Release: APRIL 7, 2023
It may be because of the expanse of the ocean where we can’t see beyond the horizon. Or, maybe it’s the lore and lure of a foreign land. Whatever the case, as a species, we have an enchantment for things “across the pond” where we don’t live.
Take, for example, four gold coins found in 2021. They were uncovered in England 10 miles from Bosworth Field where King Richard III was killed in battle in 1485 – seven years before Columbus sailed to “discover” America. A new film entitled, “The Lost King” chronicles the battle and death of Richard and the discovery and recovery of his remains from under a modern-day parking lot....
The newly unearthed gold coins are “Angels,” named for the image of Archangel Michael on them. Believed to have once been in the pouch of a wealthy merchant, each has a current collector value of $25,000 or more. Naturally, the provenance of the coins could send that amount much higher.
The 15th and 16th centuries were a time that also showed our collective naivete about things foreign. Case in point, cinnamon. Brought to Europe from India and Sri Lanka during the spice trade of the 1400s, westerners were so enchanted by the flavor, traders who returned with it concocted stories of how eagles, and/or the “cinnamon bird,” made its nest out of the rare spice sticks. They claimed the cinnamon sticks were retrieved from those nests that were surrounded by poisonous snakes. It was, of course, all nonsense. Still, consumers were taken in and paid dearly for the spice.
A century later, Europeans were introduced to the beautiful and exotic tulip flower. First cultivated in central Asia and traded along the Silk Road, tulips bulbs were brought to western Europe in the late-1500s. The unique blooms captivated everyone from poor flower-lovers to royalty. They also were the epicenter of a financial collapse the likes of which we’ve seen more recently with the banking bust and dot-com bubble meltdown.
With the arrival of the bulbs, tulipmania enveloped Holland and Europe. Dutch investors began to speculate wildly over the bulbs spending fortunes to obtain the best and most beautiful. The craziness became so epic some were paying over 5,000 florins for a single tulip bulb.
Understand a florin wasn’t chump change. A single florin then was the equivalent of $240 today. That means, while many tulips then traded hands for upwards of $100,000, even crazier Dutchmen were willing to shell out the equivalent of over one million dollars for a single tulip bulb. Lunacy clearly had no bounds. Again, it’s frighteningly reminiscent of the dot-com craze of the 1990s and so many investment schemes we’ve seen. (Think Elizabeth Holmes of failed Theronos and Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX.)
By 1800, the irrationality had passed though many lost fortunes, friendships and long-time business relationships. While the metaphorical bloom was off the financial rose, tulips became even more popular worldwide. In the mid-1800s, the town of Holland, Michigan was founded by Dutch settlers. Among the things they brought from Holland were tulip bulbs. Today, successors of those bulbs cover the landscape here and abroad.
This month, the USPS is paying homage to the beauty of tulips with a series of stamps showcasing a unique view of the tulip flower. The 10 stamps on the pane feature exceptional photos of different tulips found in gardens and parks. Each stamp showcases a close-up shot of a single flower in full bloom filling the frame of the stamp from the top of the stem. Tulips on the stamps are shown in shades of yellow, orange, pink, green and violet. Gorgeous as they are, it’s unknown if any are of the exact colors that sold for a fortune and destroyed fortunes 500+ years ago.
The new stamps were officially released on April 5, in a special ceremony at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival in Woodburn, OR. Collectors unable to attend the event can still receive First Day of Issue cancels on the stamps directly from the Postal Service.
To obtain a cancel, purchase the stamps at a local post office and affix them to self-addressed envelopes. Send those inside of a separate mailing envelope to: Tulip Blossoms FDOI; USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services; 8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300; Kansas City, MO 64144-9900.
There’s no charge for the cancels but all requests must be made no later than August 5, 2023.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.