Collecting the circus: Inside Linn's

By Molly Goad

The April 30 issue of Linn’s Stamp News just landed on the presses and goes in the mail to subscribers Monday, April 16. And if you subscribe to Linn’s digital edition, you’re at the head of the line with early access Saturday, April 14. Here are three stories you won't want to miss. 

Stamps, postal history and the big top

There's a variety of ways to collect circus mail: stampless covers; covers with specific rail markings; covers with cancellations that track a circus’ progress on a tour; covers with circus cachets or artwork; correspondence related to famous circus owners, such as P.T. Barnum or Adam Forepaugh; items related to different types of circuses (menagerie, oddity shows, ring shows, equestrian and so on). Learn more in this week's issue via the feature by author Jack Trammell.

Kitchen Table Philately: 100 stamps from Belgium

In each issue of Linn’s, E. Rawolik VI or E. Rawolik VII analyze the content of stamp mixtures offered to collectors. E. Rawolik, of course, is a pseudonym that is “kiloware” (a stamp mixture) spelled backward. This week, E. Rawolik VI reviews a mixture from BWSM (California). "An advertisement offering 100 stamps from Belgium for $3 could mean so many things," our reviewer writes. Results are included in this issue. 

Stamps promote Swiss national exhibition

The United Nations Postal Administration and Swiss Post will each issue stamps May 17, the opening day of Switzerland’s national philatelic exhibition. The two separate issues depict scenes from the show's host city, Lugano, Switzerland.

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