The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Civil War Stamps Collection

I received an interesting brochure from the US Post Office concerning a Civil War stamp collection. It featues a notebook in which you can place pages as you get them. Each page has a Mort Kunstler print, a blurb, and an authentic stamp.

Being retired and cutting back, I'm not buying it, but sure would like to do so. Anyway, I enjoyed reading the brochure and looking at the prints and stamps.

There was a 3 cent Final Encampment of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic), the main Union veterans group. There was also a 3 cent Final Reunion- United Confederate Veterans issued May 30, 1951 at Norfolk, Virginia. Interestingly enough, both the UCV and GAR featured the same picture of a young man and old man. Only the GAR one was in red and the insignia on the cap was GAR. The UCV was gray and either UCV or CSA on the insignia. I couldn't tell. The final GAR Encampment must have been around the same time as the UCV one. Only the GAR called their annual get-togethers encampments and the UCV had reunions.

Imagine, 3 CENT postage back in 1951!!!

There was also a 3 cent Sherman-Grant-Sheridan stamp issued Feb. 18, 1937 at Washington, DC. So the price of a stamp stayed the same from 1931 to 1951.

So, Who Sends Letters Anymore? --Da B-R'er