Two recent stamp first-day ceremonies in Atlanta, Indianapolis

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

The last month was a busy one when it came to new stamp issues, and high-profile events for that matter, too. In the Linn’s Stamp News Aug. 12 issue, I recounted some of the highlights from attending the Alex Trebek commemorative stamp event July 22 in Culver City, Calif.

Just one week later on the other side of the country, I attended the July 31 ceremony for the Hank Aaron commemorative stamp in Atlanta, Ga., and one day later on Aug. 1 for the Dungeons and Dragons stamp issue in Indianapolis, Ind. And here I will provide a little recap of those two ceremonies.

As for the Aaron stamp event, I have always been a baseball fan so it was a must-attend for me. There were approximately 200 people that filled the seats just behind home plate at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves. The Braves were playing out of town that day against, of all teams, the Milwaukee Brewers, where Aaron played at the end of his career.

When I arrived at the park, I was approached by a familiar face who knew I was experienced in postmarking because I have attended hundreds of these ceremonies. He had one heck of a task for me: postmarking baseball bats and balls that Hank Aaron had signed.

Allan Tanenbaum, Hank and Billye Aaron’s family friend, attorney/advisor and general counsel with the Hank Aaron Chasing the Dream Foundation, brought the items to be stamped and postmarked.

I’m proud to say they all turned out spectacularly, and it was an honor to hold something I know Aaron autographed.

Shortly after completing that project, the stamp ceremony started. Approximately 200 people were in attendance, and the stamp sales took place on the upper level for the public attendees. The only unfortunate situation at the ceremony was the lack of a credit card machine for sales at the United States Postal Service booth. I’m certain that they would have sold more merchandise if it wasn’t cash only.

Immediately after the event, I had just enough time to visit a post office nearby to mail my postcards to friends and grab lunch. Then it was off to Indianapolis for the Dungeons & Dragons Aug. 1 ceremony.

The event was held at Gen Con, and I received media credentials to attend the ceremony. Stamp sales took place both at the main post office across the street and at the event. The line for stamp sales at the ceremony was one of the longest I’ve seen with about 100 people in line.

The event was fast and nontraditional. For the unveiling, they pulled the drape off the USPS retail booth backdrop that served as the new-issue poster.

After that, three individuals with Dungeons & Dragons signed autographs (Chris Perkins, creative director; Jeremy Crawford, game director; and Josh Herman, head of art), along with Greg Breeding the stamp art director.

It was a fun event, but there were definitely a few stamp collectors there who hoped to experience a little more of a ceremony. But I know everyone enjoyed the meet and greet and autograph session afterward.

Overall, it was a busy two days, but worth the experiences at both events.

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