Signed, Sealed and Delivered
P.I. Postage Stamps

If you can't lick 'em, join 'em, I guess. These are actual postage stamps by real countries. Honest!

Or at least sorta. Some countries have legitimate reasons for honouring various detectives on postal stamps, such as France honouring Nestor Burma.

But others, well, some countries print postage stamps solely to sell to collectors. Nicaragua, for instance. Can anyone tell me what claim Nicaragua has on Sam Spade or Perry Mason? Or even where the hell San Marino is? And what the hell's wrong with the U.S.? I mean, I think it's cool to have a stamp honouring Humphrey Bogart, but none for Chandler or Hammett? Task-task...

If this topic interests you, do not hesitate -- head right on over to Detective Fiction on Stamps. Stamp guru Steve Tussel maintains this fascinating site focussing on, like the title says, "Detective Fiction on Stamps." It's a relatively small topic, but over a dozen countries have issued postage stamps (and other philatelic items), hoping to cash in on the lucrative collector's market, mostly, connected to or commemorating fictional detectives and/or their authors.

	Sam Spade Nicaragua Date of issue: 1972		Philip Marlowe Nicaragua Date of issue: 1972
	Sherlock Holmes Nicaragua Date of issue: 1972		Perry Mason Nicaragua Date of issue: 1972
	Nestor Burma France Date of issue: 1996		Nero Wolfe San Marino Date of issue: 1979

Thanks to Steve Tussel, who runs Detective Fiction on Stamps