Gifts from the government

Southern Living, May 1996 by Thomas, Les

The next time you're visiting Washington, D.C., don't forget to take a gift from the government home with you. And if you can't make it to D.C., just call.

How about some commemorative coins for the 1996 Olympic Games, a stamp with your favorite movie star on it, or a Civil War photograph taken by Mathew Brady? If you are looking for coins, stamps, and photographs, you've come to the right place. There's plenty to go around, often at a bargain price.

Here's where to find them.

* Photographs from the National Archives: Write or visit the research room, National Archives and Records Administration, Still Picture Branch, Room 5050, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; or call (301) 713-6625, ext. 234. You can order an 8 x 10 black and white print by famed photographer Mathew Brady or one of the other photographic treasures from the National Archives for as little as $12.

The Still Picture Branch of the National Archives maintains a collection of more than 8 million national images, a vast photograph album that dates back to the mid19th century. Holdings range from Civil War photographs of Atlanta, Richmond, and other Southern cities to military posters from World War II.

You can visit the Still Picture Branch to research and order photographs Monday through Saturday. You can also request e information by phone Monday through Friday. After you select what you want, you are given information about ordering a photograph from one of the nine vendors who make reproductions that are sold to the public. Cost varies, but the basic charge for an 8 x 10 black and white print is about $12. Orders generally take at least two weeks to fill.

"If someone calls and says, `I'm looking for a photograph of my grandfather's ship, the U.S.S. Missouri,' they don't have to travel 2,000 miles to find it," advises Fred Pernell, assistant branch chief for reference. "But if your request requires extensive research, it's better to come in."

* Money From the Mint Stop by the United States Mint Sales Center at Union Station, 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE. (open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m. Sunday); (202) 289-0609. Or call for the Mint Gift Collection catalog, 1-800-872-6468.

You'll find 1995 proof coin sets ($12.50) and Commemorative 1996 Olympic proof coin sets ($300). There's a watch pendant with a face fashioned from a Roosevelt dime ($160) and a silver American Eagle money clip ($20). The Mint also offers items for youngsters, such as an Olympic Young Collectors Set ($13.95). It contains an uncirculated half-dollar commemorative coin packaged with an easy-to-read history of basketball.

Some shops at Union Station also specialize in stamps, photographs, and coins for collections. Post Impressions frames stamps in categories such as aviation, baseball, and horses. Prices start at around $35; (202) 842-1119 or 1-800-4845228. The Artists Proof sells matted and framed photographs of historical subjects and famous figures such as Mark Twain and Albert Einstein. Prices for 8 x 10 matted photographs start at $14.95; (202) 409830.

* Stamp Some Memoes. While you're at Union Station, drop by the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, located next door in the old Washington, D.C. Post Office; (202) 6339360. See some of the world's rarest stamps. Then start your own collection with a visit to the museum's stamp shop or a call to the Philatelic Fulfillment Service Center of the U.S. Postal Service, 1-800-782-6724 (many post offices in large cities also have a philatelic window with stamps and information collectors, and smaller post offices have some materials).

Request a copy of the booklet "Introduction to Stamp Collecting" that's available free to the public. The informative 30-page guide tells how to mount stamps for a collection and explains the different kinds of stamps that are available.

You should also request a free copy of "Stamps, Etc.," a catalog issued every three months that lists the latest commemorative stamps and other related products, such as albums, mounts, and panels with text that gives the historical background for commemorative stamps.

More than 30 subjects were chosen by a citizens' advisory commit tee for 1996 stamps. They range from Garden Flowers to the 1996 Centennial Games (classic collection) that will be unveiled in May.

Stamps cancelled on the first day of issue by the unveiling post office along with programs from the ceremony are valued by collectors. For example, one recent catalog item includes a program from the unveiling of the Marilyn Monroe stamp and 20 first-day cancellation stamps for $9.95.

You can also order many other items, from a complete hardbound volume containing all the commemorative stamps of the year (last year's edition sold for $39.95) down to a single 32-cent stamp. There is a $3.20 charge for postage and handling.Les Thomas