It’s not exactly Christmas in July, but for some local scouts, it’s a gift filled with potential surprises — and maybe even profits.
Scouts with Troop 999 and Troop 4542 are working with the Putnam County Stamp Club to earn merit badges in stamp collecting and crafting. The club regularly receives donated stamp collections for scouts to add to their collections or use in craft projects.
This month, the scouts may have uncovered a real treasure. According to stamp club organizer Scott Zimmerman, one item in a recently donated collection appears to be a 1940s Chinese stamp with a printing error.
“Not every error is valuable,” said Zimmerman. “But it does make it more collectible.”
Another potentially valuable item is a late-1800s stamp from Nepal.
“It looks like the collector specialized in Asian stamps,” Zimmerman said. “We’ll let the scouts use their research skills to see if there are any other clues in the collection.”
Beyond potential value, the stamps also provide educational opportunities.
“Foreign stamps use different languages and even different alphabets,” said Zimmerman. “So the scouts learn to recognize different symbols and letters from different countries.”
The scouts also use stamps in craft projects such as bookmarks, birdhouses, and picture frames.
The Putnam County Stamp Club is open to anyone interested in learning more about stamp collecting, though scouts will have first choice at this month’s meeting as they decide whether to sell the stamps or add them to their personal collections.
The club meets Thursday, May 28, at 6 p.m. in the Putnam County Library, 103 E. Poplar Street. For more information contact Scott Zimmerman at scottzimmerman429@gmail.com or 765/935-5096.
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