Casualties of Modern Technology- Stamps (11 of 12)

Today, we turn our attention to yet another casualty of modern technology, though it's still around and used widely around the globe, postage stamps usage has decreased everywhere from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Montevideo, Uruguay.

The postage stamp that was first used, according to Wikipedia, was the Penny Black Stamp in the United Kingdon, which sold for one penny, in 1840. A century later, Airmail stamps were widely used in America and shortly thereafter everywhere else. Other stamps include military stamps and official stamps.

Stamp collecting, known as pjphilately, is a popular hobby. Highly sought after stamps include the Hawaiian missionary stamps, first issued in 1851, which are worth circa $5000,000 today. Stamp collectors also tend to like stamps from Carribean nations, such as The Bahamas and Jamaica, since they occasionally feature  unusual design and topics.

Here in America, popular stamps, include the Statue of Liberty forever stamp, the Eid stamp used for the Muslim holiday, and Black History Month stamps, which this year, included "Ebony" magazine founder John H. Johnson.

http://www.beyondtheperf.com/


http://www.stampshows.com/

http://www.famousstamps.com/

http://www.ebony.com/

In the News_ American Postage Stamps Increase

On Monday, here in the United States, standard stamps for letters and bills will increase from 44 cents to 45 cents, though most stamps are now 'Forever Stamps," meaning they can be used even if stamp rates increase.

This image above is of the 1997 Marilyn Monroe stamp, which was part of the Legends of Hollywood stamp series.

SIDEBAR: Kudos to soccer star Clint Dempsey for being the first American to score three goals in the English Premiere League. His team Fulham defeated New Castle 5-2 yesterday.

In Turkish soccer, Istanbul powerhouse team Besiktas beat Antalyaspor 2-1 thanks to two goals from Portuguese nationals: Hugo Almeida (63rd min) and Manuel Fernandes (89th min).

Our favorite team in the Turkish league, Bursaspor fell to Sivasspor 2-1, but Argentinian star Pablo Battalla did kick one for the Crocodiles. Interestingly enough, the game-winning goal for Sivasspor, a team from eastern Turkey, came from Azerbaijani national Cihan Ozkara, who I mistook for a Turkish player (names are similar in both countries).