State Parks: Stamps and Postcards

People outside of the huge community of collectors often view the postage stamp as a necessary utilitarian item. To mail a letter, card, package or postcard requires the purchase of postage. The large family of collectors view stamps in an entirely different way.

Stamp collectors are usually very passionate and knowledgeable about their hobby. There are many genres of stamps available to the collector: Historical sites, domestic, international, whimsical (such as Disney), celebrities and other notables, presidents, state flowers, state birds, state parks and a host of others. Devils Lake State Park, Baraboo, Wisconsin, and Elm Lake, Brazos Bend State Park, Needville, Texas are among the many state park designs that appear on postage stamps.

Many postcard collectors are frequent travelers and vacationers who send postcards and have collections of postcards reminiscent of places they visit, including state parks. Postcards with images of Bennett Spring State Park, Brice, Missouri show real photographs of the park.

A browse through the gift shops and tourist centers at state parks is a real treat for the postcard and stamp collector. Images on postcards and stamps of state park focal points raises a real awareness of the abundance and beauty of the natural resources in the United States.

It is not hard to imagine the rush of adrenalin felt by postcard and stamp collectors who happen upon these items depicting the category of their choice – state parks – at estate sales, antique shops or auctions, either on site or at on-line auctions, such as eBay.