Inside Linn’s: Significant postal history isn’t always pretty

By Charles Snee

The June 12 issue of Linn’s Stamp News just landed on the presses and goes in the mail to subscribers Monday, May 29. And if you subscribe to Linn’s digital edition, you’re at the head of the line with early access Saturday, May 27. While you wait for your issue to arrive in your mailbox, enjoy these three quick glimpses of exclusive content available only to subscribers. 

Significant postal history isn’t always pretty

Shown here is a nondescript postcard mailed in 1907 from one small town in Wisconsin to another small town in Wisconsin. Most of the stamp is torn off, and the picture side (not shown) features a mundane romance scene. But as Wayne Youngblood explains in The Odd Lot, this dog-eared card has postal history significance. Unveiling the card’s importance begins with an examination of the two Wisconsin postmarks on the card, which are examples of Doane cancels. Youngblood provides a review of the origins of Doane cancels and introduces readers to key sources that can be used for further study.

New book: ‘Donald J. Trump Philatelic Catalog’

Published this year, the Donald J. Trump Philatelic Catalog is a revision that provides color illustrations of more than 250 stamp issues honoring Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. A brief summary of Trump’s tenure as president is provided in the preface. Also included are illustrated chapters featuring cinderellas (stamplike labels) and other labels picturing Trump, inauguration covers and foreign covers dedicated to Trump.

Vatican World Youth Day stamp recalled

Linn’s managing editor Denise McCarty reports on the May 18 recall of a Vatican City stamp commemorating World Youth Day that was issued two days earlier, on May 16. Complaints about the stamp, many of which appeared on social media, focused on the inclusion of the Monument to Discoveries, a statue erected in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1960 to recognize the 500th death anniversary of Prince Henry the Navigator. For some, the statue represents a connection to Portugal’s colonial past.

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