The value of 'living people stamps'

The Gazette Editorial Board

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Will living people featured on U.S. postage stamps do much to help the Postal Service's financial problems?

We doubt it.

The $10 billion deficit projected this year continues the USPS's increasing flow of red ink in recent years as competition from the Internet, UPS, FedEx and others slashes volume and revenue. Meanwhile, the Postal Service also must meet huge obligations, such as funding retirees' health plans.

No surge in stamp collecting that a policy change might spark is going to generate the kind of revenue increase that will make a dent on the USPS budget deficit.

Still, the USPS decision to abandon its long-standing rule that stamps can't feature people who are still alive surely will spark some interest, at least among stamp collectors.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said the change will “allow Americans to pay tribute to individuals for their achievements while they are still alive to enjoy the honor.”

Maybe so. We suspect, though, that purchases of “living people stamps” may be relatively short-lived, per individual. Those who are honored after their death have a legacy that's long established and a nation has more perspective, which certainly increases their value and longer-lasting attraction to collectors. That's also why the USPS every so often has issued rare editions - including historical moments and well-known people of the past.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how, say, a modern-day sports star, such as football's Brett Favre or baseball's Alex Rodriguez, will sell compared to those of an earlier era, such as a Joe Namath or Willie Mays. Or in entertainment, how Charlie Sheen stacks up to the late Marilyn Monroe. Or in leadership, President Barack Obama with Martin Luther King. The potential list is endless.

Just as interesting, or more so, will be seeing which living figures are chosen for the new stamps. The USPS is taking suggestions from the public via a Postal Service website, Twitter, Facebook and - yes - even regular old mail delivery.

We also wonder: Will Americans heavily participate in suggesting names - or will the public collectively yawn because stamps, unless you're a collector, aren't as relevant to daily life as they used to be?

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