Stamp Collecting Starter Packs - Version 3.0!

So far, I've placed nine Stamp Collecting Starter Packs since March, mostly in our nearest neighbourhood free sidewalk library. Based on an outreach idea from NTSC's Lisa Tam, I can't be sure if it's the same person taking them all, the library owner saying 'get that out of my library' and to me, it doesn't really matter. I'm just putting them out there, knowing that the person visiting that library is at least interested in free stuff!

All nine were similar, filled with a mix of 50 topical and Canadian stamps that I thought would interest beginners of any age - the first four packs with an orange backing card, the next five with blue, and now a third batch with green. That means animals, space, transport topicals and recognizable Canadian subjects like RCMP,  scenery,  Olympics and definitely no admirals, Queens or back-of-the-book. Like any good stamp dealer, I seed the front of each pack with large, brightly-coloured stamps.

This third version of the starter pack has My First Stamp Album included, and today I placed three, and will be placing the other three of these in various free libraries around our neighbourhood. After requesting the starter albums from CSDA back in June, I picked up a few more at the recent Kingston BNAPS show. 

Then I wondered, "How are the new collectors going to affix the stamps in the album?". In one of the text boxes that appear on many pages in the album, there is one about how to use stamp hinges. Of course, sponsored by CSDA, they would like you to visit one of their dealers to buy some! But we're not quite there yet as beginners, so I decided to attach a glassine of 50 stamp hinges on that page, to go with the 50 stamps in the pack. 

An advantage of including the album is that a longer, taller pack will make the packs more prominent among the paperbacks in the sidewalk libraries, and the green backer makes it more eye-catching. The stamps are still visible, as is the word 'Album'. Out they go!