^Lot 492 Ayn Rand

Unusual ALS signed “A.,” one page both sides, 5.25 x 8.5, no date, but circa 1971, with four cancelled postage stamps affixed to the pages: two Italian and one Swiss on the first page and one British postage stamp on the other. Rand asks a friend bound for Europe to obtain for her postage stamps from Italy, Switzerland, England, France, Iceland, and Liechtenstein for her stamp collection. In full:

“Italy [50 Lire stamp affixed] ? This series: I need denominations of: 1 Lira – 80 L – 130 L. Same design, but series of the 1950’s: 12L – 13L. [30 Lire stamp affixed] ? Michelangelo series (early 1960’s): I need: 1L – 25 L.

Switzerland [50 stamp affixed] ? This series (buildings); I need denominations of: 1.30 (inscribed ‘Biel Bienne’) – 1.70 (inscribed ‘Einsiedeln’) – 3.30 (inscribed ‘Liestal’) – 2.50 (inscribed ‘Zug’). (I have all the Swiss stamps of 1970-71.)

England [9d stamp affixed] ? This series (of the 1950’s). I need denominations of 10d – 11d (‘d’ stands for ‘pence’) Issues of 1969: A larger stamp inscribed ‘Telecommunications’ 9d. Christmas (1969) stamp: denomination 4d. (I have all the British stamps of 1970-71).

France – I have all the stamps of 1968-71.
Iceland – I have the 1970 landscape stamps.
Liechtenstein – I have no current stamps, so any would be welcome. Thank you – and have a good time. (Please do not hunt for any of the above stamps, if they are not available at the post office.)” There are penciled notations (“several” “two watermarks are diff”) and cross-outs of stamp denominations by her colleague who undoubtedly used Rand’s letter as a check-list as the stamps desired were obtained. Central horizontal and vertical fold and scattered light toning and wrinkling, otherwise fine condition. Rand was an avid stamp collector. In 1971, about the time she wrote the manuscript here offered, the Minkus Stamp Journal published ‘Why I Like Stamp Collecting’ by Ayn Rand.