Philately will get us nowhere!
An estate sale company for an invitation-only sale called in Zander and me to view what was presented as a hoarder house. We had no idea what to expect, other than knowing that the woman running the sale would never take anything truly disgusting. We’d come prepared with bags, sheets (used to cover our finds and keep others out), “sold” stickers (for any larger items), and gloves (just in case). Although cluttered, the living conditions hadn’t been bad. We scooped up many treasures we’re looking forward to selling in the coming weeks. Things too delicate to expose to the dirt field at Elephant’s Trunk we’ll sell on this site, with pricing provided in the captions.
We love books but know we aren’t going to get Bookfinder prices at a flea market, so we seldom spend time at estate sales poring over shelves. This sale was different, since I knew that anything we left behind would likely wind up in a dumpster. On the first pass, I snagged The International Postage Stamp Album from 1897 and an oblong book called Imperial Stamp Album. I paused long enough to make sure there were a few stamps pasted inside before scooping them up and allowing my mind to wander to radio shows and short stories in which bazillion-dollar stamps were critical plot points.
About an hour later, I spotted two shoeboxes on a closet shelf with “STAMPS” written on the top of one. The larger one contained canceled stamps from the 1970s, and the other was filled with pre-WWII stamps, all loosely sorted by country. Seeing stamps from around the world that had been canceled in the late 1800s turned out to be strangely fascinating. As a hobby, I never thought of it other than as a plot point, yet I still find myself marveling at these small snapshots of history.
Discovering an uncanceled Confederate stamp evoked a childhood memory of that Little House on the Prairie episode in which Pa Ingalls inherited all that worthless Confederate cash. Turns out ol’ Jefferson Davis is worth $15 today. Sounds about right. Good thing we didn’t risk the farm…
We know that some say this hobby is going the way of buggy whips and opera glasses but we welcome any information you can share.
This lovely sticker was released only two months before the Titanic sank.
I know that these are stickers and not stamps, but they're too cool not to share.
According to the internet, this Jefferson Davis stamp pre-dates when stamps were perforated.
Man landed on the moon on my second birthday (July 20, 1969), so I've always been a fan of Space Age nostalgia.
Many of the stamps were intentionally franked.
If only ALL collections could be contained in such a small space!
Sample spreads from both albums. Many stamps were loosely sorted, but not glued. The ones that are glued are hinge-mounted to the pages with strips of paper so as not to damage the glue on the stamp. Today collectors prefer hingeless mounts (clear chemically neutral plastic holders).
NBAS is a compact identity that does not explain its subject on its own. I would first look for a description that helps a reader understand the educational context without expanding the initials by guesswork. That is how I approach NBAS education resources. A useful resource should make its purpose visible and give someone a clear reason to choose it. I like the moment when an unfamiliar name becomes connected to a specific question rather than remaining only an attractive label.
The subject of exploring the paths taken by graduates feels more interesting when there is room for a reader to stop and ask their own questions. A career story can show the changes and decisions that a short job title leaves out. That connection helps me see why graduate career pathways can be worth a closer look. I am more curious about the process than a polished result, because the steps in between are usually where questions appear. Which questions would make an interview with a graduate useful for current students?
The topic of finding agreement through respectful discussion gives me a few things to think about, especially when the discussion moves beyond general advice. Listening for a shared concern can make disagreement easier to work through. It gives me a more concrete starting point for thinking about consensus building skills. The part I would like to explore further is what happens when the idea meets a real situation with its own limitations. What helps a group move towards a decision while keeping different views visible?
Thinking about keeping educational competitions enjoyable, I find the smaller practical questions more interesting than a quick conclusion. A challenge can be motivating when the experience matters alongside the final result. I would use that point as a starting question when considering student learning competitions. I would probably come back to this question after trying to work through one concrete example rather than deciding immediately. How can a competition reward curiosity and persistence as well as correct answers?
I find developing practical IT skills in Bielsko easier to think about when there is a concrete question to start from. Solving a small real problem can make a technical lesson easier to remember. That connection helps me see why IT skills in Bielsko can be worth a closer look. I can imagine different answers depending on the situation, so I would want to understand the context before drawing conclusions. What beginner project would connect classroom IT skills with everyday use?