Official Marvel Comics Super Hero Stamp Album

Background

This stamp album was produced in 1976 by Celebrity Stamps, Inc. A DC comics set was produced at about the same time. The "stamps" were not actually official U.S. postage stamps, but were in fact simply "stickers".

The stamps (aka stickers) where sold separately in packs. There were six different packs which together comprised a complete set, so it appears that no trading was necessary - simply find the six packs and you're done.

Story Details

The book is 24 pages, with a matt cardboard staple-bound cover. There are 120 indicated points in the book for stamps to be placed. The internal content alternates "info" pages with "stamp" pages. The info pages provide simple character summaries, along with information about the comic in which the character first appeared.

The major Marvel characters (Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Hulk, Thor, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Iron Man) get dedicated pages each. In fact, Spider-Man gets the top billing with two whole pages for himself, and eleven stamps. Other minor characters (Daredevil, Conan, Power Man, Iron Fist, Sub-Mariner) have to share a page and must settle for a meagre two or three stamps each.

Six of the major characters (Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Hulk, Thor, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Iron Man) also get a special silver stamp, which features black line art, and is embossed to give a rather imposing effect.

General Comments

Overall, I feel that the format is effective, and this would have been a desirable item at the time.

On the info pages, the character profiles are well written, clearly by somebody who is familiar with the Marvel universe. On the flip-side, the six special silver stamps are very attractive, while the rest of the stamps are bright and appealing.

Overall Rating

This is a well-constructed product from the 70's which has aged gracefully to become an interesting collectible. I give it four webs.