Though Halloween is again in the rear-view mirror, two genuine terrors remain. First is the increasing admonition and fear that that climate change will effectively destroy our world as we know it in just a few decades. That’s bad. We get it. The fires, floods and droughts around the world are real harbingers. The thing is, practically speaking, few people can switch overnight from an internal combustion vehicle to electric or cut their home power consumption in half. Fewer still are the people who control factories that spew CO2 into the atmosphere.
The second current dread is holiday-related. Many store shelves are actually bare due to shipping and supply chain issues. With Christmas barely a month away and Hanukkah here in just over a week, the result is a quandary about what can be found to give as holiday gifts....
For everyone who enjoys wildlife or the outdoors (who doesn’t?), one option comes from, of all places, a government entity – the Department of the Interior (DOI). They’re a major player right now because we’re hip deep in the middle of duck hunting season. The DOI is the government entity that regulates hunting. Part of that role is producing the annual duck stamp.
Duck stamps are mandatory for waterfowl hunters. Those stamps have had to be affixed to a hunting license and signed by the hunter in order to “cancel” the stamp. That has been the traditional option. In our increasingly digital age, virtual forms of the stamp can be purchased and downloaded onto smart phones. It works but is clearly not the same.
For hunters, fans of wildlife art and stamp collectors the digital option is tantamount to sacrilege. Because of the exquisite caliber of art on them, duck stamps have been admired, collected and treasured since they were introduced in 1934.
When first issued, the stamps had a face value of one dollar. Today, the cost is $25. The 2021 version features a pair of black-bellied whistling ducks overlooking the edge of a marsh at sunset. Created by artist Eddie LeRoy and chosen in a contest in which 138 artists submitted entries, LeRoy’s image is colorful and compelling. Best of all, the stamps make a massive environmental difference.
Fully 98 percent of the monies generated by sales of the stamps goes to save and protect waterfowl. In the nonprofit world, that’s almost unheard of. Since their inception 87 years ago, the stamps have generated a staggering one billion dollars used to purchase over six million acres of waterfowl habitat. The result is a massive waterfowl population. That makes the stamps one of the few government programs that has actually worked. That alone is worth celebrating.
Not surprisingly, over the years, when it came to any collectible, be a stamp or coin, a celebrity autograph or rare book, the first question I’m always asked is, “what is it worth?” That’s one of the benefits of duck stamps. For early duck stamps issued years ago, collectors have paid hundreds or even thousands of dollars for nice examples. They still do. After all, demand comes from not just stamp collectors but also hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and aficionados of fine art.
There’s one other aspect that comes into play. Most postage stamps will continue to be sold for countless years after they were originally printed. They are abundantly available. But, duck stamps aren’t postage. Any unsold duck stamps are returned to the DOI and destroyed just a few years after they were printed. So, those who snooze, lose.
The current stamps can be purchased at most post offices and hunting stores such as Walmart. Earlier versions of the stamps can be found at most stamp dealers or online.
Now, I’ll concede that merely giving someone a stamp for a holiday gift might appear to be a tad paltry. But, if this year’s stamp were combined with a few others from previous years, along with an overview of exactly how beneficial they are (which can be found at: https://www.fws.gov/birds/get-involved/duck-stamp.php), and presented in a nice small collector’s album, the gift could take on a whole new perspective. And, again, they are actually available this year.
All that makes for a nice package that’s actually doing a lot to save the world. How many other presents can claim that?
For more collecting advice, visit www.peterexford.blogspot.com