This evening, at overnight summer camps everywhere, young campers are singing songs written and made popular by a noted communist. For generations, singing If I Had A Hammer and Where Have All The Flowers Gone has been staples around campfires.
Composed by folk singer Pete Seeger, his social activism was first heard at labor rallies for migrant farm workers in the 1950s, He sang against the Vietnam War in the ‘60s and then in support for the environment in later years.
In the ‘60s, children scoffed at their parents when adults labeled Seeger a communist. Kids assumed mothers and fathers were condemning the singer because of his liberal views. The fact is, Seeger was the first to proclaim he was indeed an avowed communist. He said, “If by some freak of history communism had caught up with this country, I’d be one of the first people thrown in jail.” While a student at Harvard, Seeger was active in the Young Communists League....
Seeger dropped out of Harvard to write folk songs and pluck a five-string banjo. His iconic tunes also include: Which Side Are You On?; Solidarity Fever; John Brown’s Body; What Did You Learn In School Today?; and the immortal refrain still intoned by many black activists, We Shall Overcome. Seeger wrote all those and many more including Turn, Turn, Turn immortalized by the band The Byrds. In 2009, he performed on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for Barack Obama’s inauguration.
Born in 1919, Seeger died in 2014 in New York. In 1942, he was inducted into the US Army. In 1996 he was inducted into the Rock ‘N Roll Hall of Fame. This week, he will be inducted onto the US Postal Service stamp series of Music Icons. Seeger will join postal music honorees Johnny Cash; Ray Charles; Elvis Presley; Sarah Vaughn; Marvin Gaye; John Lennon; and others.
The new Pete Seeger “Forever” stamp has a face-value of 60-cents but will forever be worth the prevailing First-Class rate. The stamp features a colorized image of Seeger adapted from a black and white photo taken of the singer from the side of the stage in the 1960s.
The new stamp will be available in post offices nationwide this week beginning July 21. Perhaps some may even soon be used on mail sent home by young singing summer campers.
Special First Day of Issue cancels can be obtained by purchasing the stamp and affixing it to a self-addressed envelope. Send that inside a larger envelope to: Pete Seeger Stamp, USPS Fulfillment Services, 8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 63144-9900. All canceled envelopes will be returned via regular mail. There is no cost for the special cancellation.
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As if there isn’t enough bad news on the international stage, here’s a little more directly affecting online buyers of numismatic and bullion coins. Reports in the hobby publication Coin World cite data from the Anti-Counterfeiting Educational Foundation (ACEF) with conclusive evidence that fake gold and silver coins from China continue to flood the American market.
According to the ACEF, over 300 websites accessible to anyone searching for coins are foisting exceptionally crafted fakes to the buyers. One customer believed they were buying one gold and 50 silver American Eagle coins. For these, the buyer was paying just $1,000 – dramatically less than the actual retail value of the coins. In short order, the coins proved to be fake.
Allegedly, a small group connected with the Chinese counterfeiting operations have created multiple websites including posting offers on Amazon and Facebook. The ACEF suggests there are clear indicators of fraud including identical wording in ads from one site to another. Also, as one duped buyer stated, “I knew I had been taken when the tracking data for my order was in Chinese lettering.”
Another red flag in any situation is if the price offered for gold or silver coins/bullion is substantially less than the fair market value or “spot price” of the metal. Tempting as it may be, absolutely no honest person will ever sell legitimate precious metal coins for less than a dealer will pay.
The bottom line is simple and enduring: “If you don’t know the coins, know the coin dealer.” A strong relationship with a dealer who is a member of the American Numismatic Society or, better yet, the Professional Numismatists Guild will pay endless dividends.
For more collecting advice, visit www.PRexford.com