• • • Vintage Postal Finds • • •
Here at LWA, we get a lot of emails asking about where people can find great vintage postal stuffs. In an effort to supply members with some really great items, we’ve curated a little collection of our favorites gathered from yard sales, library shops and that great online junque sale, eBay. We really enjoy being able to offer these to you. They are mostly one of a kind items; so when they’ve sold, they’re gone.
We also offer vintage stamps.

The world of mail box banks is a wide and wondrous one. Just look at these red beauties! The “Mail” drawer lifts up to accept carefully folded packages of dollar bills. There is a slot cut into the front which accommodates any coin the size of a quarter or smaller. But it could hold whatever you’d like to put in it, really. I keep fortunes from cookies in mine. The banks are about 3.5 inches high and make an excellent statement in glorious red for your letter-writing area. One does have its key still attached, but you can open them with a long fingernail or a key. (I didn’t say they were Fort Knox banks, did I?)

Two Available: $20.00 with key, $15.00 without key

Sometimes I find things that are really hard for me to put up for sale, but my apartment only has so much space. This is a patterned glass window with beveled edges from an old Post Office, back when they had a separate line just for buying stamps. The glass is slightly chipped on the edges and some of the paint is worn away, but I can still see it in its dark wood home, above the head of a natty postal clerk in smart uniform. Sigh. It’s currently on display on my writing desk, but it could certainly be hung in a frame or incorporated into a cabinet, et cetera.

$100.00

Any extra fee may be added for shipping insurance for this item since it is glass. You will be asked for approval before we charge anything additional.

Based on rate changes, I think this stamp keeper box dates from sometime between 1963 and 1968. It was probably a promotional item based on the small "National Chemsearch" text on the front of the box. It was definitely designed for desktop storage. The lid hinges up to reveal four compartments for holding stamps and a rate guide on the inside of the lid. Of course, you don’t have to keep stamps in it. It could hold a number of things; paper clips, small rocks, coins, pins, really, really tiny elephants, whatever. But I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to put stamps in it.

$30.00

Our other specimen of bank has an extra fancy paint scheme along with some official U.S. Mail logos. Those airmail striped legs and that red airplane are something I’ve yet to see in any other bank I’ve come across. It doesn’t have the pull-down drawer of most mail banks, but there is a slot cut into the front which accommodates any coin the size of a quarter or smaller. The key is lost, but the front can still be opened up with a coin or butter knife. It measures 3.5 inches high and 3 inches wide or thereabouts.

$25.00, without key

I live in a world where people no longer carry stamps with them for philatelic emergencies, but I’d like to see that change. I certainly like have a stamp available whenever I need one. In fact, at Renegade in San Francisco, Kathy asked “You wouldn’t happen to have a random stamp on you?” Of COURSE I did! You can be as prepared as I with this super-stylish .925 sterling silver envelope stamp locket. It has a divider in the middle to keep the different denominations from mixing. Sadly, newer, adhesive backed stamps don’t fit nicely, but the older gummed ones fit fine.

$50.00

We get a lot of questions at L.W.A. regarding letter storage. Back in the letter heyday, they had this all under control with fancy, fileable boxes. Designed to mimic leather-bound ledger book spines, this letter file box is perfect for cataloging and securing your piles of unruly correspondence. Inside the box are alphabetically labeled file sheets for your organizational pleasure and it closes with a metal twist hinge. I wouldn’t trust these vintage boxes to be archival at all; so be sure to protect your letters in acid free tissue or Mylar (if you’re concerned about that sort of thing) before placing them in the box.

$15.00, 4 available

We found another one! This vintage brass scale and stamp dispenser would look great on any letter-lovers desk. At about 7 inches long and 4 inches wide, its velvet-lined bottom won’t take up too much of your precious letter writing space and your stamps will always be close at hand. The dispenser is very easy to fill. Just lift the top and pop in a roll and you’re ready to lick and stick to your heart’s delight. Plus, if you aren’t quite sure if you need extra postage, use the handy scale for a quick check. More than 1.5 ounces and you will need another stamp. Fortunately, you’ll know right where you left them. (There is a small amount of paint loss on the top; so this goodie is being offered at less than the first one we sold.)

$25.00

When I say “miniature”, I mean it. These books are only about an inch and a half high to two inches long. Somehow, the makers managed to put an entire year of dates and important holidays and moon phases in this tiny space. What’s more, each book also has a special place to hold stamps inside. Two are for 1927 and one is for 1936.

Three to choose from:
1) The one from 1936 has red and black printing with beautiful moon phase depictions. Its stamp holder is an insert of glassine pages in the center of the book. $20.00

2) The purple book from 1927 has a fantastically textured and embossed cover with gold embellishments. It’s printed in red and black with some “helpful” almanac-style lists in the front such as which anniversary gifts are appropriate based on the year. $20.00

3) The red book from 1927 is the smallest of the lot. It’s also printed in red and black, but it’s more of a listing of days than an appointment book. Its glassine stamp holder also has a sweet little band around it reading “Stamps”. $20.00

I’m constantly amazed by the amount of unused, amazing supplies I manage to find. For example, these beautiful boxes of Dennison’s Sealing Wax. Each stick is so neatly molded and has stood up well over the years. There are some minor cracks in some sticks, and there are definitely variations in the colors from stick to stick even when they claim to be the same color. Words of warning, newer sealing waxes have been formulated to make sealing things easier and hold up better in the mail. I haven’t used any of these yet, but I would recommend if you do use it to seal a letter, wrap that inside another envelope before mailing to protect the seal.

Three to choose from:
Single stick, non-metallic - $4.00
Single stick, metallic -$5.00
Boxed set, mixed, $15.00

Made by the Aladdin company and given the Good Housekeeping seal of approval, this metal lunchbox has survived with only minimum wear. There are few spots of rust, but overall, this lunchbox is in great condition. The paint scheme features the Red, White and Blue of the U.S.P.S. as well as a great depiction of our favorite mail mascot, Mr. Zip! There is even a painted-on mailbox flag. While I can't say I would recommend keeping food in it, this would be a great place to store your letter writing or mail art materials. You could keep pens and stamps in the thermos even! I'll be sad to let this treasure go, but I know any L.W.A. member would give it a proper home.

$45
With matching thermos, $75

Boxed set of "handy" postcards with the Navy insignia. I come across Navy mail items the most in my searches, then Air Force, and rarely Army. I could conjecture that it may have something to do with the fact that in your down time on a ship, you are still on a ship, which can limit your activities. Writing home was a great {IS A GREAT} way to fill that time. These cards are in excellent condition, no age spots or fading. There are 38 in the box.

$15

From Board Game Geek: "Stampin' is a game approved by the U.S. Postal Service. The object is to collect sets of four stamps. You'll need to "wheel and deal" to get the cards you need. And, you'll need to manage your cash flow so that you can buy stamps, as well as win auctions along the way. The game comes with a book about stamp collecting, and has many pictures of actual stamps in game play." This a complete and mint condition game. The cards have never even been punched out of their frames. The box claims that it is "educational and entertaining." I'm a tad skeptical about their claim, but I do know that the game includes some of my favorite stamps of all time. I think it'd be a really good way to introduce kids to stamp collecting.

$20

This is an amazing mechanical postman bank. He's made of plastic and in fine condition. When you press the red button, a hand comes out and grabs your coin, dragging it back into the bank. It's funny, but kinda creepy too. I love the mustache! Everything is in working shape. I couldn't ever get the device to trigger just by placing the coin on the red button, but I could press it and then place the coin and the hand would come get it.

$60

This is much larger bank than the typical mailbox bank that I get. It's 9 inches tall and 4.5 inches deep and wide. Meant for big savers I suppose. It has a slot for coins and you can insert larger bills or teeny-tiny packages through the pull-down drawer. It has a label posting the "Hours of Collection" just like a real mail box. The leg is a little bent, but that doesn't keep the box from standing proudly. Alas, it has lost its key and the front piece likes to fall off if you don't keep a little piece of tape on it, but honestly, I never see those things when I look at it. I just see a perfect-sized mailbox for gnomes.

$40

This is a uniform tie clip to keep your unruly, deregulation tie in line with the rest of your fellows at the old P.O. Express your love of the U.S.P.S. officially, and look daper while you do! I think this would be grand to wear, but I find it to be equally stylish when used to hold letters together in one's inbox. You could probably rig it into all kinds of different tasks, as a hair ornament for example.

$25

Forget that boring old paper clip holder; toss that plastic baggie you’ve been keeping rubber bands in. It’s time to organize those little bits and bobs of office supply in proper letter writing style with these fantastic mail boxes. Each is about 2 inches by 2 inches square and around 4 inches high, about the same size as a typical paper clip holder. They come in a sweet little grassy enclosure for perfect organization of your organizers! Now you just have to decide what class of mail binder clips fall under.

$15

First of all, this is probably the most hilarious mail-themed item I have ever come across. Secondly, you have to love Avon’s philosophy of “We make subpar fragrances, but we put them in awesome packaging!” This is a real show stopper of a package too. The box is designed to look like a mail box, and its back panel actually contains some rather good historical information about the postal service. They rock the pun as well, labeling this as “Extra Special Male” which totally cracks me up. The bottle of aftershave is a real treasure. It’s a beautiful cobalt blue and shaped just like a mail truck, with a white plastic topper and super fancy eagle decal. A word of warning, this bottle is still full of aftershave, and there is an odor to the piece. It’s not horrible, but it is there. It’s up to you. Who knows, maybe you’ll like the smell of “Extra Special Male.”

$25