Inside Linn’s: Yogi-isms have philatelic equivalents

By Charles Snee

The July 31 digital-only issue of Linn’s Stamp News will be available to subscribers Saturday, July 15. While you wait for your issue to arrive, enjoy these three quick glimpses of exclusive content available only to subscribers. 

Yogi-isms have philatelic equivalents

As a young boy growing up in New York City in the 1940s and 1950s, U.S. Stamp Notes columnist John M. Hotchner considered Yogi Berra of the New York Yankees a hero. Berra, as many know, had a flair for humorous observations that have stood the test of time. In that spirit, Hotchner offers his “philatelic interpretations” of an even dozen of Berra’s many memorable quotes. In reply to one of those Berra gems, “How can you think and hit at the same time?,” Hotchner sagely observes, “Often while working on our philatelic projects, we’re on autopilot. It’s one of the relaxing parts of the hobby.” The remaining 11 are just as enjoyable and worth filing away for future contemplation.

A city in the borderland: stamps tell the story of Trieste

“Cities in a borderland have interesting, if not entirely pleasant, histories,” opines Rick Miller in Stamps of Eastern Europe. “Their histories can often be followed in their stamps and postal history.” To tell the story of Trieste, which lies at the northern end of the Adriatic Sea, Miller employs a colorful palette of stamps from Italy, Austria, Fiume, Yugoslavia and Slovenia. Along the way, he introduces readers to a cast of notable individuals, including Roman dictator Julius Caesar, Mark Antony, Habsburg Emperor Charles VI, Empress Maria Theresa, and King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy. Since its founding sometime prior to the second century B.C., Trieste has been occupied and controlled by various entities. Miller has all the details.

Kitchen Table Philately: Isle of Man

In each weekly issue of Linn’s, either E. Rawolik VI or E. Rawolik VII dissects the contents of a stamp mixture offered to collectors. E. Rawolik is a pseudonym that is also the word “kiloware” (a stamp mixture) spelled backward. This week, E. Rawolik VI runs the numbers on a small $5 packet of 51 stamps from the Isle of Man that was purchased from DM Stamps in Virginia. Rawolik compares that assortment to DM Stamps’ mixture of 200 stamps from Laos that was reviewed in the Sept. 5, 2022, issue of Linn’s. Enjoy the full review in this issue.

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