Over the years, hunters are not the only ones who choose to purchase the Duck Stamps.  Philatelists and conservationists alike also realize the value of these cool stamps.  Each year a new Duck Stamp is issued.  Since 1949, the Duck Stamp designs have been chosen via the only art competition that is sponsored by the US government.  Each year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service choose five species for competitors to paint their submissions of.  Those submissions are then judged and a winner is chosen in both a junior and adult category.

Stamp Center has two Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamps to add to your collection.  Stop by to see the Duck Stamps for the years of 2000 and 2001.  They feature the Mottled Duck and Northern Pintail Duck respectively.  You will also find the US Duck Stamp Plate Block RW32 available at Stamp Center.  If you would like to add any of these Duck Stamp products to your collection, contact Stamp Center today.  We also offer a huge selection of postage stamps from around the world, and we have incredible collections to choose from.

The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, otherwise known as the Duck Stamp, was established when Roosevelt signed the Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act into law.  This law was one of the first, and is still considered the most successful, of all conservation programs in United States history.  The law requires that any waterfowl hunter that is over 16 years old purchase a stamp in order to hunt waterfowl.  The proceeds of the stamp, minus the cost of the stamps production, are used to purchase wetlands and habitats for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System. To date, the proceeds have allowed the federal government to purchase over 5.3 million acres of waterfowl habitat in the US.  These spaces allow many species that were or are endangered, a safe haven of food and shelter.

Please check back on Monday for the conclusion.

It was first believed that the center of the stamp ball was started around a pencil stub, but now it is believed that the stamps are wrapped around the core of a golf ball.  It took 2 years for the Club to make the enormous ball.  The giant sphere weighs in at 600 pounds and is a whopping 32 inches in diameter.  It contains 4,655,000 cancelled postage stamps. Each stamp was individually affixed to the ball, layer upon layer.

In 1955, the stamp ball was featured in the newspaper column of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not.  The next day, crowds traveled from near and far to view the ball.  From that point forward, the work on the sphere stopped.

One of the fun things about this creation is that it is accessible to the public.  If you want to touch it, it’s right there out in the open.  You should know that you are not allowed to add any stamps to the ball and not take any away either.  A mural of stamps sits behind the giant stamp ball which creates the perfect backdrop. Stamp Collectors old and young can also sort through boxes of loose stamps that are also at the site.

The World’s Largest Ball of Stamps can be seen here or you can see it in person by visiting the Myers Stamp Center, Boys Town, Omaha, Nebraska.

There was some debate in England as to whether the double-decker bus should be considered an “icon” or not.  I think that most people will agree, thanks to travel, television, pictures, and movies, that the double-decker bus definitely is because those big beautiful red buses are associated mostly with England.

The sad news is that the end of 2005 also marked the last of most of the Routemaster buses being taken out of service in England because of their inability to be converted to become wheelchair accessible.  Many of the buses have been converted to tour buses or party buses so you will occasionally see them on the road; just not available to the general public and tourists like they used to be.  These “icons” of Great Britain will surely be missed!

If you would like to add the Great Britain Classic British Double Decker Buses postage stamps to your collection, contact Stamp Center today.  We offer free shipping to our US customers and $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers.  Hope to see you soon!

In London, tourists have always loved the open top platform where they can easily see the sights of the city.  The bonuses of the double-decker bus is that it holds a large amount of people, stops frequently, and allows people to get on and off the bus route wherever they please.

In May of 2001, Great Britain issued a set of postage stamps that featured the different types of double-decker buses they have had.  The release of the stamps marked the 150th anniversary of the first double-decker bus being used in England.  This neat set shows how the buses have changed over the years.

Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.

Immediately following the devastating news reports and pictures, countries from around the world pledged billions of dollars in humanitarian aid.  The countries that suffered the worst damage and loss of life were Sri Lanka, Indonesia, India and Thailand.

One of the ways that Belgium decided to help pitch in with humanitarian efforts was to release the Tsunami Aid Semi-postal postage stamps.  Postal authorities issue semi-postal postage stamps in an effort to help raise funds for a specific cause.  Each semi-postal postage stamp has a surcharge above the purchase price of the actual stamp. Sometimes the additional purchase price is printed on the stamp, sometimes it is charged when you buy the stamp.  Any funds that are collected by the sales of the stamps are donated to the cause or charity for which it is intended.  Most of the time, the picture on the stamp coincides with the charity or cause.

It’s hard to believe that it has been 5 years since the life altering Tsunami hit.  A few days ago, many memorial services were held for the victims around the world to mark the day.  If you would like to add the Belgium Tsunami Aid Semi-postal postage stamp to your collection, please contact Stamp Center today.

Children from around the world were invited to participate in an art contest to design a postage stamp for the United Nations which would be released in September of 2008.  The theme of their design entries were:  “We Can End Poverty”.  This and other activities planned were to celebrate the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty; and the end of the First Decade for the Eradication of Poverty.

The winners of the competition were chosen based on their creativity as well as their drawings ability to be produced into a miniature high quality format that is required for postage stamps.  There were more than 12,000 children who entered the contest representing 124 different countries.  The highest number of entries came from Norway and the second highest came from the United States.  The winners that were chosen were also invited to come to the UN Headquarters in New York for a special ceremony where their artwork; along with the top 50 entries were on display.

If you would like to add these adorable United Nations We Can End Poverty postage stamps to your collection, you can find them at Stamp Center today.  Stop by and see all of our wonderful postage stamps from the US and around the world.

The funds that are raised with the sale of the stamps support the Canada Post Foundation for Mental Health; which was formed when the Canada Post adopted mental health as its cause of choice in 2007.  They are hoping that their ultimate goal of raising one million dollars to help patients, consumers, and caregivers, and help eliminate the stigma of mental illness, can be achieved.  Due to the success of the sales of these stamps and the kind donations at post offices nationwide, in April of 2009, the Foundation began distributing funds to help those with mental health issues.

When the postage stamps were initially released they were not PERMANET.  But, with its amazing sales success and support from the general public, the Canada Post decided that the stamp should become a mainstay and it was granted a PERMANET spot among their many fine postage stamps.

Stamp Center has these Canada Post Mental Health postage stamps in stock and ready to ship out.  We offer free shipping to US residents and only $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers.  Stop by today!

In June of 2009, Great Britain paid tribute to Mythical Creatures by releasing a set of six commemorative postage stamps.  These delightful stamps feature popular creatures that you often see in mythology.  Unicorns, dragons, giants, pixies, mermaids, and fairies can be found in this lovely set. One interesting addition that Great Britain added to these stamps is on the sheet margins.  On the margins you will see imagines of the mythical creature’s eyes.  The eyes however do not match the eyes of the actual creatures that are printed on the six postage stamps.

Please stop by Stamp Center to check out our wonderful selection of postage stamps we have in stock and consider us for all of your philatelic needs.

In the 18th century, The Punch and Judy show could be found in taverns, halls, and large tents.  You could often find sizeable crowds gathered at the tell-tale red and white striped puppet booths waiting for the Punch and Judy show at seaside resorts throughout England.  It did not take long for the show to cross over the Atlantic and grace England’s American colonies.  It was so popular that even George Washington is said to have bought a ticket to see the show! 

In September of 2001, Great Britain issued a set of commemorative postage stamps to pay tribute to the much loved characters that have provided hundreds of years of entertainment to countless amounts of people.  If you would like to add the Punch and Judy postage stamps to your collection, contact Stamp Center today.  We offer free shipping to our US customers and $4.50 flat rate shipping to our international customers.