Jack Benny stamp-- possible bad news

[hte_trasme]

I mentioned the campaign for a Jack Benny 39 cent stamp offhand to my father -- another Benny fan -- the other day, forgetting as I did so that he was friends with a graphic artist who designs many of the stamps that are used by the postal service.

My father put the idea to his friend, who apparently thought it coudn't happen because there had already been a Jack Benny stamp (the one drawn by Hirschfeld a number of years ago). What I thought when I heard this was that George Washington, for one, must have been on more than one stamp over the years, but I wasn't talking directly to the source.

Word also has it that there is a set of stamps picturing early television personalities somewhere in the pipeline; the name of Groucho Marx was mentioned as a possibility. This sounds like the perfect context for a Jack Benny stamp to me, but what do I know?

[LLeff]

My father put the idea to his friend, who apparently thought it coudn't happen because there had already been a Jack Benny stamp (the one drawn by Hirschfeld a number of years ago). What I thought when I heard this was that George Washington, for one, must have been on more than one stamp over the years, but I wasn't talking directly to the source.

I discussed this in the most recent issue of our newsletter, but the fact that Jack was on a stamp in 1991 is not a stopping point. Here are two examples of Hollywood stars who have had at least two stamps:

Judy Garland: 1990 25 cent stamp, then again this year on a 39 cent stamp
John Wayne: 1990 25 cent stamp, then again in 2005 on a 37 cent stamp

So the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee can, and has, bent this rule when they see fit to do so.

[Frank Nelson]

The worst news of all is the price of stamps is supposed to rise to .41 in a couple of months. It's too bad that the post office missed this opportunity to have a little fun with Jack on a .39 stamp, but after my recent dealings with them, I'm not surprised.

[DerekVOF]

Too bad we can't convince the USPS to make one of the new "Forever" stamps with Jack on it -- saying "39 Forever"