AIDS on Stamps

Local Post Stamps

Historically, local posts were limited postal services operating within a region, city, or even a single transportation route, sometimes privately and sometimes by a government. Today, many hobbyists have taken advantage of postal laws covering local posts to create their own local post. These hobbyist local posts typically do not carry any mail, but do allow them to attach their own stamps and cancellation marks to the lower-left corner of envelopes. More information is available on the Local Post Collectors Society website.

Because hobbyist local posts have no value per se (ie; not valid for postage anywhere except in their hobby postal service), it can be extremely difficult to obtain their stamps. Philatelists who want to add these stamps to their collection may want to contact the "local post postmaster" directly.

Special thanks also goes to Joe Frasketi for his assistance with this page. It would not exist without his efforts.

If you know of any additional local postal stamps, please e-mail me so I can add them to the list.

Doc's Local Post

1989

Doc's Local Post, operated be R. E. Nichol, is an Oregon-based local post. I know little about it, but he did release this stamp in 1989. The stamp is an "F" stamp at the "Ripoff Rate" that says "AIDS Local" and "Doc's Local Post 1989" on it. I am currently working on getting more information about this stamp.

On a completely personal level, I must say that I am highly impressed to see local posts addressing the issue of AIDS as early as 1989. It makes me wonder if there may be posts that did so even earlier, possibly even beating the earliest government-issued AIDS stamp releases in 1988.

Dragonfly Dream Local Post (website)

Date Unknown

Dragonfly Dream Local Post, operated by Alice Kitselman, is the local post for the imaginary country of Zygopterra. The stamp features a red ribbon on a rainbow background with the words "Fight A.I.D.S. Not People With A.i.D.S." It has a face value of 96 Zygopterra (US?) cents and identifies the local post as Dragonfly Dream. Kitselman, according to her website, operates her post as form of artistic expression using mail and postage stamps as the medium.

Enotria Local Post (about ELP)

1993

Enotria Post, operated by Joe Lo Preiato, is named after a wine-growing region of Italy along the Gulf of Taranto. Lo Prieato uses his post to celebrate or memorialize themes that are both important to him, the local post community, and the world at large. He also enjoys creating a variety of topical stamps. He tries to make his stamps appear as "real" as possible, even to the point of adding simulated perforations.

The stamp is a very mild pink (salmon?) and says "World AIDS Day" acros the top along with a date of December 1, 1993. There is a small ribbon on it, along with a condom grabbing at the word "AIDS". At the bottom the stamp says "Enotria Local Post" with a value of 25 cents.

Terra Candella Local Post (about TCLP)

1988

Terra Candella Local Post, operated by artist Harley (no last name) is the the local post for the imaginary land of Terra Candella. Harley creates much of the artwork on his stamps including the art picture on this issue.

The AIDS stamp has a rather unusual artwork design on it that defies easy description. It says AIDS in vertical letters on the right side of the stamp with a value of 5 + 5 suggesting it may be a semi-postal stamp. It is unclear if this stamp was issued in 1991, or whether it is simply postmarked that year. (The front of the envelope has an unrelated local issue stamp that is also postmarked as the first day of issue, implying that the AIDS stamp had been previously released at some point.)