Inside Linn’s: 2003 $1 Wisdom airmail cover takes a mistaken detour

By Charles Snee

The Feb. 9 digital-only issue of Linn’s Stamp News will be available to subscribers Saturday, Jan. 24. While you wait for your issue to arrive in your inbox, enjoy these three quick glimpses of exclusive content available only to subscribers.

2003 $1 Wisdom cover takes a mistaken detour through Dover, Kan.

Dollar-Sign Stamps columnist Charles Snee highlights the airmail cover shown above that was mailed to Mexico. “My initial attraction focused on the two-stamp franking: a 2003 $1 Wisdom (Scott 3766) in combination with a 1979 50¢ Iron “Betty” Lamp (1608),” Snee writes. “The $1 Wisdom is one of my favorite dollar-sign stamps.” As Snee explains, the letter took a rather unusual detour through Dover, Kan., before arriving in Mexico. Read the full column for all the details.

U.S. Stamp Notes: George Bernard Shaw remarks on Christmas

In U.S. Stamp Notes, John M. Hotchner pulls the curtain back on playwright George Bernard Shaw’s less than favorable views about Christmas. To make his point, Hotchner shows one of Shaw’s Christmas cards. The quote from Shaw inside the card reads, “Courage, friend! We all loathe Christmas; but it comes only once a year and is soon over.” In response to Shaw, Hotchner quotes an editor with a decidedly more upbeat outlook on Christmas. Keep reading to learn about a clever 1981 mail early poster from the U.S. Postal Service.

Kitchen Table Philately: attractive stamps from Aland

In each weekly issue of Linn’s, E. Rawolik VI dissects the contents of a stamp mixture offered to collectors. E. Rawolik is a pseudonym that is also the word “kiloware” (a stamp mixture) spelled backward. This week, E. Rawolik VI explores half of a 61-stamp assortment of stamps from Aland offered by a dealer from Wisconsin. Overall, Rawolik VI was pleased with the contents. “Needless to say, I enjoyed this order for the stamps themselves, the cancellations and the other points of interest that came my way while preparing the review.” Enjoy the full summary in this issue.

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