Today I'm sharing a sweet find from the old family homestead. These are Wildlife Christmas Stamps from the National Wildlife Federation, from 1972. These particular ones are all birds with the exception of the deer. Pictured here are the cardinal, white-winged crossbill, white-tailed deer, ruffed grouse, hairy woodpecker, evening grosbeak, saw-whet owl, blue jay, robin, cedar waxwing, and black-capped chickadee.
These gorgeous paintings are by wildlife artist Al Gilbert. You can see his bio, as pictured on the back of the stamps, below. (And, by the way, it is a more complete and well-written bio than anything I found in an online search.)
I did a little more research on Al Gilbert and learned that in 1977, five years after these wildlife stamps appeared, his painting of a hooded merganser won the 45th Federal Duck Stamp Contest. Sales of this stamp generated over 11 million dollars in support of the Department of Interior’s Federal Duck Stamp program. The funds from the Duck Stamp program go to helping acquire wetland habitat and protecting waterfowl and other wildlife.
Mr. Gilbert's duck stamp was sold from 1978-1979 and looked like this:
The above are screenshots from the Federal Duck Stamp Gallery, where you can visit to see all of the stamps since the program's inception.
The sad thing about this delightful find is that the stamps are all stuck together. It is at least four stamps thick. I've been trying to think what to do with it. The paintings are so lovely that I really don't want to throw it away, and yet I doubt it would sell on Etsy. Any ideas?
Maybe I will frame it in a small black frame I have. We will see! If I find a creative use for this piece, I will be sure to share here.
Love beautiful stamps
ReplyDeleteMe, too!
DeleteI recall that, in the past, people would use steam to remove uncancelled stamps from envelopes. Could you try that, maybe sliding a butter knife in between as you go? Then you could use them in crafting. Otherwise, the framing is a good idea.
ReplyDeleteThat is a thought. Maybe I will give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll frame it.
Delete