The Original William Coffin Stamp Collection is a branded replica of the real thing owned by collector William Coffin. For stamp collectors, value is assessed in various stages of the collection process; from the monetary value assigned to each stamp put into circulation, to the accruing value once it is pulled from circulation and enters the collection market, to the sentimental value it earns as it is painstakingly hunted down, added to a personal collection, and passed down as an heirloom. By copying and branding an exact replica of part of the personal stamp collection of William Coffin, this piece explores value and sentimentality after the age of mechanical reproduction. If something looks old, does it matter that it isn't? What is the inherent value of knowing that it's the real thing?
Original Pictured on Right.
