Postmarked Baseball Envelopes More of a Novelty Item

Redding, Calif., Record Searchlight columnist Babe Waxpak got the following letter from one of his readers recently...

 Dear Babe: I have a set of 20 envelopes with stamps of baseball stars. Each one has a 2000 postmark that is tied to the player's name or nickname. The envelopes (with postmarks) include: Roberto Clemente, Robert, La.; Mickey Cochrane, Cochrane, Wis.; Ty Cobb, Cobb, Ga.; Eddie Collins, Collin, Iowa; Dizzy Dean, Deanville, Texas; Jimmie Foxx, Fox, Okla.; Lou Gehrig, Iron, Minn.; Josh Gibson, Gibson, Pa.; Lefty Grove, Left Hand, W.Va.; Rogers Hornsby, Hornsby, Tenn.; Walter Johnson, Walterville, Ore.; Christy Mathewson, Christopher, Ill.; Satchel Paige, Paige, Texas; Jackie Robinson, Robinson, Pa.; Babe Ruth, Ruth, Nev.; George Sisler, George, Iowa; Tris Speaker, Centerfield, Utah; Pie Traynor, Pie Town, Minn.; Honus Wagner, Wagner, S.D., and Cy Young, Young, Ariz.— L.W., ReddingBabe: Someone went to a lot of trouble to create these, but it appears they are more of a novelty rather than a stamp or sports collectible.

In response, John Dunn, Publisher of Stamp News Magazines (http://www.stampnewsnow.com) noted that these are not First Day Covers. "The stamps were issued on July 6, 2000. Collecting covers canceled on the First Day of Issue is popular, but even then the FDCs do not have much value unless they are among a few hand-painted covers that have a following."

Babe also quotes one stamp dealer who said, "As a dealer, I would not want to have these in my purchases for resale, as they would sit and sit until one of the very few who might be interested in it think about buying it."

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