Stamp Nerds Complain About Batman Ruining Stamps, Sawyer Laughs For Eternity

[Sawyer]

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/10...ising-the-ire-of-traditional-stamp-collectors

USPS'S NEW BATMAN STAMPS ARE RAISING THE IRE OF TRADITIONAL STAMP COLLECTORS
“They have prostituted it in an effort to make money.”

BY RACHEL PAXTON-GILLILAN
While the limited-edition Forever stamps featuring Batman are selling well, traditional stamp collectors believe the Caped Crusader represents everything ruining the stamp program.

The controversy arises from Batman's 75th anniversary stamps, which feature 8 different designs and include the artwork of several iconic Batman artists per sheet of 20 stamps. According to Businessweek, traditionalists in the stamp collecting community are upset with recent efforts to attract younger audiences to stamp collecting.

“They have really ruined the stamp program,” explains former U.S. Postmaster General Benjamin Bailar, who resigned from the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee in August because of his opposition to stamps like the Batman series. “They have prostituted it in an effort to make money.”

The Batman series is part of the U.S. Postal Service's ongoing efforts to attract younger audiences to stamp collecting, which represents almost pure profit for the cash-strapped agency. “You’ve got people who are fans of an icon that collect Batman memorabilia,” USPS spokesman Mark Saunders told Businessweek. “It’s a great opportunity to reach out to younger audiences, more people, to make stamps more relevant to everyone.”

The Batman stamps aren't the first pop-culture stamps to receive the criticism of traditional stamp collectors. Last year, the philatelic community also freaked out when Harry Potter appeared on stamps, with traditionalists claiming stamps aren't just about what will sell.

For those hoping to get into stamp collecting, the limited edition Batman stamp sheets are available now from the USPS.

Me:

 

[Piper Maru]

That's really pushing the envelope.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

That's really pushing the envelope.

No Piper... Just no. You're better than that.

 

[Piper Maru]

Don't you dare STAMP out my bad puns!

Spoiler

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Don't you dare STAMP out my bad puns!

Spoiler

One day you'll have this problem licked... Damn... See, now I'm doing it too!!!

 

[ThePhantasm]

This ship needs to stop.

 

[Piper Maru]

I don't think we'll get Sawyer's stamp of approval.

 

[Star]

 

[Marvolo]

 

[Breogan]

Just to annoy this guy, they should do a Colonel Gumm stamp series.
No one but the most obsessed Batfans would even get it.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

You can now glue Batman.

 

[Duke]

You can now glue Batman.

To be precise, it was actually the Green Hornet & Kato who were turned into "stamps". The Dynamic Duo were just glued to the wall.

 

[Mee]

How dare the Postal Service try to stop bleeding money.

 

[Erzengel]

I have a whole thing of unused Star Wars stamps.

: pushes up glasses:

 

[Duke]

I have a whole thing of unused Star Wars stamps.

: pushes up glasses:

I've got a mini sheet of stamps about DC characters.

 

[Mee]

I got a rock.

 

[Erzengel]

No time for love Mee.

 

[Duke]

I got a rock.

Go throw it at a Postal worker.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

This is still a better thread than the Gamergate one.

 

[Breogan]

To be precise, it was actually the Green Hornet & Kato who were turned into "stamps". The Dynamic Duo were just glued to the wall.

He had nothing on the "Mego Mangler"*.

* acknowledgment of reference may expose your age.

 

[Victarion]

Thanks, Nolan

 

[Mee]

Stamp nerds are a superstitious and cowardly lot.

 

[SuperFerret]

This is hardly the first time stamps have been "prostituted". There have been special edition commemorative stamps for decades. Also, these stamps will probably be as collectable as the Batman comics of the 90's.

Regardless of what you collect, the stuff that's really valuable and worth keeping are the things that aren't made for the specific purpose of being collectable. Holographic comic book covers and reprinted versions of misprinted stamps are the best examples of this.

 

[DarkSovereignty]

How can I truly entrust my mail to an institution that so easily sells out it's integrity?

 

[Duke]

How can I truly entrust my mail to an institution that so easily sells out it's integrity?

Well, there's always Fedex or UPS.