The  International Museum of Cartoon Art Collection, which resides here at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum and contains approximately 200,000 pieces of original cartoon art, consistently proves to be full of strange surprises for our dedicated workers who have been processing it.

One of those odd finds is the Stamp Wholesaler cartoon collection, a group of 1,003 humorous cartoons pertaining to stamp collecting which were published in the Stamp Wholesaler magazine. The magazine, published by Lucius Jackson until the late ’70s, was (from what we can gather) much beloved in the philatelic community and ran articles on stamp collecting, as well as cartoons, among their ads for dealers. Contributing cartoonists included Bill Bobb, Joseph Serrano, Bert Gore, John Dunnett, Roy O. Carling, John Dawson, Cairo Sturgill, Lowell E. Hoppes, Bill Newcombe, Brad Anderson, C. K. Weil, Joe Bresch, Jim M’Guinness, Tony Saltzman, George L. Stewart, Bob Rieker, Doug Baker, and H.B. Harn.

Below, three of our favorite cartoons from the collection- done by cartoonist Jim M’Guinness to incorporate the collectable stamps themselves into the gag.

Jim M'Guinness original art for "Stamp Wholesaler" magazine. From the International Museum of Cartoon Art collection, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

Jim M'Guinness original art for "Stamp Wholesaler" magazine. From the International Museum of Cartoon Art collection, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

Jim M'Guinness original art for "Stamp Wholesaler" magazine. From the International Museum of Cartoon Art collection, the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum

[Special thanks to Ann Lennon for help with this post.]