John Lennon's Childhood Stamp AlbumJohn Lennon, along with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr achieved superstardom as the rock and roll band, The Beatles. But before Lennon travelled the globe playing music with The Beatles, this boy from Liverpool, England saw the world in a whole different way – through stamps.
Lennon's older cousin, Stanley Parkes, inspired the future Beatle's interest in stamp collecting and gave him this album. Lennon replaced Parkes' name and address on the album's flyleaf with his own. He added his address at Mendips, the home he shared with his aunt Mary (“Mimi”) and her husband George Smith. Already a budding artist, Lennon sketched beards and mustaches of the likenesses of Queen Victoria and King George VI on the album's title page. Lennon continued to collect and trade stamps for several years after receiving this album.83 photos
Hindenburg Crash Mail DocumentsPostal Inspection Service Hindenburg Disaster File. These papers are held in the permanent collection of the National Postal Museum.43 photos
Dr. Carroll Chase Plate StudiesThe Smithsonian Institution has the photographic negatives of Dr. Carroll Chase's reconstructed plates of the U. S. three cent 1851 issue. The Chase prints show each stamp in the same size as the original stamp. Each image shows a complete pane of stamps and measures 11 x 14 inches. The reconstruction includes 13 plates consisting of a left and a right pane, making a total of 26 panes.
To download the original full-resolution image files, click the downward arrow icon.26 photos
