United Nations: Unique Platform for Various Causes

The United Nations is often accused of being an ineffective bloated bureaucracy bent on preaching much and acting little, but strangely enough its health and charitable arms do make a difference in a world still too much at war.

From a stamp lover's perspective the United Nations is a singularly unique entity that produces stamps on an international basis that often tout a cause that needs attention: polio, sleeping sickness, poverty, abuse, drug addition, etc. For a less than perfect institution the United Nations has done a great deal to support stamps and postage throughout the world.

The first stamp convention I attended was held at the United Nations in New York in 1973 and I saved the items my father and I purchased and never forgot the educational and entertaining experience.

Here's to the UN, keep up the good work and please strive to improve like in spending your money wiser and actual peacekeeping to stop a war.

Stamp Stories: The Marshall Plan

I like the idea of sharing personal stamp stories with the world-at-large. In 1970, I was 5 years old and my father formally started me with my first stamp book and the very first stamp that caught my attention was the 20ct George C Marshall stamp. (I put up a block image for effect!)

My son has been helping me with stamps for a few years now and he is fasting approaching 5 years old in a few short months. I already have an album and thousands of stamps from around the world. But the U.S. Commemoratives starter stamps are best for this special occasion.

Once I saw that stamp that was it for me. I wanted to collect more, understand more, go to stamp shows and find out what was going on out there in the stamp world. Fortunately I lived in New Jersey at the time so going to New York stamp locations and even the United Nations was an easy car trip but still an exciting adventure.

KNS continue to provide free stamp info attachments and continues to mail out free starter-kits to help parents help kids collect stamps. Make a request. We will be there for you. Don't let the television or a video game babysit your child. Be there for him/her. Be with him/her using stamps as a grand tool to learn about themselves, about you and the great world around all of us.