from "Stamp Tips" in Tip Top Comics v.8 #12 [#96] (United Feature, June 1944), creator uncredited and unknown
Following his death in 1838, the Bonifácio was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
Showing posts with label stamps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stamps. Show all posts
Friday, June 13, 2025
Today in Comics History, June 13, 1763: Happy birthday, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva!
Born on this day in 1763: the great Brazilian statesman José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva, naturalist, mineralist, professor and poet, champion of Brazilian independence, abolitionist and the discoverer of four new minerals. Wow! i bet most of us go through our lives and don't even discover one mineral, and this guy...!
from "Stamp Tips" in Tip Top Comics v.8 #12 [#96] (United Feature, June 1944), creator uncredited and unknown
Following his death in 1838, the Bonifácio was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
from "Stamp Tips" in Tip Top Comics v.8 #12 [#96] (United Feature, June 1944), creator uncredited and unknown
Following his death in 1838, the Bonifácio was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Today in Comics History, April 23: Happy birthday, James Buchanan!
Born on this day in 1791: the 15th President of the United States James Buchanan, who, let's face it, wasn't all that great. More to the point, it's nigh-impossible to find actual references to him in comic books because search results are clogged up by you know who. But I did find a couple comic appearances. Hey, comic books: can you sum up the entirely of his career in two pages? You bet they can!:
from Life Stories of American Presidents one-shot (Dell, November 1957), pencils and inks by John Buscema, letters by Ben Oda
Following his death, General Córdova was pressed flat and turned into a stamp of a lion by Colonel Gumm.
"All-American Stamp Page" from All-American Comics (1939 series) #25 (DC/J.R. Publishing, April 1941), creators uncredited and unknown
Much later, like all Presidents, he became a zombie and fought Deadpool.
from Deadpool (2013 series) #4 (Marvel, March 2013), script by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, pencils and inks by Tony Moore, colors byt Val Staples, letters by Joe Sabino
There. That's all you need to know about James Buchanan.
from Life Stories of American Presidents one-shot (Dell, November 1957), pencils and inks by John Buscema, letters by Ben Oda
Following his death, General Córdova was pressed flat and turned into a stamp of a lion by Colonel Gumm.
"All-American Stamp Page" from All-American Comics (1939 series) #25 (DC/J.R. Publishing, April 1941), creators uncredited and unknown
Much later, like all Presidents, he became a zombie and fought Deadpool.
from Deadpool (2013 series) #4 (Marvel, March 2013), script by Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn, pencils and inks by Tony Moore, colors byt Val Staples, letters by Joe Sabino
There. That's all you need to know about James Buchanan.
Tuesday, April 09, 2024
Today in Comics History, April 9, 1940: Norway, José
"Stamp Tips" in from Tip Top Comics v.8 #1 [#85] (United Feature, June 1943), writer uncredited and unknown
Later, Norway was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
Friday, September 08, 2023
Today in Comics History, September 8: Happy birthday, José María Córdova!
Born on this day in 1799, so you know he's a millennial: José María Córdova, known as the "Hero of Ayacucho," General of the Colombian army during the Independence War of Colombia, Perú, and Bolivia from Spain.
from "Stamps" in Tip Top Comics v.8 #4/88 (United Feature, September 1943), creators uncredited and unknown
Following his death, General Córdova was pressed flat and turned into a stamp of a lion by Colonel Gumm.
Happy birthday to the Hero of Ayacucho!
from "Stamps" in Tip Top Comics v.8 #4/88 (United Feature, September 1943), creators uncredited and unknown
Following his death, General Córdova was pressed flat and turned into a stamp of a lion by Colonel Gumm.
Happy birthday to the Hero of Ayacucho!
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
Today in Comics History, June 27, 1941: B-19 emerges from wormhole
from "True Stories About Stamps" in True Comics #29 (Parents' Magazine Press, November 1943); script, pencils, and inks by Feg Murray
Following its eventual retirement from the fleet, the first B-19 was pressed flat and turned into a stamp of a lion by Colonel Gumm.
Monday, June 12, 2023
Today in Comics History, June 12, 1771: Yellow Lantern George Washington fights off half-naked Green Arrow Charles Xavier
"Wonderworld Stamp Club" in Wonderworld Comics #27 (Fox, July 1941), pencils by G. Harris
Following his death, Captain Cook was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
Monday, May 01, 2023
Today in Comics History, May 1, 1850: Happy birthday, Prince Arthur!
Born today in 1850 (so he's a little too old to go to the Coronation this weekend): Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn! But you can call him Artie. PS: do not call him Artie. Also, according to the first paragraph, he is very sensitive about the weather, so please do not make meteorlogical jokes around him.
"Stamps: The Kingdom of Canada" in King Comics #42 (David McKay, October 1939), text by Eugene Pollock
Following his death, the Duke of Connaught was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
"Stamps: The Kingdom of Canada" in King Comics #42 (David McKay, October 1939), text by Eugene Pollock
Following his death, the Duke of Connaught was pressed flat and turned into a stamp by Colonel Gumm.
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Today in Comics History, February 14, 1779: Oh no. Anyway...
"Wonderworld Stamp Clumb" from Wonderworld Comics #27 (Fox, July 1941), creators unknown
Thursday, November 24, 2022
Today in Comics History, November 24: Happy birthday, Zachary Taylor!
Born on this day in 1784, America's only twelfth President, Zachary Taylor!
from "Gen. Zachary Taylor" in Real Life Comics #29 (Pines, March 1946), creators unknown
from "Gen. Zachary Taylor" in Real Life Comics #29 (Pines, March 1946), creators unknown
Tuesday, October 04, 2022
Today in Comics History, October 4: Happy birthday, Rutherford B. Hayes!
Born on this day in 1822: Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th President! The "B" stands for "birthday!"
Here's everything you need to know about him.
"Rutherford B. Hayes" from Life Stories of American Presidents one-shot (Dell, November 1957), pencils and inks by John Buscema, letters by Ben Oda
Here's everything you need to know about him.
"Rutherford B. Hayes" from Life Stories of American Presidents one-shot (Dell, November 1957), pencils and inks by John Buscema, letters by Ben Oda
Friday, August 26, 2022
Today in Comics History, August 26, 1768: Now you can finally lick Captain Cook
"Wonderworld Stamp Club" from Wonderworld Comics #7 (Fox, November 1939), pencils and inks by G. Harris
Friday, October 24, 2014
Today in Comics History, October 24, 1945: And she'll have UN UN UN 'til her daddy takes the General Assembly away
Today in Comics History (as we like to say around here)...well, something something this!
from Four Color #1349 [Yogi Bear Visits the U.N.] (Dell, January 1962), script by Paul S. Newman, pencils and inks by Fred Fredericks
Yep, it's United Nations Day! Founded on this date in 1945, the UN has been in a lotta comic books. (Almost as many as Wolverine!) In the absence of any other material tonight, let's front-load this puppet-town cow blog with a whole Dag Hammarskjöldfull of appearances by everyone's slim, tall building on the east side of Manhattan to celebrate United Nations Day! It also happens to be the same date from 1260, when Saif ad-Din Qutuz, third Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself. But I can't find any of my comic books about that.
Let's UN-wind by kicking off a series of DC comic book PSAs telling us how nifty the United Nations is!
from Four Color #1349 [Yogi Bear Visits the U.N.] (Dell, January 1962), script by Paul S. Newman, pencils and inks by Fred Fredericks
Yep, it's United Nations Day! Founded on this date in 1945, the UN has been in a lotta comic books. (Almost as many as Wolverine!) In the absence of any other material tonight, let's front-load this puppet-town cow blog with a whole Dag Hammarskjöldfull of appearances by everyone's slim, tall building on the east side of Manhattan to celebrate United Nations Day! It also happens to be the same date from 1260, when Saif ad-Din Qutuz, third Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself. But I can't find any of my comic books about that.
Let's UN-wind by kicking off a series of DC comic book PSAs telling us how nifty the United Nations is!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
USPS to comics industry: "Eat our dust, amateurs!"
So I ran my little hooves over to the Post Office on my lunch hour and picked myself up a sheet of these:
They're beautifully-done, gorgeously-designed, with nice if brief text on the back of each stamp about each hero and their comic. You can argue about missing characters (I woulda liked to see an Atom or Robin one), but if these prove successful, you can bet you'll see more in the series.
Still, if you're a comics collector venturing into the world of stamps for the first time, don't make the mistake of buying multiple and excess sets for eventual resale value. The same rules of supply and demand apply here as they do to last month's DC Comics: there's a slim chance to none that these will increase in value. So buy a set for yourself or gifts, get one framed, buy a stack to put your fave heroes on all your fan mail and your Con Ed bill, but don't count on these being more than eBay standard stock items after a few years. There's just too many people who will be buying and saving them for the value to increase massively.
But in a way, you gotta hand it to the USPS for their chutzpah and sheer canniness in understanding the collector market, haven't you? And I'm not just talking about these superhero stamps, but in fact all "commemorative stamps" (those celebrating and picturing a person, event, theme or object rather than the plain small flag or George Washington stamps you often get in rolls or out of a machine). Fans can point to the comic industry's alternate cover boom of the eighties as a shrewd and cynical (but all-too-often successful) way to get collectors to buy more copies, but no one in the comics industry has ever come even close to the United States Postal Service in depending on a huge percentage of the collectors' market for their income. In fact, they make the producers of chrominum holograph comics look like rank amateur pikers.
The main purpose behind the USPS creating commemorative stamps? Not for you to use. In fact, they depend a very large percentage on you buying many of them not to use. If you use a stamp, the USPS must provide a service—to get your letter from one place to the other. If you instead hoard a stamp, that labor cost is pure profit for them. Do you think the USPS promotes stamp collecting because it's fun and educational? (Well, as a little stuffed bull who used to collect stamps, it definitely is. But that's like saying McDonald's offers salads because they care about your health.)
Commemoratives appeal to collectors who will save them and never cash in their actual value by sticking them on a letter. In other words, the profitability of commemorative stamp issues is based on the USPS planning that we won't use them. Which makes me wonder: how can the comics world capitalize on this idea? How can our favorite industry invent an innovation that makes things worth more if you don't use them for their intended purpose?
Oh wait. We already have that:
Still, there's one big difference between "investing" in comics and "investing" in United States postage stamps: Remember all those copies of Deathmate: Red you bought? Hoping to make a resale killing in the future when this can't-miss collectible goes up in value? In the words of Oscar Madison: "Now it's garbage."
But any US postage stamp—as long as it's kept fresh and mint—is always worth face value. If nothing else, you can stick 'em on a letter and mail 'em out.
Just try to do that with all your backup copies of Ghost Rider, Volume 2, #2.
They're beautifully-done, gorgeously-designed, with nice if brief text on the back of each stamp about each hero and their comic. You can argue about missing characters (I woulda liked to see an Atom or Robin one), but if these prove successful, you can bet you'll see more in the series.
Still, if you're a comics collector venturing into the world of stamps for the first time, don't make the mistake of buying multiple and excess sets for eventual resale value. The same rules of supply and demand apply here as they do to last month's DC Comics: there's a slim chance to none that these will increase in value. So buy a set for yourself or gifts, get one framed, buy a stack to put your fave heroes on all your fan mail and your Con Ed bill, but don't count on these being more than eBay standard stock items after a few years. There's just too many people who will be buying and saving them for the value to increase massively.
But in a way, you gotta hand it to the USPS for their chutzpah and sheer canniness in understanding the collector market, haven't you? And I'm not just talking about these superhero stamps, but in fact all "commemorative stamps" (those celebrating and picturing a person, event, theme or object rather than the plain small flag or George Washington stamps you often get in rolls or out of a machine). Fans can point to the comic industry's alternate cover boom of the eighties as a shrewd and cynical (but all-too-often successful) way to get collectors to buy more copies, but no one in the comics industry has ever come even close to the United States Postal Service in depending on a huge percentage of the collectors' market for their income. In fact, they make the producers of chrominum holograph comics look like rank amateur pikers.
The main purpose behind the USPS creating commemorative stamps? Not for you to use. In fact, they depend a very large percentage on you buying many of them not to use. If you use a stamp, the USPS must provide a service—to get your letter from one place to the other. If you instead hoard a stamp, that labor cost is pure profit for them. Do you think the USPS promotes stamp collecting because it's fun and educational? (Well, as a little stuffed bull who used to collect stamps, it definitely is. But that's like saying McDonald's offers salads because they care about your health.)
Commemoratives appeal to collectors who will save them and never cash in their actual value by sticking them on a letter. In other words, the profitability of commemorative stamp issues is based on the USPS planning that we won't use them. Which makes me wonder: how can the comics world capitalize on this idea? How can our favorite industry invent an innovation that makes things worth more if you don't use them for their intended purpose?
Oh wait. We already have that:
Still, there's one big difference between "investing" in comics and "investing" in United States postage stamps: Remember all those copies of Deathmate: Red you bought? Hoping to make a resale killing in the future when this can't-miss collectible goes up in value? In the words of Oscar Madison: "Now it's garbage."
But any US postage stamp—as long as it's kept fresh and mint—is always worth face value. If nothing else, you can stick 'em on a letter and mail 'em out.
Just try to do that with all your backup copies of Ghost Rider, Volume 2, #2.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQenrY-T9_-EUVG2XBTW-ZiSnvw_V3JFU-8tiFlhrdgKCUBaE56ekbiILucymY9gA-xa4zdGy_z1Njojw78Z-YnlUiN4PIRRurK7GzqoEg3B-PmXl2RJaS1ZaVKVCEHP-m-WVr2xjqailLu1jlzylysiBGc3sVXLXNMFDzAURyrHhKBfcqyO4/s1600/button-libertybellmarch.jpg" "It's...")
