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For broadcast on CBS Radio Network stations April 17-18, 2004:

The biggest problem involving tax stamps since the Boston Tea Party.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries. 

Revenue stamps are used to show that taxes have been paid. They've been issued for 
liquor, cigarettes, playing cards, even marijuana -- if it can be taxed, chances are 
the government at some point did. Few of these stamps are still in use; you see 
imprints on cigarette packs now instead of actual stamps.

The National Postal Museum has been sitting on a vast horde of them given to it by 
the Treasury Department. It wants to make room and raise money by selling some of 
these tax stamps, keeping some, and destroying others.

And that's got some stamp collectors, particularly those who specialize in revenue 
stamps, up in arms. On the one hand, no collector wants to see ANY stamps destroyed. 
On the other hand, some of these issues have been quite rare, and turning more 
copies loose on the market will lower their value. Or will it stimulate interest in 
revenue stamps?

Even top collectors in this specialty can't agree.

And that's Stamp Collecting this week. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 

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