Philately Get His Stamp-of-Approval

Barry-Lee Coyne writes on Oregon's StatesmanJournal.com website, "My Uncle Julie first introduced me to stamp collecting when I was about 9, living in post-World War II Brooklyn. He knew of my interest for following current events from the daily papers so he connected the two by pointing out that Franklin D. Roosevelt was an avid philatelist who spread the popularity of the hobby by getting his Postmaster General to issue lots of commemoratives."

According to Coyne, stamp collecting opened up a whole new world for him and "made history come alive."  He highly recommends stamp collecting to anyone wanting to "expand" themselves and maybe needs a little help finding a wife.

"It happens that stamp collecting helped seal my courtship with my future bride, Carmela, " Coyne says.

"When we dated in the early '80s, I mentioned her Filipino heroes, Rizal and Magsaysay, and she was quite impressed. Apparently, the imprint stuck and we've been married since 1981.
We're no longer in mint condition, but just like many an envelope, we've travelled a long and winding journey together."

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