A Vancouver stamp and coin dealer is hoping some of Taylor Swift's magic can be harnessed in his industry.
With the global reach and goodwill Swift has generated over the past few years, Brian Grant Duff thinks it's time her likeness adorned an official US Postal Service (USPS) stamp. Or perhaps several depicting her different musical "eras."
"I'm aware it's a long shot, but I'm aware that enough people thought it was a good idea it could succeed," he tells V.I.A.
Duff has run All Nations Stamp and Coin in Dunbar for more than 20 years and spent twice that collecting and dealing stamps and coins, and, while he's not a diehard Swiftie, he describes himself as a fan of her music and work.
And so, while he was stuck at home due to the snow earlier this month, he put together a petition he'd been thinking about for a while.
"This is not just about my passion for philately or music, but also about recognizing the cultural impact of an artist who has touched millions with her talent," he writes on the petition's Change.org page.
He was in part inspired by Donald Sutherland. When the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actor was put on a Canada Post stamp he asked that people send him postcards with his stamp on it.
"It got me thinking we really should be honouring people while they're alive so it can be an honour," Grant Duff says, noting it could be like an Order of Canada or Noble Prize.
To support the idea, he's also suggesting a charitable aspect be included, to turn the interest in such a collectible item into help for organizations in need. Swift herself is already a supporter of different charitable causes.
"That is where the Swift stamp is more of a possibility," Grant Duff says.
Honouring Swift is only part of it, Grant Duff adds. Another aspect is revitalizing interest in the postal service.
"To me, the postal office is one of the foundational items of every community in the way a bank is," he explains. "It's a place where human beings get to know one another."
While no living person has been depicted on an American stamp in this nature, whether living people are allowed on USPS stamps is up for debate. That said, living people have appeared on stamps.
Some could bring up Swift's occasional political statements as a reason to keep her off, but a range of people have appeared on official American stamps, from Confederate president Jefferson Davis (in 1995) to gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk.
Grant Duff has reached out to Canada Post as well, but hasn't had much luck. That said, while Swift is a thoroughly American icon that doesn't preclude her from appearing on a Canadian stamp. While not in the same category as Swift, Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela have both appeared on official stamps.
And Swift has already appeared on a stamp in at least one nation, Grant Duff notes: Chad.
