Behind the Betty White/Arthur Duncan Dragon Card

Now available:


Dgn 854 $4.00


You can see this and more on the Dragon Cards Web site.

The last line in the Dragon Card text is “Her show was canceled later that year.” The Duncan incident was never cited as the reason that the show was dropped; just declining ratings.

This was a common technique for the networks: They would move a show they wanted to dump around the schedule, often to unpopular time slots. Fans had trouble finding and watching these shows, so of course their ratings dropped.

Another reason for declining ratings for a show such as White was if the Southern affiliates didn’t carry the show, fewer people watched it and of course (again) the ratings dropped.

Stations do not have to carry a network’s shows. Often, if a show is doing poorly in the ratings, they will opt for something with a guaranteed income that they don’t have to share with the network. Even the network-owned stations, such as WCBS or KNBC, are free to drop the network shows for, say, “The Billy Graham Hour.”

USPS Seeks Rate Hike in July 2025

“Put another nickel in…. ”

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
U.S. Postal Service Recommends New Prices for July

WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service today filed notice with the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) of mailing services price changes to take effect July 13. The new rates include a 5-cent increase in the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 73 cents to 78 cents.

The proposed adjustments, approved by the governors of the Postal Service, would raise mailing services product prices approximately 7.4 percent. If favorably reviewed by the commission, the price changes would include:

Product
Letters (1 oz.)
Letters (metered 1 oz.)
Additional Ounces
Domestic Postcards
International Postcards
International Letter (1 oz.)
Current Prices
73¢
69¢
28¢
56¢
$1.65
$1.65
Proposed Prices
78¢
74¢
29¢
62¢
$1.70
$1.70

The Postal Service is also seeking price adjustments for the Special Services products. Notably, the Postal Service will apply a price reduction of 12 percent for postal insurance when mailing an item.

As changes in the mailing and shipping marketplace continue, these price adjustments are needed to achieve the financial stability sought by the organization’s Delivering for America 10-year plan. USPS prices remain among the most affordable in the world.

Following a directive from the PRC, the Postal Service is filing two sets of prices for Marketing Mail and Package Services products. While only one set of rates will go into effect on July 13, these prices address the pending proposal to eliminate Bound Printed Matter and expand Marketing Mail, pending the commission’s approval. USPS will release additional communications to address price changes in these categories.

The PRC will review the changes before they are scheduled to take effect. The complete Postal Service price filing, with prices for all products, can be found on the commission’s website under the Daily Listings section. The Mailing Services filing is Docket No. R2025-1. The price tables are also available on the Postal Service’s Postal Explorer website at pe.usps.com/PriceChange/Index.

March-April 2025 First Days Online

The new issue of First Days is online here.

The feature article is on the ArtCraft cachets for the George Eastman FDCs of 1954 (Sc. 1062). Other articles include error postmarks on FDCs, cachets for Sc. 989 Statue of Freedom, Baffling Cachets and Part 2 of a checklist of cachets and cancellations for World Stamp Expo 2000.

Some additional news:

The AFDCS “central office” is closed for the entire month of April, although Your Faithful Officers (and the rest of us) try to pick up the slack.

You can pay electronically for items from the AFDCS (such as memberships or covers) without having or getting a PayPal account. You’ll find details here.

Scott US Update (April 2025)

5958 (10¢) American Vistas – Beach and Sailboat
5959 (10¢) American Vistas – Mountains and House
a. Pair, #5958-5959

5960 Appalachian Trail pane of 15
a. (73¢) Hiker on Appalachian Trail
b. (73¢) Mount Katahdin, Maine
c. (73¢) Laurel Falls, Tennessee
d. (73¢) Hiker viewing Presidential Range, New Hampshire
e. (73¢) Long Creek Falls, Georgia
f. (73¢) Green Mountains, Vermont
g. (73¢) Creek along Appalachian Trail, Pennsylvania
h (73¢) Black Rock Cliffs, Maryland
i. (73¢) St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
j. (73¢) Blue Ridge Mountains, North Carolina
k. (73¢) Fitzgerald Falls, New York
l. (73¢) Cabin on Mount Greylock, Massachusetts
m. (73¢) Hikers at McAfee Knob, Virginia
n. (73¢) Pochuck Boardwalk, New Jersey
o. (73¢) Ned Anderson Memorial Bridge, Connecticut
p. As #5960, imperforate
q. As #5960a, imperforate
r. As #5960b, imperforate
s. As #5960c, imperforate
t. As #5960d, imperforate
u. As #5960e, imperforate
v. As #5960f, imperforate
w. As #5960g, imperforate
x. As #5960h, imperforate
y. As #5960i, imperforate
z. As #5960j, imperforate
aa. As #5960k, imperforate
ab. As #5960l, imperforate
ac. As #5960m, imperforate
ad. As #5960n, imperforate
ae. As #5960o, imperforate