One of the most attractive sets ever produced is the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Postal Union set issued by Sweden in 1924. This set is attractively designed and engraved and has been on most collector’s short list of favorite stamps. But, there is another reason to acquire a set if you don’t already have it. The UPU was set up in 1874 and was one of the first successful examples of international cooperation. The UPU agreements enabled smooth carriage of mail, reduced rates and speedier communications. I wrote about the UPU in my May 6th post (which I didn’t realize at the time was the 170th anniversary of the Penny Black being issued as the world’s first stamp and which made the UPU indispensable). As we come closer to the UPU centennial you can bet that the world will be ginning up the production mill for UPU commemoratives. I wouldn’t be surprised to see this set start moving in price very soon.
