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Remembering presidents.

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries

The U-S celebrates Presidents Day on the third Monday of February, but some of us are 
old enough to remember when Abraham Lincoln's Birthday on the 12th and George 
Washington's on the 22nd were separate holidays.

Since the U-S began issuing stamps more than 160 years ago, post offices have almost 
always had stamps with Lincoln, Washington and Benjamin Franklin, the first postmaster 
general. 

But not lately. There were stamps two years ago for Lincoln's bicentennial, 5 years 
ago for Franklin's TRI-centennial, but neither is still in post offices. And there will 
soon be a 20-cent Washington stamp, but you won't see it on your mail often.

The only president you're likely to see on your mail this year is a fairly recent one, 
Ronald Reagan, in honor of the hundredth anniversary of his birth.

Today's stamps are more likely to show pop culture or pretty pictures. There's still 
some history on our stamps -- a Civil War series begins this year, for example -- but 
not as much as 50 years ago, when George, Abe and Ben carried letters.

Our stamps are more diverse now, with Black Heritage, Legends of Hollywood and Lunar 
New Year series.

I'm Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting, 
visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com

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