Check out stamps for a fun gift
October is Stamp Collecting Month! If you’re looking for a gift that’s fun, educational, and never loses its value, check out stamps. Stamp collecting is enjoyed by millions of people in the United States and around the world. It’s a hobby that inspires the mind, piques the curiosity, and stimulates interest in learning more about a subject.
You don’t have to spend a lot to build a collection. You can start collecting used stamps from the envelopes and packages you receive in the mail. You can spend quality time with your child, organizing the collection and learning more about each stamp subject.
Each year the Postal Service issues a variety of colorful stamps commemorating history, people, nature, and events. U.S. postage stamps pay tribute to our nation’s history and the people and things we hold dear. Special events, inventions, entertainment figures, natural wonders, and creatures of all kinds appear on stamps.
To learn more about stamp collecting or check out the latest stamps, visit your local Post Office or go to shop.usps.com and look under “For Collecting” and “For Education.”
For a unique gift idea consider photo stamps available from vendors affiliated with the United States Postal Service. You can download your favorite photo and create customized postage stamps, sure to be the hit at the birthday party! Type photo stamps in the search box on the www.usps.com home page to find a photo stamp vendor.
For more information about purchasing stamps, stamps by mail, postal regulations, a free subscription to USA Philatelic magazine, Post Office events, the location of the nearest postal store or contract unit, or for answers to your specific Postal Service questions, contact USPS at 1-800-275-8777, or visit www.usps.com. To schedule a presentation for your community, club or group on how the Postal Service brings the Post Office to your home or office computer, call 239-573-9638.
Mr. Zip’s Tip: USPS handles 40 percent of the world’s card and letter volume-delivery to more than 150 million homes, businesses and PO boxes in every state, city, town, and borough in the United States.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.