Everything that follows this opening sentence is true, and I can not stress that enough.
Earlier in the month, the US Postal Service revealed a set of limited edition collectible Batman stamps honoring the characters history and legacy. Done in conjunction with DC and during National Stamp Collecting Month, the idea is to attract a younger generation of collectors to the art of stamp collecting, and introduce the hobby to new, potential life-long fans.
But, according to a report from Business Week that came out last week and picked up steam over the weekend, “traditional” stamp collectors are not happy about this, claiming — and again, I want to emphasize that this is a quote pulled straight from the article — that the stamp program has been devalued and ruined, having been “prostituted…in an effort to make money.” This quote comes from former US Postmaster General Benjamin Bailar, who was apparently such a staunch opponent of these stamps that he resigned from the Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee in August over it.
And apparently this isn’t the first time there has been a feud in the stamp community, as the article notes that a similar clash of opinions was caused last year when Harry Potter stamps were issued. According to the philatelic community, these types of moves are appalling because stamps are supposed to be used “primarily to honor American achievements” (though, to be fair, Batman kinda sorta fits that bill).
Of course, this isn’t about stamp collectors; it’s about making money. According to Business Week, the USPS has lost 22% of its annual mail volume since 2008 (thanks, e-mail), and in September it defaulted for the fourth consecutive year on a $5 billion annual payment it’s required to make to the US Treasury to “cover future retiree health benefits.” So when they sell these stamps to collectors, it equates to a nearly pure profit move. But collectors find it hard understanding these commercially-driven tactics; one particular enthusiast by the name of Cary Brick claims in the article, “It’s kind of taking it away from John Q. Citizen,” with the article further noting that Brick stormed out of a meeting with Nasiga Manabe, who oversees the stamps marketing department, as Brick and the CSAC demand to be taken seriously.
Well, I for one am appalled that an industry that originally appealed to a single type of collector during a more profitable past would attempt to broaden its horizons and reach out to non-regular participants in that collecting community as times change. These are the stamp community’s core fans, the one who have always been there and stick with it even throughout the most backhanded and blatant money-grabbing schemes and maneuvers, through all the stamp relaunches and stamp re-brands done in order to make outsiders feel more welcome as print stamp sales go down in favor of the accessibility of digital mail.
Furthermore, it is distressing to see that an industry as prominent as the stamp industry would change from its regular brand of stamps in favor of something done clearly as a stunt. It’s obvious that this move is only going to last a couple months before stamps go back to the regular brand of staple, more well-known imagery that collectors know and love and that collectors actually want to buy, so why bother with the antics? Why cater to an outside audience at all? I mean, if Batman can be on a stamp (again), then what’s next? Superman (again)? Looney Tunes (again)? Batman stamps are never going to be as popular as staple stamps like “muscle cars and lighthouses”, even though stamp collectors will probably buy the Batman stamps to complete their collections — but the US Postal Service should understand that its done with spite.
And sure, sales on these Batman stamps will be high at first, but they’ll go down just like they always do until they settle into a form of regular mediocrity. Most of these Batman stamps will be bought in order to be trumped up in the speculator market, flipped on eBay to those that don’t know the true value of the stamps anyway. And yes, maybe some new fans will stay around, but only as long as the new stamp collectors aren’t just “fake stamp collectors” into stamp collecting because of someone they’re dating or because they want attention from the normal stamp collectors now that stamp collecting is cool, to be determined by whether or not they can answer inane stamp-based triva quiz questions.
But at the end of the day, who is going to be around when Batman stamps are gone? I’ll tell you who: the hardcore stamp collector, the ones buying stamps with muscle cars and lighthouses, because they’re the true stamp collecting fans. They’re who these stamps should be for at the end of the day, even if the industry itself is in trouble and could use new collectors to buy and not use stamps. To do something that blatantly disregards the core stamp collecting fanbase in favor of a fictitious potential new fan that may or may never come is just unheard of, and disrespectful.
Thankfully nothing like this ever happens in comics or the comic collecting community where Batman comes from, though, so we’re good.
