GP member Kurt Laubinger sent along a fun item for this month’s Perryscope. He says it’s his favorite from his Christmas collection.
The item is a block of nine stamps from the 1-cent Century of Progress souvenir sheet (Scott 730) issued Aug. 25, 1933 by the U.S. Post Office Department for the American Philatelic Society convention in Chicago that year. The block stands out because of the souvenir overprint with a holiday greeting applied by stamp dealer J.L. Portwood.
The overprint in red ink includes a decorative frame with a classic snowy scene of a home. The text below reads: “Seasons Greetings/from/J.L. Portwood.” The creation is not dated, but Laubinger believes it is from 1933. Well-known philatelic writer John Hotchner described the souvenir in the Dec. 28, 2015 issue of Linn’s Stamp News.
Hotchner wondered how many of the souvenirs were sent and how many might have been preserved. He asked readers to share information for a future column.
We’re unsure anyone responded. So perhaps Laubinger has a unique item! Certainly it’s something of a conversation piece.
We’re sharing this unusual item here just in time for the holiday season.