John Lennon's Childhood Stamp Album

A circa 1950 hardcover Mercury stamp album originally owned by Stanley Parkes, a cousin of John Lennon (1940-1980). Parkes gave the album to Lennon and encouraged his interest in stamp collecting. The album has 145 pages and 546 stamps from several countries including India, the United States, and New Zealand.

Lennon replaced Parkes' name and address on the album's flyleaf with his own. He added his address at Mendips, the home he shared with his aunt Mary (“Mimi”) and her husband George Smith. Already a budding artist, Lennon sketched beards and mustaches of the likenesses of Queen Victoria and King George VI on the album's title page. Lennon continued to collect and trade stamps for several years after receiving this album.

Museum ID: 2005.2018.1