How I Created "My Story"

I’ve collected various countries with which I identify. Initially, I thought of a comparative national chronology between Argentina and the USA … but they are widely different and nothing really stuck out for me or it was too overwhelming.

Then I won a collection in an auction and discovered US Revenue stamps. Initially I focused on the beginnings of Revenue stamps (i.e. Civil War era, 1862-1875) but it also became a bit overwhelming. I then found that U.S. Revenue stamps were reinstated for the Spanish-American War (1898-1902) and this period was a bit more interesting and exciting to me and more manageable, i.e. while the Civil War almost destroyed America, the Spanish-American War turned the USA into a global power.

So, my story started as a chronological review of US Revenue stamps of the 1898-1902 period:

  • starting with the initial overprints of regular issues

    →

    new designs, including the popular “battleship” stamps

  • to the various anti-counterfeiting paper and separation methods

  • and finally to the private die proprietary stamps.

I had the vast majority of the stamps and supplemented these with examples of documentary stamp use and precanceled documentary, proprietary (including the transition of some businesses to private die proprietary) issues, and even a trade card (ephemera) of one of the businesses.

It made for a good story with a :

  • strong beginning - the sinking of the US battleship, the USS Maine, quickly lead to the start of war between Spain and the United States (The Spanish-American War)

  • a relatively strong middle - several methods had to be used to thwart counterfeiting

  • and perhaps a somewhat lingering end

    - which could have highlighted the war's conclusion, the transition of territories, and/or the long legislative legacy of the 1898 War Revenue Act.

But it took up 2 – 16 pages frames so I was happy with it at the time.

My “New Story” ...

Aimed to enhance the "lingering end" of my initial exhibit. After doing much research on the Spanish-American Era (1898-1902), my new story transitions to the impact that war had on certain:

  • personalities

    • Theodore Roosevelt, the 36th US President

  • territories acquired by USA

    during this period

    • Cuba – provisional stamps and Roosevelt/Battle of San Juan Hill commemoratives

    • Puerto Rico – provisional stamps

    • Hawaii – provisional stamps and Roosevelt precancels

    • Philippines – provisional stamps and Battle of Manila Bay

    • Guam - US overprints

  • events

    • Battle of San Juan Hill, Cuba

    • Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines

    • building of the Panama Canal (1904-1914) and the Canal Zone

… with the backdrop of how these things resulted in the USA becoming international super power.

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