Stamp Convention and Unconventional Finds

 When my husband announced that he wanted to go on a trip to Charleston, South Carolina to accept his 25 year pin I wasn't sure what he was talking about. I knew he had been in the Laborer's Union on the Alaskan Pipeline construction project but couldn't understand why he had to go to Charleston to get his pin. Then he told me it was for his membership in the  American Philatelic Society.  He conveniently told me that we could also combine it with a trip to see my sister at her new home in North Carolina so as to sweeten the pot for me. After I talked him out of driving from Arizona to North Carolina we agreed to fly and make it a shorter trip. You see it doesn't take much convincing to get my husband to agree to any sort of trip abroad or otherwise, he is an inveterate traveler.

I wasn't sure what to expect that would hold my interest at the stamp convention, knowing that there would be wares for the high dollar collectors of stamps and covers but I was really hoping that there would be some good pickin's for me in the low dollar bins in the ephemera category for collage materials. 

After many days of shopping at the Gem and Mineral show in Tucson, walking into a room of stamp exhibitors is more of a dry experience with out all the sparklies and flashes of color.

 It takes a different focus to be wowed by the goods laid out. Items need to be looked at individually and  leafed through carefully. We had the fortune of meeting a gal on the elevator at the hotel that told me she had a "dollar booth" with heartened me greatly as to the possibilities of some good altered art worthy finds.

And then the excitement built for me as I found several tables of this nature that had US and foreign envelopes from  the mid 1800's up until the 1980's.

What fascinated me the most was some old Japanese envelopes form the 1920's and 30's complete with contents. The worn and wabi sabi feel and textures of the envelopes with calligraphy on rice paper contents, I can tell you I was more than excited! This was the jackpot for me beyond my imaginings of what I could hope to find! some contained old receipts and some had three foot long reams of rice paper with script. So exciting!

And then I found a table piled high with used stamps where you could fill a small bucket for $5. At that point I wasn't discerning about which stamps to  pick as others were sorting through the pile with tweezers, I just grabbed handfuls and filled my bucket!

 A few of my Japanese envelopes. I bought enough of them so that i just may be able to part with some.

I'll let you know when they are listed in my Etsy store. (my long neglected etsy store)

 Some of the contents

 A pile of old Japanese postcards too

There were bins of old letter covers from all over the world.

I especially liked the couple that were addressed to Miss Blogg!

So my husband was more than delighted that I was a happy shopper at his convention, in fact He's calling me right now to meet him at the exhibit

i can't wait to pile through some more bins!