Voting remains open for Linn’s 2024 U.S. stamp poll

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

Stamp collector and class of 2022 American Philatelic Society Young Philatelic Leadership Fellow Trevor Bills of Texas outdid himself again this year. Following on the heals of his mailed-in entry last year using a pinata, the package shown nearby arrived Jan. 24 in Sidney, Ohio, and created a lot of buzz in the office.

I can only imagine that this year’s package also created some conversation along its journey from University Station, Texas, to Sidney. Bills mailed the children’s toy guitar Jan. 14 via the Postal Service’s Ground Advantage service. The package traveled 10 days via Indianapolis, Ind., and Cincinnati, Ohio, before arriving in Sidney. Weather might have played a factor in its delay.

The guitar is franked on the front with two Bluegrass Music commemorative forever stamps in both die-cut and imperforate formats (Scott 5844 and 5844a) along with a $5 Floral Geometry stamp (5701). The stamps slightly overpay by 16¢ the Ground Advantage rate for a 5.7 oz. parcel at $6.30.

Bills filled out his ballot and placed it in the guitar sound hole. It took my trusty stamp tongs to get it out, but I was successful, and his ballot will be added to the poll’s running total. I won’t say which stamp he voted for as his favorite in 2024, but I have a hunch our readers can figure it out.

I wanted to write about this ballot’s story now to encourage others to cast their votes soon using the ballot form located in the current issue or found online. And creativity in sending in your mailed ballots is not required.

Readers wishing to vote online may do so at Linn’s website. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Feb. 28, 2025.

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