Dexter man is passionate about collecting stamps

DEXTER, Mo. -- Webster's Dictionary defines the word "collect" to mean "to accumulate," or to "assemble together." Tony Rushin, indeed, has accumulated and assembled items together. His Dexter home displays not just one collection, but several, and they are as diverse as the man himself.

"I began collecting stamps over 35 years ago," Rushin said. "I believe we need to preserve some of the old and it was something that I enjoyed doing."

To view Rushin's stamp collection is like taking a trip back in time, to an era of royal kings and queens upon their thrones, of presidents long gone, princesses and princes, war veterans returning home, Old West cowboys and Elvis. Among them are volumes of colorful foreign stamps from the early 1900s.

"The foreign stamps are some of the most collectible ones," Rushing explains, "not because they are the most valuable, but because of their color and beauty."

There are stamps depicting the Madonna and Child and several depicting the life of Princess Diana. There are stamps with American Indian themes from the Southwest. There is Amelia Earhart and there is Pablo Picasso.

"I'd like to have more of the Hollywood era," Rushin said. "One of my favorites is Bette Davis."

A specialty for Rushin, though, and for many collectors, is the duck stamp. They are not postage stamps, but rather the conservation stamps that are purchased by duck hunters as proof of license to hunt. They have been issued for several decades and, while most hunters dispose of their duck stamps at the conclusion of the hunting season, others are put in jewelry boxes or unused drawers and found years later at auctions or by family members or estate auctioneers who know the worth of the rare stamps carrying the image of a duck and dated with the year of issuance.

"These are particularly valuable if they have not been signed by an agent," said Rushing, who has many unsigned duck stamps in his massive collection.

The stamps cherished by Rushin have come to him through various avenues. Some were found at local auctions. Others were advertised in stamp enthusiasts' publications. In recent years, however, Rushin has found volumes of stamps on eBay and has purchased them on the Internet auction site with what he believes is great success.

"Sometimes I can purchase a collection for a fraction of its worth," he said. "You have to have an idea of the approximate worth of the stamp or the collection before you begin to use the eBay method," he warns.

One set of which he is particularly fond is a collection of "First Day of Issue" stamps from 1969 that focuses on the first space mission to the moon.

"I really favor the First Day of Issue collections," Rushin said, "and I've purchased several of them over the years."

While Rushin refers to other stamp enthusiasts as the "real collectors," it becomes quickly obvious in viewing his displays that he could compete in any of the big leagues.

"Collecting is an obsession," he admits, "and you have to be passionate about it."

"I wanted my three children to share in the passion that I have for collecting and so I encouraged them to collect stamps or coins and even Beanie Babies for the youngest years ago, but I don't think that any of them have quite the fervor for it that I do."

That fervor is displayed throughout the Rushin home, with Fenton and carnival glass items on display, silver spoons, classic books, Indian relics, masks of the ancient Indian tribes and a household of antique furnishings and replicas.

"It's my therapy," said Tony Rushin, "and it's just good for the soul."