A friend gave me the label shown nearby. He knew nothing about its origin, and thought I might like to write an article about it. Because I had never seen it before, I did a Google search on “1911 Glasgow Exhibition.” Information from various Internet sites told me that in 1911 there was an exhibition held in Glasgow called the Scottish Exhibition of National History, Art and Industry.

Because I ask, or am asked, numerous questions about the functions of the United States Post Office Department, I am fortunate to have available a number of official publications that somehow or other relate to those functions.

William Whipple Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, also took part in the Battle of Saratoga the following year. He is depicted on stamps commemorating those events.

The latest stamp in Canada Post’s Black History Month series, which began in 2009, salutes the No. 2 Construction Battalion, formed 100 years ago in 1916.

Edith Wharton won the Pulitzer Prize for her 1920 novel The Age of Innocence. She also authored Ethan Frome in 1911 and numerous other works.

Also among this week's biggest stories on Linns.com are ones analyzing suspicious errors on a 1979 Christmas stamp, and the USPS plan for financial stability.

For decades, Maggie and Jiggs tickled the funny bones of Sunday comic strip readers. They were created by an Irish-American named George McManus, who was raised in St. Louis, but found his fame in New York City.

A new United States definitive stamp series is underway, with fruit as its principal theme. A 10¢ Red Pears self-adhesive coil stamp was issued Jan. 17 in Washington, D.C., with no first-day ceremony.

Linn’s Stamp News is excited to debut this week a new site with a fresh look and a more user-friendly approach to delivering our breaking news, expert insights and collector resources.

We invite readers to be our eyes and ears at the show. Our editors will be on the show floor throughout the eight-day event, but we can’t be everywhere at once.

Overprinted stamps of New Zealand were used by Pacific islands beginning in the early years of the 20th century. At that time, several of the British protectorate islands were annexed to New Zealand.

The United States Postal Service has produced its first postage stamp to exceed a $20 denomination: the $22.95 Columbia River Gorge Priority Express Mail stamp was issued Jan. 17. It is also the first U.S. stamp printed by Banknote Corporation of America using a plate number beginning with the letter B. A second stamp intended for Priority Mail use, printed by Ashton Potter USA Ltd., was issued at the same time: a $6.45 La Cueva del Indio stamp.

Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine was instrumental in the founding of the New York City Ballet. Balanchine became an American citizen in 1939.

The United States Postal Service will welcome in the Year of the Monkey with a new nondenominated (49¢) forever stamp that features red-orange peonies from artist Kam Mak, and a small cut-paper image of a monkey based on a previously used design by artist Clarence Lee. The Lunar New Year stamp for the Year of the Monkey has an issue date of Feb. 5.

An empty mailbox is a disappointment at any time of year, but especially at holiday time, be it Christmas or Valentine’s Day. Charlie Brown on this forever stamp from the Oct. 1, 2015, A Charlie Brown Christmas booklet is hoping to get a card from the Little Red-Haired Girl, but seems doomed to frustration (Scott 5026).

Embossed revenue stamps were required on documents such as bills of exchange, promissory notes, powers of attorney, bills of lading, bonds, letters patent, leases and mortgages, and were used throughout the colonies and in the 13 original states. Not a few of these embossed revenue stamps on document are valued at $20 or less.

Currently, most China stamp sets are selling at 55 percent to 65 percent of Scott catalog value. One item that has held its value well under these conditions is the 3-yuan Guan Yu’s Battle through the Five Passes souvenir sheet (Scott 2180) from the 1988 Literary Masterpieces set.

Retaining the current postage rates was one of the key elements of a plan Postmaster General Megan Brennan laid before the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee at a Jan. 21 hearing. Making her first appearance before a congressional committee, Brennan outlined a four-point plan she said was endorsed by major stakeholders in the mailing community that could make the Postal Service financially stable in five years.

Along with two candidates each for the positions of president, secretary and treasurer, there are also two competing slates of three candidates to serve as the board of vice presidents, and six announced candidates for four director-at-large positions. Earlier reports published in the Linn’s Stamp News issues of Oct. 5 and Oct. 26, 2015, provided background for candidates announced up to that point: Ken Nilsestuen for the office of president; John Barwis, Alex Haimann and Yamil Kouri for the board of vice presidents; Mark Butterline and Stephen Schumann competing for the secretary position; Bruce Marsden as treasurer; and director candidates Michael Bloom, Rich Drews, Gordon Eubanks, David McNamee, and Mark Schwartz.

Faced with continued opposition in Congress, the United States Postal Service is no longer seeking an end to Saturday mail deliveries. Deputy Postmaster General Ron Stroman made the disclosure at a recent meeting with mailers in advance of a Jan. 21 hearing by the Senate Homeland Security Committee. Lawmakers told postal officials the request to move to five days of delivery a week was “a politically difficult hurdle to overcome,” according to an account of the meeting published by the Association for Postal Commerce.