Monday Morning Brief | Gold Star Families

Monday Morning Brief | Gold Star Families

Linn’s Stamp News managing editor Chad Snee reports on the request from Senator Richard Blumenthal for a new stamp in honor of Gold Star families who have lost a loved one who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime.

Full video transcript:

Greetings stamp-hobby friends! Welcome to the Monday Morning Brief for August 22.

Each year, the United States Postal Service receives thousands of requests for stamps to honor people, places and other important subjects. We typically don’t learn about these efforts until the Postal Service announces which subjects will appear on a stamp.

Sometimes, though, we get a little advance notice about a request. A few days ago, we learned that Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut has asked the Postal Service to issue a stamp in honor of Gold Star families. Gold Star families are those who have lost a loved one who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during wartime.

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Senator Blumenthal’s inspiration for the stamp is the 1948 3¢ commemorative that the U.S. Post Office Department issued in honor of Gold Star Mothers.

In a letter to Postmaster General Megan Brennan, Senator Blumenthal stated that the stamp would “reaffirm and revive our nation’s long-standing commitment” to Gold Star families.

Linn’s Washington correspondent Bill McAllister reported August 15 that Senator Blumenthal would like to see the 1948 Gold Star Mothers stamp reissued as a current forever stamp.

As with any other request, Blumenthal’s will go to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee for consideration.

For you U.S. collectors out there, I have good news. Editorial work on the 2017 Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers is just about complete. Final page proofing is underway and the catalog will head to the printer in less than three weeks.

Without giving too much away, I can tell you that there are substantial editorial additions and improvements throughout. Earliest documented uses for a number of classic-era stamps have been revised, and there are numerous new error listings. Collectors of computer-vended postage stamps and test stamps will have much to look forward to. More will be revealed as we draw closer to the publication date in early October. Stay tuned.

For Linn’s Stamp News and the Scott catalogs, I’m Chad Snee. Have a great week enjoying our wonderful hobby. Cheers!