"I have seven Littleton Stamp Co. envelopes in my collection. They are about 3.25 x 5 inches. I also have 18 from Tatham Stamp & Coin Co. They come in a variety of sizes.

I was not a customer of either company in my youth. I acquired them from coins acquired when I worked for Grove Coin."

"Littleton's business model evidently was borrowed from Tatham, as their market (beginners and casual collectors) and method (elaborate catalogs of common items available in bulk) are nearly identical. It's no surprise that Littleton rose to prominence when Tatham began to fade in the late 1950s following the suicide of its owner."

At the 2015 ANA I discussed the topic with Ken Bressett and Littleton Public Relations Manager Jill Kimball. -Editor

"Ken Bressett told us he'd once worked for the Tatham Coin Company attributing ancient coins - he'd typed up descriptions on Tatham envelopes! And Jill told us that Maynard Sundman had modeled the Littleton company after the mail order format of Tatham. Those little envelopes have had impact down to the present day."

"David Lange's note brought back memories from my youth. I purchased primarily foreign coins from Littleton in the 1960s, and retained a number of the envelopes after transferring the coins to 2x2s at some time. A careful search of my archives (aka an archaeological dig through a box in the back of my closet) turned up these. I must have known they would have significance some day!"