‘Astonished by the response’ is how W Bro. Paul Doran, PProvAGSwdB of Parthenon Lodge No 7310 described the reaction to his appeal for used stamps for charity (see our report earlier this year here – https://pglm.org.uk/turning-used-stamps-into-charity-gold/). By setting up collection points at each Middlesex Masonic Centre, in just a few months, several kilos of stamps, which would otherwise have been discarded, have been collected for charity. An ingenious example of turning what would otherwise have been waste into much needed charitable funds.
Paul is appealing for the donations to continue, and for the Centre managers to ensure there is a visible collection box for the stamps to make it easy to donate. He said: “You can donate British, foreign, commemorative or Christmas stamps. Even everyday definitive stamps [featuring the King’s head] are collectible, as there are more than 1,700 varieties depending on printing methods, dates, values and so on. The used stamps are bought by dealers who pick out any unusual or valuable ones in very good condition to sell to collectors. They will look out for stamps with imperfections, such as faulty perforations (too many or too few), colouration, printing errors and any watermarks. A second-class stamp can be worth more if it has a fault! The rest are sold as used stamps for crafting or paper recycling. UK organisations that use stamps to raise money include Oxfam, Macmillan, Parkinson’s UK and the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). Some charities will also accept donations of stamp collections, which can be more lucrative.”
Keep a look out at your Masonic Centre and help this very worthy cause. If you need more particular information, please email pajdoran@aol.com
Thanks to W. Bro Ian Mitchell PProvSGD for the edit.