Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Motorcycle sta",p collecting made easy Russ D"rnell~s sticky business By Rex Reese Mention Russ Darnell's name and it's pretty easy to associate him with his motocross schools. After all, next to Gary Bailey, Russ has been teaching kids to do bermshots and crossups longer than anybody else. It's a reputation that's been years in the making. But Russ Darnell, a philatelist~ This is also true. And he's been doing it almost as long as he's been riding motorcycles, but only recently has his hol;>by become a serious business enterprise. But waitl Real men don't collect stamps, do they? Oh, yes they do. "I was about II when my parents bought me a big bag o[ stamps [or Christmas," explains Darnell about his entrance into philately - stamp collecting to the rest o[ us. "It was a stocking stu[fer. And when I was. 14 or 15. I discovered that there were also motorcycle stamps." Young Russell was already an experienced o[{-road rider when he spotted the motorcycle stamp, which hap- pened to be a United States Postal Service Special Delivery issue with a Pope and its rider on the [ace. Issued in 1922, Darnell savs that this was the first U.S. motorcycle stamp, and it was distributed until the early 1940s. Russ added that the second motorcycle stamp issued by the Postal Service was last year; a five cent bulk mail stamp which oddly enough also [eatures a Pope. "It's kind o[ strange," he observes, "since the Pope never saw widespread or popular use." But that hardly matters. Darnell picked up a plastic stamp holder which contained a pair o[ U.S. Special Delivery stamps. It was explained that this was a 1927 issue, but something was wrong with them which made them very valuable: the allimportant perforation between the stamps was missing. "This is the greatest rarity in motorcycle stamps," Darnell says. "There are only 50 pairs o[ these which are known to exist." Printing errors and scarcity brings up a good point which happens to attract many people to stamp collecting - ·the lack o[ a perforation on this particular pair of stamps makes them worth $500. This [act of life about stamps makes collecting them potentially lucrative, not only as investments but as works o[ art in their own right. "Over the past 50 years," explains Darnell, "fine art, such as Old World masterpieces, have appreciated 3500 percenL But stamps, during the same period have appreciated 34 thousand percent! A stamp valued at $500 can appreciate 50 to 100 percent a year forever." Early on, Russ was aware of the financial possibilities at stake and was an active trader and buyer, continually building his collection with choice finds. "In high school, it wasn't cool to be a stamp collector," recalls Darnell. "So I had the opportunity to buy up some very good collections for 10 or 15 dollars. One of those collections .that I purchased in 1960 is now worth about $14,000." By being diligent through the years, and knowledgeable in his trading, Russ Darnell lays claim to having in his possession the largest collection o[ motorcycle stamps and related philatelic items in the world. This has also made Russ the foremost authority on the subject, and other stamp companies and philatelic organizations contact him for information relating to motorcycle stamps. What is it that attracts people to stamps? After all, stamp collecting is the most popular hobby in the United States if not the world. "Stamps in general are basically picture stories," explains Darnell. "They provide stories o[ events.. And in thematic collecting you might have a great interest in dolls or cars, but in my case it's motorcycles. A lot of people who collect motorcycles never get to see their sport represented in any form o[ art. You don't go to a museum and see pictures o[ Joel Robert or Roger DeCoster, but I see motocross as an art form - in [act there's art in every form o[ motorcycle sports. So stamps are a way that motorcycling is depicted by great artists. They're put on envelopes which go all over the world." To reinforce his point of view, Darnell has spread across a table in his house a dizzying array of stamps, of which there is (no kidding) a motorcycle stamp of some kind [rom virtually every part of the world. Many are very colorful, such as those from European countries, and they are intricately designed. And then there are stamps that are [rom places you've not only never heard 0[, you can'teven think they even know what a motorcycle is. Ever heard of Ajman? The stamp from this obscure Arab country shows a rider on a Triumph TR-5 going full clip through the desert. Darnell explains that in the theme of motorcycling, stamps primarily depict usage, in many cases with the motorcycle as a utility vehicle, such as mail delivery. "Many stamps are express mail or special delivery.. After tha t, it's road raci ng, bu t very few stamps depict motocross." According to Russ, of all the countries which issue motorcycl~ sports stamps, Mongolia, strangely enough, has the most extensive issue. Included in the Mongolian issue is ice racing, road racing, tourist trophy (IT), as well as motocross; this is in spite of the fact that none of these events ever take place in that country. "Many Communist countries issue stamps like that to acquire hard cash from Westerners," explains Darnell. "Still, some of the Eastern bloc countries have real good motorcycle thematics. For example, one issue from Czechoslovakia commemorates on the ISDT, another the 1955 European Motocross Championships at Molokov." And of the stamps which fill the "utility" category, besides the usual mail delivery issues, Darnell owns a pair of dubious commemoratives from Nazi Germany. One is a cancelled 1938 Reich issue, depicting Nazi troops in sidecars in recognition of Hitler's light infantry. Another is of a Kiuenrad motorcycle halftrack in baule action, cresting a hill, crushing the enemy in its path. Darnell went on to show that not all motorcycle stamps have motorcycles; some feature those who rode them. One issue [rom Yemen, is called the "Cham pions o[ Motorsport_" This series o[ five stamps has the portraits of such legendary riders as Phil Read, Bill Ivy and Giacomo Agostini. But don't expect to see any stamps with the portraits o[ Kenny Roberts or Brad Lackey just yet. And when these stamps ever arrive, they won't be coming [rom the U.S. "In our society," explains Russ, "motorcycles aren't highly regarded. In Europe and other countries they have a horsepower tax because [uel is very costly, so motorcycles are accepted as a legitimate mode o[ transportation. Here in the U.S., it's just becoming so." America isn 'tthe only country that ignores motorcycling, continues Russ; there are some countries which have yet to issue any stamps on this theme. Included, are many Scandinavian countries, surprisingly enough Sweden, which has produced many motorcycle racing champions. "But, Torsten Hallman (the 250 World Champion in 1962, '63. '66and '67) is on a stamp [rom East Germany," he said. . Like any serious collector, Darnell has managed to acquire his share of rarities. The un perforated pair o[ 1927 U.S. Special Delivery stamps is one example, Russ points out, but a (Contmued to page 16)

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