U.S. Notes Cartoon Contest, November 11, 2013

By John M. Hotchner

What are stamp collectors thinking about these days? Certainly one topic is hoping to find one of the 100 inverted Inverted Jenny panes that the Postal Service created as instant rarities.

And that turned out to be the top theme in the November cartoon caption contest that featured the 1974 10¢ Legend of Sleepy Hollow commemorative stamp in Figure 3.

That stamp shows the headless horseman chasing Ichabod Crane.

Steve Cole of Dove Creek, Colo., has the headless rider saying, "I'm sorry! I lost my head over the Jenny non-invert lottery!"

Edgar Dunlap of Gainesville, Ga., represents a group of entries that relates the scene on the stamp to the frightful aspects of Halloween. His entry has Ichabod saying, "Stop begging for candy! Halloween is over!"

Another prevalent theme plays off the medical problems faced by a headless horseman.

Sherman Lundy of Cedar Falls, Iowa, presents the issue in terms of current events with, "Wait...tell me more about Obamacare."

We can surely understand the panic of Ichabod Crane as he sees the scary figure chasing him.

The philatelic winner for this contest captures that well with, "I'm not lying! I didn't soak and reuse stamps for postage, I swear!"

On the nonphilatelic side, Milt Keiles of Monroe Township, N.J., suggests a reason for the headless horseman's condition with the line shown in Figure 3.

Both winners will receive Linn's Stamp Identifier published by Amos Hobby Publishing, or a 13-week subscription toLinn's (a new subscription or an extension). The book has a retail value of $12.99.

Here are a few of the runners-up.

"Wow! Sure glad I ducked in time or I'd look like that idiot chasing me!" by Thomas Misiewicz of Martinsburg, W.Va.

"It was a great stamp show, but no reason to lose your head over it." from Elgin Sink of New Cumberland, Pa.

"When I asked to speak to the head of the post office, I didn't expect you to take me so literally!" sent by Steve Kotler of San Francisco, Calif.

"All those years chasing EFOs. Now one of them is chasing me!" by Timothy Thomas of Westminster, Md.

"I told the Pony Express folks that rerouting through Sleepy Hollow was a bad idea!" from Saul Jay Singer of Silver Spring, Md.

"Wait up...I only want to cancel your forever stamps," sent by David L. Kohler of Flushing, N.Y.

Thanks and a tip of the hat to all who entered.

The next cartoon caption contest will be announced in the Jan. 13 Linn's.