The Mystery of the Typewritten Stamps

You know Long Island? Not the one in New York, but the Long Island in the Gulf of Smyrna, off the coast of Greece?

Yeah, me neither. But it turns out that back in 1916, this little corner of the Mediterranean was occupied by the British Navy. For reasons that remain unclear, they promptly issued postage stamps written on typewriters. Here's a sample:

This one went on auction recently at the Colonial Stamp Company in Los Angeles (yes, an auction company specializing not in stamps, but in colonial stamps). It's described as "1d red typewritten on thin horizontally laid paper, initialed in red ink, while 881 were issued only 220 (11 sheets) were typed of the red top sheets, rare and undercatalogued as the issue is so seldom seen, imperf, four margins." The estimated bid price? $750. 

I was about to say something about how people were much more trusting in the past. I mean, a stamp anyone could duplicate on a typewriter? But then I thought about that price...once again, for something that anyone could duplicate on a typewriter. Maybe we're just as trusting now.

These stamps are definitely curiosities of history, but they're also something of a mystery. According to another stamp auction house, they were issued only from May 7 to May 26, 1916, but moreover "the status of these stamps is questionable, as the British force would have had free postage." 

In other words, it's quite possible that someone in the British Navy had a typewriter, some paper, and the desire to look busy. 

Typewriters: a 21st century technology?

Just noticed this one: John-Paul Flintoff writes for the (UK) Sunday Times on environmental topics and "green" technology. In an article entitled "Bring Back Low Tech and  Stop Climate Change" it occurs to him to combine profession and subject...by buying a manual typewriter. He even typecasts on it:

While noting that he's "fully aware of the irony of posting this on the internet, which will only be available to you so long as you, and some remote server, are burning up the fossil fuels," he makes two points about his new acquisition: 

• a.) it uses no electricity, and 
  
• b.)  putting it to use keeps a big ol' hunk of metal, plastic and rubber out of the dump.
  

"I hope it might inspire you to reclaim some specimen of beautifully made pre-digital low-tech before it's sent to the landfill," Flintoff writes.  

It's environmentally positive in a few other ways too, isn't it? This is off the top of my head:

• Toner cartridges versus typewriter ribbons. One is an expensive, intricate, proprietary delivery mechanism for powdered chemicals. The other is a strip of cloth dipped in ink.
• Less paper used. Yes, really. You might think that having to retype would lead to more wasted pages, but in my experience the opposite is true. On the computer, I find myself often printing out drafts, because it's just the touch of a button. On a typewriter, you think twice.
• Extended lifespan of computers. If you're using your writing machine to write, you're using your computer less. That means reduced wear and tear, and longer product life.

What about you? Can you think of other ways typewriter usage contributes to the environment (and one's pocketbook)?