The first time I heard the term Cinderella was nearly half century ago; it occurred during an exchange session at a local stamp club. I assumed it meant the collecting of Cinderella on Stamps with or without the Prince. Thereafter, it seemed that whenever I picked up a philatelic publication there was an article or an advertisement about Cinderellas or Local Posts; both terms were like blinkers at a cross road. Nowadays it has become an ever increasing popular segment of philately.

Gradually this once mysterious area of philately began to intrigue me. In 1986 curiosity got the best of me; I sent for a sample copy of the Poster, the official organ of the Local Post Collectors Society (LPCS). I became a member in 1987, and I am still continuing my education with an occasional private lesson from friendly and knowledgeable members of the LPCS with whom I became acquainted through the years.

Ultimately, I too, was bitten by the Local Post Bug. On May 6,1990 the Enotria Local Post was inaugurated. The first issue, significantly enough, was dedicated to the 150th anniversary of Britain's Penny Black, known as the world's first postage stamp. First Day Covers were appropriately postmarked and mailed from a city in the New England states, specifically, New Britain, Connecticut, U.S.A. The special postmark utilized was a Mailer's Postmark Permit No. 1A, for which I hold a permit; it authorized me to cancel the postage on my own mail. Approval for its use must be secured by means of a written application from the United States Postal Service.

Enotria, the Hellenic term for land of wine, was the name given by the Greeks to a region of Italy along the coast of today's Gulf of Taranto. Legend has it that Enotria was colonized by Enotro, chief of the Arcadia Tribe, in the year 1600 B.C. Among its leaders, Enotria had a legendary king named Italo. His name was later given to the entire (Italian) peninsula. Enotria is of great personal significance to me; I was born in Calabria, a region partially within the general area that once was Enotria. I did not select Enotria because of my love for wine; I only drink water and fruit juices.

The posthorn within a shield, has been adapted as the official logo of the Enotria Local Post. The horn, synonymous of the postal service for centuries, has been the most utilized insignia by postal administrations worldwide, particularly throughout Europe. It can be found as a central vignette on postage stamp issues; also on overprints, watermarks, and canceling devices worldwide. Its configuration ranges from the early tasseled horn to a variety of stylized contemporary renderings.

Serious events and subjects that somewhat reflect my own interests are honored or commemorated on Enotria Local Post stamps. I avoid fictitious themes as I am not very imaginative in creating make believe people and places. Although, I must admit, I envy those individuals with unusual imagination and ingenuity who create magnificent fictitious themes and true-to-life lands.

Following is a partial listing of subjects and events that have appeared on Enotria stamps: Prisoners of War Missing in Action(POW-MIA), XXX Anniversary of the Antarctic Treaty, X Anniversary Assassination Attempt of H.H. Pope John Paul II, Fire Prevention Week, Armed Forces Day, Italian Tour 1992, Olympic Games, World's Aids Day, Clean Oceans, Remember to Vote, Vintage Transportation, Men and Women of Operation Desert Storm, Love One Another, Ferris Wheel, Papal Visit to Denver, Colorado, Elvis, Historical bombing of Hiroshima, XXV Anniversary of First Moon Landing, Centenary of Radio, United Nations 50th Anniversary.

Topics depicted on Enotria stamps include: Airplanes, animals, angels, autos, atomic bomb, balloon, basilicas, cats, Christmas, coat of arms, Columbus, dogs, eagles, Ferris wheel, fruits, firefighters, fish, gondola, hearts, horse-riders, maps, Mickey Mouse, posthorn, palm trees, penguins, pope, radio, saints, ships, space, Statue of Liberty, stork, trains, ocean, Olympics, ox wagon, windmill, volcano.

I find Local Posting, as I call it, both enjoyable and a rewarding experience; the time spent in researching a design, layout, and preparing the finished product is really exiting . . . but time consuming. Although, at times it can be frustrating; everything that can go wrong does go wrong. However, when the miniaturized masterpiece you have created is ready to be placed on a cover, everything is forgotten; a sense of pride takes over as you carefully apply a cancel over your latest creation. The Enotria Local Post stamps are printed by the offset method using a rainbow of ink colors, although, high speed copying is the more frequently used printing method. All stamp issues have simulated perforations.

Now, a little information on the dimensions of Enotria's full sheets and individual stamps. All full sheets measures 39 x 56 mm. As a rule, horizontal or vertical format stamps are issued in sheets of 10 or 12. Single stamps can be 3.5 x 5.1 mm or 3.9 x 5.6 mm.

Square stamps sheets contain 15 stamps, each measuring 3.5 mm. The triangular stamps dimensions are 4.9 mm an all sides, and issued in sheets of 21 stamps. Only one triangular stamp has been issued to date.

In retrospect, it appears it was meant to be that someday I become director of a (Local) Post; fictional or real; it's really unimportant. As a seven year old youngster, growing up in Italy, I remember playing post office with friends on my street. We franked the make believe letters with Easter seals and used discarded envelopes picked from the trash bins at City Hall. An empty wooden spool of thread, the large, old hour-glass type was the canceling device or postmark. The ink pad consisted of several layers of linen cloth in a dish, soaked with freshly squeezed elderberry juice.

As an adult in the United States, many times I have fantasized, how great it would be to buy an island (and there are plenty of them for sale), and create a fictitious principality, republic or kingdom. Establish and operate my own post office, issue my own stamps, and use a new pictorial postmark for each series issued. Of course, the establishment of a Philatelic Fulfillment Center would be a top priority. This truly would be my ultimate dream . . . if I only had a million or two to spare.

Ever since the first stamps of Enotria were issued, I have religiously used my very own locals on all outgoing philatelic mail and selected pieces of personal mail. I utilize an assortment of nearly fifty cancels in different ink colors to compliment my locals. One of my favorite cancels carries a phrase I coined back in September 1993. It reads:
Enjoy Creative Fun . . . be a Local Poster! Since then, I have been using the cancel on all my outgoing mail; I may add, it has become a favorite slogan among Local Post collectors.

I believe, the combination of Local Post stamps and cancels in conjunction with the use of the Mailer's Postmark to cancel the U.S. postage, can creates a very attractive if not an impressive collectible. I am confident these covers will help publicize and propagate Local Posting and perhaps the Mailer's Postmark Permit Club. If nothing else, they certainly will draw a second look.

I was a stamp dealer for nearly 45 years and disposed of the entire stock of stamps and supplies so I could dedicate my retirement years to this addictive activity. The gratification I derive designing unique logos, stamps and cancels for members of the Local Post Collectors Society (gratis) is beyond description. I do not believe I should receive compensation for something I am doing for my own enjoyment. In addition, this is an opportunity to do a good deed for fellow members who lack the resources or the ability to do it themselves. I must confess, I have never experienced such a sustained creative joy in any of my undertakings.

As I have indicated, I also design unique canceling devices. The ones shown for ENOTRIA L. P. and LARGO, FLA. were inspired by three cancels in use during the Confederate States period. The process to compose a cancel of this type using authentic old lettering, requires the patience of a monk. First, cancels must be located which contain an adequate quantity of letters necessary to provide the desired spelling of a name or city. Next, the originals may require to be enlarged or reduced individually to achieve a uniform size of all necessary characters. Missing letters must be made up by modifying and/or combining parts from various letters. For example, a needed "L" can be created using an "E" as the base. The center and top horizontal lines are removed with "white out". Then, the top section of an "I" is cut and pasted in the upper section of the former "E" . . . now you have an "L".. The next step is to cut each character individually and paste in the desired configuration of the new cancel. The procedure described is only applicable to Serif type lettering

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was published in official bulletin of the Mailers Postmark Permit Club, the PERMIT PATTER Vol.19 - No.6 November-December 1997 and again in the in the official bulletin of The Local Post Collectors Society. THE POSTER,Vol.28-No.2-May 2000. A condensed version of this article originally appeared in THE POSTER Vol.22-No.1 - January-February 1994.

Article submitted by Joseph Lo Preiato