Birth. Stamps. Death.

In this episode we're diving into our first batch of listener mail (much more to come folks!), as well as a topic of long-standing interest to (at least one) of our hosts: the USPS's iconic Standard Collection Box, aka the "blue box." For well over a century these sturdy steel sentinels (and their many predecessors) have helped move mail around the country's vast delivery network. And though their volume and locations continue to change, they remain a fascinating and ubiquitous fixture of American postal infrastructure—and a small but wonderful symbol of resilience and community.As always, we'd love to hear from you: write to the show and we may send you a little something in return!Birth. Stamps. Death.P.O. Box 26Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163Links:USPS Postal Facts on Blue Collection Boxes (USPS)Mail Collection Boxes: A Brief History (USPS)Background on early mail collection boxes in urban places (Smithsonian)Evolution of the Post Box (The Postal Museum, London)I Love Jeb Co. Mailboxes (A wonderful personal blog)What is a Collection Box? (USPS)Find some real-life blue boxes on PixPost (@chrispy_stamps)Episode gallery (including our friend Cole's Chicago snapshot of old mail boxes!)

In this episode we look at an iconic series of U.S. stamps, the so-called "Fourth Bureau Issues"—a quintessential example of early twentieth-century American definitives produced by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) starting in 1922. This series ushered in major changes in both the speed and scale of stamp production—moving from flat plate to rotary presses—as well as the kinds of images that found their way onto these gorgeous issues. We're also joined by a special guest to learn a little more about the production details.As always, we'd love to receive some mail from our dear listeners. Write us at:Birth. Stamps. Death.P.O. Box 26Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163Note: We've received some wonderful listener mail since the recording of this episode, so if you've sent us something and we don't mention it here don't fret! We're diving into your wonderful missives and a long-awaited answer to our Irish stamp riddle in next week's episode.Links:Our WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.The Fourth Bureau Issues (Smithsonian)Portrait of Sioux Chief Hollow Horn Bear (Smithsonian)Close up of the 15c Statue of Liberty Single (Smithsonian)Close up of the 30c American Buffalo Single (Smithsonian)$5 Head of "Freedom" Single (Smithsonian)Our Special Guest's Hipstamp store Special thanks to Rod Juell's excellent writing and research on the Fourth Bureaus, much of which we relied on for this episode.

The Birth. Stamps. Death. team is joined by Haley Maloney to discuss the USPS's iconic zip code mascot Mr. Zip! Mr. Zip dragged the mailing public reluctantly into the zip code era, improving the efficiency of mail delivery and endearing millions to his cheerful orange visage. We also talk about what Haley collects, what got her into collecting, and the joys of the regional stamp club.We would LOVE to receive some mail from our dear listeners, write us at:Birth. Stamps. Death.P.O. Box 26Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163In our zeal to bring the zip saga to you we misstated a couple of facts: 1) there is no Mr. Zip stamp, a grave injustice 2) the United States has 10 first digit postal regions, not 9.LinksThe Mr. Zip promotional campaign (Smithsonian)Overview of Mr. Zip's many uses in the 1960s and 70s (Smithsonian)Mr. Zip as a pop cultural icon (Smithsonian)Overview of Mr. Zip's origins and trajectory over the yearsHaley's Art InstaRyan Goldberg's Bird CityOur WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

We're back, dear listeners, with sincere apologies for our prolonged absence. Today we talk about Grand Central Station, the post office near Grand Central Terminal, where we have recently opened a P.O. Box for all of your fan mail. We also have a brief guest appearance by the pod's Irish correspondent Katie Swabb, who offers us a tantalizing postal riddle. She'll join us again on a future episode to answer the riddle and tell us about her research in the Irish National Folklore Collection. To respond to the riddle, or to just say hello, write to:Birth. Stamps. Death.P.O. Box 26Grand Central StationNew York, NY 10163Links:Historic Photographs of the StationGrand Central Terminal StampOur WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

Sam and Chris are joined by Graham Beck, pioneer of digital philately, host of the excellent Exploring Stamps Youtube channel, and member of the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. Topics include making digital content about stamps, topical collecting, the cricket world cup, and the process of getting a stamp from idea to postage.NotesExploring StampsPixPost (find Chris @chrispy_stamps and Sam @sam_stamps)PostcrossingCitizens' Stamp Advisory CommitteeAmerican Topical Association (ATA)Our WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

This week we’re talking about a curious 5c stamp released in 1967 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Voice of America (VOA) radio program, a first of its kind global broadcast born in the crucible of WWII and transformed over the course of the Cold War and modern eras. Sam and Christopher chat about the VOA’s 83-year history and the stamp’s designer, legendary artist Georg Olden—the first African-American to design a U.S. postage stamp. Part 2 of this series will get into a far more obscure piece of VOA history: the VOA Stamp Club.NotesVOA StampEmancipation Proclamation StampGeorg OldenVOA HistoryFirst Class: America’s Marvelous Midcentury Stamps (by David Cobb Craig)Our WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

Sam and Chris welcome their first guest, David Ball, to talk astrophilately (stamps in space!) and the remarkable story of C-76—the stamp released to commemorate the July 1969 moon landing. We touch on why David collects, the crazy story of NASA and the Postal Service joining forces to covertly produce stamps marking extraterrestrial achievements, and as always, the general joy of modern stamp collecting.LinksC76 - 10 Cent Moon landing StampProject Gemini se-tenant StampDavid's websiteDavid's article in the American PhilatelistOur WebsiteOur InstagramWe're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

Join Chris and Sam as they dive into the 1933 NRA issue. Topics include the National Industrial Recovery Act, the National Recovery Administration, the politics of stamp design, the minor Red Scare the stamp caused, postmaster general James Farley, and philatelist-in-chief Franklin Delano Roosevelt.LinksOur WebsiteOur InstagramThe NRA IssueTo see the art that inspired the stamp, head over to The Swedish Tiger's page on the issue and scroll down to "Design Inspiration."Barry Eidlin - "Why is There no Labor Party in the United States?"We're very grateful to the band All Good for supplying our intro and outro music, check them out on Instagram and head over to Spotify or wherever you stream your music to give them a listen.

Sam and Chris preview the podcast and briefly discuss their interest in stamps and stamp collecting.Mentioned:Show WebsiteNRA StampGreat Americans Issue