As one of the people who have worked for years to get a Duke Kahanamoku stamp, Sandra Hall expects tomorrow's first-day-of-issue ceremonies for the stamp to be an emotional experience. Duke Kahanamoku stamp
Where to buy
sure to be a winner
Duke events
By Craig Gima
cgima@starbulletin.com"I'm going to take a big handkerchief because I'm going to think of Nadine (Kahanamoku's wife) and shed a tear," said Hall, who co-wrote a book on Kahanamoku.
Post offices in Hawaii are expecting to sell at least 1.7 million Duke Kahanamoku stamps beginning tomorrow, and officials here are scrambling to get more stamps, said Felice Broglio, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service.
"The first week will be the most. Everybody will be anxious to get it, and we'll have the most demand," she said. "I believe the Duke stamp will be a very popular stamp. It will have international appeal because of surfing."
Nationwide, about 62.8 million stamps are being distributed.
"Lots and lots of people love Duke Kahanamoku or love surfing. His stuff is really collectable," said Don Medcalf, president of Hawaiian Island Stamp & Coin.
However, Medcalf and other philatelists say you should not buy the stamp with the expectation that it will sell for more money later; you should buy it because you want a piece of history, they say.
"Very, very few people are thinking, 'I want to make bucks off of this stuff,'" said Kay Hoke, treasurer of the Hawaii Philatelic Society. "That's not a reason you collect this stuff."
At special postal stations set up at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Outrigger Waikiki Hotel tomorrow, first-day-of-issue cancellations will be available for those who buy the stamp. Also for sale will be envelopes known as cachets, or first-day covers.
Parking for the first-day-of-issue ceremonies at the Hilton will be available at the hotel and at the Hawai'i Convention Center for $3. A trolley will run from the convention center to the Hilton from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
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Buy stamp at all U.S. post offices
Monday, individually or in sheetsThe Duke Kahanamoku stamp will be sold individually or in sheets of 20 at all U.S. post offices on Monday.
It will be available in Honolulu post offices with ZIP codes beginning with 968 tomorrow and at special postal stations at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and Outrigger Waikiki Hotel, where the first-day-of-issue cancellation will also be available.
Stamps also can be ordered by phone at 800-STAMP-24 and online at www.usps.com beginning Monday.
The first-day-of-issue cancellation is also available for 30 days by sending a stamp affixed to an envelope inside a larger envelope to Duke Kahanamoku Commemorative Stamp, Postmaster, 3600 Aolele St., Honolulu, HI 96820-9999.
The Postal Service will cancel the stamp and mail the envelope back to you or to another address. All orders must be postmarked by Sept. 23.
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation for one year after the stamp's issuance.
The items are offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. A free catalog is available by calling 800-STAMP-24 or by writing to Information Fulfillment, Dept. 6270, U.S. Postal Service, P.O. Box 219014, Kansas City, MO 64121-9014.
Related links: Olympic Committee Kahanamoku page U.S. Postal Service Kahanamoku page
U.S. Postal Service online storeOutrigger Duke Kahanamoku Foundation
