Release: MAY 9, 2025
The goal of any collectible hobby is simple – enjoyment. Most often, the premise of something being “collectible” equates to the items evoking positive memories, usually based on when we were much younger. Barbie dolls and the like offer solace to women who remember them fondly as young girls. Numismatists invariably recall the joy of assembling their first collection of pennies or nickels by date and mintmark. All such hobbies are a rite of passage.
At one time, stamp collecting too was more rampant than today. Just 60 years ago, over half of all boys were immersed in collecting vintage stamps. Most had dreams of those stamps soaring in value....
Since their debut in 1840, stamps have also been a vivid window into the past. They have featured famous statesmen, celebrities, events, landmarks, holidays and more. The visuals transport those who collect them to magical places.
For instance, between 1929 and 1939, the days of the Great Depression, kids and families of little means might wistfully ponder the detailed engravings of the National Parks series of stamps issued in 1935. Finances dictated they could only dream of visiting the Grand Canyon, Zion, Yellowstone, Yosemite and other storied destinations. Through stamps, their dreams of those exotic far-off places became almost real.
While digital media and instant gratification have changed so many things, even now, stamps can evoke emotions and fond recollections unlike any other hobby. For almost anyone alive today lucky enough to have experienced a nurturing childhood, a sheet of stamps issued last week made that happen again for millions of people.
The stamps remember the classic children’s book, Goodnight Moon. All who had the good fortune to have had a parent or caregiver read the consoling tale to them at bedtime can only have positive memories of security and contentment.
The story centers around a young bunny going to bed. Once tucked in he bid goodnight, one by one, to the many things in the room including the kittens, the mittens, the clocks, the socks, a red balloon and, of course, the moon - all in rhyming fashion.
As evidenced on the stamps, the illustrations are simple. Between the rhyming words and unadorned pictures, youngsters gained a sense of security at bedtime. It also gave them a bedtime routine they would look forward to (although simultaneously driving parents crazy as children bid goodnight to each of their belongings.)
As is sadly but frequently the case, even a tome as unpretentious as Goodnight Moon isn’t without controversy. Shortly after its publication in 1947, a woman named Anne Carol Moore – a librarian in New York City – decided she didn’t like the book. Allegedly, for her, the story had a lack of an educational message and its narrative was confined to a single room. Okay? So, what’s the problem? For Librarian Moore, the issue was so pronounced, she banned the book from the entire New York Public Library. Her decision wasn’t fleeting. Thanks to Ms. Moore’s personal distaste for the story, Goodnight Moon remained banned from the New York library for 25 years, until 1972.
Curmudgeons might contend the book is in good company. In 1928, The Wizard of Oz was banned by some public libraries because of – I’m not making this up – its portrayal of women in leadership roles. In 1957, the Detroit Library banned it because, “…it had no value for children and promoted negativism.” Uh, I’d contend they themselves are elevating the concept of negativism to a new level.
The need for something comforting such as Goodnight Moon is underscored by when it was published – 1947. That was less than two years after the end of World War II, easily the most horrific, deadly, destructive and costly military and civilian conflict in history. Children (and adults) of all ages desperately needed solace and escape. Given today’s global craziness, perhaps the reemergence of Goodnight Moon, this time on postage stamps, doesn’t seem like a bad idea.
The Goodnight Moon “Forever” stamps are currently available in most post offices nationwide. Special First Day of Issue canceled envelopes and an entire Goodnight Moon portfolio is available from the Postal Service online at https://store.usps.com/store/home.
Of course, in addition to their visual appeal, the stamps are also usable simply to mail domestic letters, including one traveling over 5,000 miles from, say, Maine to Hawaii at the current First-Class rate of 73-cents (which is increasing to 78-cents in July). 75 years ago, it cost 80-cents to send an Airmail letter to Hawaii so, in today’s inflationary economic climate, today’s lesser rate might also help some sleep better.
For more collecting stories and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.