who is getting this see this? Will they like it?

On the other hand I do enjoy a 'nice' stamp or a 'happy' stamp. Who doesn't? If you are feeling good that day and want to share that feeling or want the person receiving the mail to feel good don't you want to use stamps that will help that feeling appear? I do.

I think we would do well do have available to us Every Day some kind(s) of 'feel good' stamps to use. Supplied by the Post Offices would be the ideal way.

I know as collectors, sometimes we 'collect' many of the same stamp to use on mail we might send later (much later) just because of the supply of that stamp will run out or be discontinued in a year.

But, what about the rest of the folks? Would stamp collecting grow if it made you happy to collect stamps too? Most likely.

Stamps are great advertising for the country issuing them and are used that way all too often.

But, what about the 'feel good' stamps? Ooh, I just had a thought! Maybe these stamps I am talking about are the 'Smilers' stamps from Great Britain? But no, not altogether true.

I mean more of a stamp that is meant to make a human feel good, whatever that is. The colour)s) would be considered, the smiles or no smiles on faces. The happy or sad or concerned or serious faces.

I think (and I do not know but it feels good) that a lot of collectors are collecting stamps that generally make them feel good, not caring whether the subject matter is relevant to whatever country issued it or whether people are alive or dead or fictional. I grant you, there is a place, and a good one, for feeling good that you live in a good place and that these stamps that you are sending on an envelope are saying that it is a good place to live.

But, why can't we do some psychological (not subliminal) smart moves here and help our peoples to feel better when they write a letter? Multiple good things could happen. Higher education and literacy, because it makes you feel good. Higher revenues from stamp sales and thus a popular lowering of prices (hopefully) because it makes you feel good. Better health, less anger, better self worth, etc, etc.

But, are the Post Offices paying attention to how we feel? Are our governments? Probably only to the extent that we tell them to.

I mean, I like mountains and trees and scenery but they don't really make me feel good to look at them, unless I am really there and having a nice time anyway.

Argh, maybe stamps could be subliminal then. Open to misuse like everything, even Corn Flakes, but the potential for good is there. Argh.

OK, I am just going to design my own, after a few years of intense study in art, graphics, design, psychology, human behavior, advertising, marketing . . . .Argh.

Someone's 'feel good' stamp:

Getting a stamp that unexpectedly completes a page is a good feleling !

We sometimes start a country collection and get bogged down trying to get every stamp. I myself started a oddball collection that the only requirement was it had to be odd shaped or just plain out of the normal.
I have had so much fun that I actually split the collection as it quickly grew to the oddball and triangle collection (many triangle shaped ones acquired).
The collection has no numbering system and only parts of almost all countries are now included. Also, cost wise it goes from penny stamps to some more expensive ones.
It just did not matter to me that there is no system of Scott numbering, but only that they are fun to look through.

very nice write up puzzler! thanks for sharing!

Feel good stamps:
I sometimes follow the example of a colleague, and leave a glassine of stamps inside a stamp catalogue at the Library, with "free for you", hoping a kid
is the next to borrow.

What a nice thought. A friend of mine at Halloween used to make up her own, "goodie" bags for the kids, and she would include a packet with 4 or 5 brightly coloured topical stamps with each bag alone with a small note telling when and where the local stamp club meeting was held. She also said that a parent or someone older had to come with the kids. She didn't want anyone thinking she was trying to lure the kids into something.

Anyhow, I have had a lot of "feel good" stamps, but I can still remember quite a few years ago I was collecting Hungary. There was one stamp that I needed to complete a set. I went into a stamp store that literally had laundry tubs full of stamps. That one stamp that I needed was sitting right there on top. It was only 5 cents, but it completed a set, plus filled a page in my album. I was so thrilled.
But then a few years later, I sold the collection to get something else, so it really didn't matter much anymore. hehehe!

I don't suppose I have a particular "feel good" stamp, but I do give a lot of thought to what stamp I use when I send different type mail. On bills and such, I usually use a single Purple Heart stamp (kind of my definitive class stamp) or something similar. When mailing to friends and relatives I try to use something fun (like Bart & family). When mailing to other collectors I always use multiple issues of older stamps and blocks and even eight or ten small value definitives. I think they make for an eye catching cover.

Great topic Puzzler!