Making Light of Stamp Collecting

Short Description
the Elvis stamps, one might easily for-. get that stamp collecting can be an en- … Several stamps in her. optics-related collection are depicted on the …

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Content
I Light Touch
Making Light of Stamp Collecting
With all the hoopla in past months over
the Elvis stamps, one might easily forget
that stamp collecting can be an enjoyable
and educational hobby. Optical
phenomena, optics devices, and the history
of optics and photonics can all be
found in the fascinating world of philately.
Although the 1993 U.S. stamps
to be issued include the circus, musicians,
flowers, horses, and only one scientist-
Percy Lavon Julian, an African
American scientist and chemist whose
work led to developments in the treatment
of glaucoma-there is hope elsewhere
for those seeking optics on
stamps. In January 1993 alone, worldwide
there were seven astronomy issues,
three for light houses, and two for
mathematics.’
One of the most often pictured optical
devices on stamps is the magnifying
lens, universally used by collectors.
The most unusual case is one of F.D.
Roosevelt, who was a stamp collector,
holding his lens. Upon close examination,
he has six fingers. Other interesting
design errors make looking for them
a hobby in itself. The U.S. stamp to
honor Apollo 11 shows Neil Armstrong
on the moon with the Earth in the sky
beyond. Unfortunately, the wrong part…