On our home page we make the following statement about our members: "whose interests cover the entire range of collecting, from cancellations to "Back of the Book."". What does "Back of the Book" mean?
"Back-of-the-book (BOB): refers to a range of items usually listed in the back of specialized stamp catalogs; postage dues, revenues, postal saving stamps, etc."
In general, BOB refers to any stamps that are not definitive or commemorative issues for regular mail. I've always thought that if I'd been smart when I was young (not that I'm smart now!), I would have ignored all of those fancy new stamps and bought as BOB stamps as I could, along with high-value stamps such as the $1-$5 values of the Prexy issue. I'd be on easy street now!
Odd that the SOR description doesn't begin to cover the range of our interests. We also do covers, rates, usages, routes, ephemera, Maximum cards, seals (only partially addressed in Scott BOB), body bags, the machines creating the cancellations and postmarks, spray-ons and other transit markings not technically cancellations, history behind the man sending the stamp, and so much more.
As to Bob's revisionist investing approach, he could have bought fleets of battleships and been none the richer phinancially or philatellically.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
A similar item, used essentially for the same purpose, is the "ambulance cover" -- in Ask Phil an "envelope used to carry and deliver a severely damaged piece of mail such as a crash cover".
I have one ambulance cover, along with the damaged cover it conveyed to its destination. The damaged commercial cover was recovered from the wreckage of a Linee Aeree Italiane DC-6B which crashed on its fourth attempted landing at Idlewild (Now JFK) in 1954. The same crew had flown all the way from Rome, and weather conditions at Idlewild were very bad. The crew had been trying to land for two and a half hours; 26 of the 32 passengers and crew on board were killed.
...whose interests cover the entire range of collecting, from cancellations to Back of the Book. We also study and collect covers, rates, usages, routes, ephemera, Maximum cards, seals, body bags and crash covers, the machines creating the cancellations and postmarks, spray-ons and other transit markings not technically cancellations, history behind the man sending the stamp, and so much more.
How's that? or is too highfalutin'?
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
please note that Bob's cover, while in an ambulance sleeve or body bag, is in a whole different stratosphere than the normal cover. It is in its own right a 'crash cover,' which are among the more highly prized items in philately precisely because of their rarity and the stories they tell in charred carbon and paper remnant.
And yes, bob, no one gets farther from the topic faster than you. I probably wander more often, and with much less obvious points in hand, but you're mighty fast on the tangent.
takes one....
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
If I recall, the latest USPS body bag,was a large paper envelope with window,about 80% of front, to replace the "un" recyclable poly bag. I dont collect these,but send them off to a stamporama member who does. They are rare. I can only recall recieving three in my life span. This may be why you may not of heard the phrase before,or either of the terminology used or listed on this site or any other stamp sites. To look up a term,or local phrase, one needs first to have heard or seen the word,,,,,,,,,,
to gain knowledge,of any subject,one needs to learn something new each and every day. This is how we exercise our brains. TOM
I see both kinds of body bags: full plastic and paper envelope with glassine-like front. There are at least 2 sizes for this latter format: slightly larger than #10 and approximately 12 x 13. Both have pre-printed text on the reverse that gives some of the possible reasons for this being sent. I am an avid collector of these.
There are also all kinds of non-official ways to return or forward delayed, damaged, or otherwise compromised mail. I've seen shrink wrap (to keep the pacakges fresh, I guess) and clear plastic bags stapled.
I haven't seen a contemporary usage of any of the OX seals in 20 years.
Kathy, i'll try to get one or more body bags scanned and posted here today.
David
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"