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U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner
Electricity and Benjamin Franklin go together like George Washington and cherry trees. So it was not a surprise that several Linn’s readers entered the July cartoon caption contest with electricity as their theme.
The stamp for the July contest was the 39¢ stamp (Scott 4024) inscribed “B. Free Franklin, Postmaster” from the 2006 block of four (4021-4024) commemorating Franklin’s 300th birth anniversary.
Immediate application of Franklin’s discovery was on the mind of Rich Wolf of Westminster, Md., who has Franklin musing, “Let’s see, if I tied the letters to a kite and had a fair wind …”
John Himes of Cypress, Calif., has Franklin thinking further into the future with “Will they ever listen? Electrify those mail wagons!”
Because the overwhelming majority of entries were philatelic, I am selecting two philatelic caption winners to receive prizes.
The first winning caption came from John Young of Decatur, Ga. and brings Franklin into the modern age with “Send your suggestions for improving mail delivery to: bfranklin@mrzip.gov.”
The other philatelic winner, shown in the box above, is a witty entry by Kenny Moore of Rocklin, Calif.
Both winners will receive a 13-week subscription to Linn’s (a new subscription or an extension).
Here are the best of the other runners-up:
“My first challenge as PMG is to establish a Ben Franklin variety store where novice collectors can buy stamp collecting packets at modest prices,” by Karlen Keto of Knoxville, Md.
“What if we used a prepaid square of paper and affixed it to the envelope? Nah; that would never work!” from Stanley Katz of Bellaire, Texas.
“The USPS misspelled ‘fee’!” by Roger Cichorz of Boulder, Colo.
“I must be doing a great job. No complaints from stamp collectors so far,” from Claude Paquin of Peachtree City, Ga.
“With these constant rate hikes, DeJoy is delivering DeSorrow to those still using DeMail system,” by Jim Balog of Painesville, Ohio.
“To be Frank, Linn’s is my favorite newspaper!” from David Vikan of Dickinson, N.D.
Thanks and a tip of the hat to all who entered. The next contest will be announced in the Sept. 9 issue of Linn’s.
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