Smithsonian purchases Lennon album

Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum in Washington has announced that it has acquired the late John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album. The museum plans to display it in October to coincide with National Stamp Collecting Month and the former Beatle's 65th birthday on October 9.

The museum purchased the album from a British stamp dealer but declined to disclose the purchase price.

“We’re tremendously excited at the prospect of exhibiting John Lennon’s boyhood stamp album,” curator of philately Wilson Hulme said.

“I hope it will inspire new collectors. There are people who think stamp collecting isn’t cool, and maybe this will cause them to think twice about that. It just doesn’t get cooler than John Lennon.”

The stamp album, printed in about 1950, was given to Lennon by his cousin Stanley Parkes.

As reported in the Round-Up, Lennon's album originally went on sale in early May. Click here to see the article that appeared May 13 on the Scotsman.com website announcing the sale.

To read the full National Postal Museum press release, click here.