The stamp used for the contest, shown in Figure 2, was the 22¢ Flag Over Capitol stamp issued in 1985.

This 1885 10¢ Messenger Running special delivery stamp (Scott E1) was the intended cartoon caption contest stamp for July, and several sharp-eyed U.S. Notes readers caught the mistake.

It seems that Frank Sinatra fans are about as ardent as Elvis Presley fans. The new 42¢ Frank Sinatra stamp in Figure 3 was used for the June cartoon caption contest, and many entrants took the opportunity to thumb their nose at Elvis.

A surprising number of readers responded to the May cartoon caption contest for the 25¢ Stagecoach stamp from 1989 shown in Figure 4.

The cartoon caption contest stamp for April, shown in Figure 2, was the 40¢ Weight Lifter airmail stamp from the 1983 Olympics set. When gazing at the stamp, several U.S. Notes readers saw a direct connection to philately in the barbells.

The 2007 41¢ Darth Vader stamp from the Star Wars set, shown in Figure 3, was used for the March cartoon caption contest. This stamp drew more entries than any contest in my recent memory, and excellent entries at that.

I tried something a little different for the February cartoon caption contest featuring the 33¢ Youth Baseball stamp of 2000 shown in Figure 4. Instead of philatelic and nonphilatelic award categories, the challenge this time was to come up with the best line for the catcher and the best line for the hitter.

Quite a few responses to the January cartoon caption contest stamp made that connection. The contest used the 1983 35¢ Volleyball stamp, shown in Figure 3. Vern Sweeney of Kansas City, Kan., captured the phenomenon by having one player say to the other, "Your cell phone is ringing."

I remember my very first stamp auction. I saw a set of stamps from one of those obscure little islands in the South Pacific that I so dearly love. The set was not expensive, but it was fairly scarce.