Every child knows that postage stamps are affixed to the top right corner of the envelope. You lick the stamp, and you press it to the envelope at that corner. And it stays there. Or does it?…
I was sending greeting cards recently, putting them in the envelopes they came with. Some of them sported envelopes made of some shiny gold-colored paper. I licked the stamp, put it on the paper… and in a few minutes, as soon as it had dried, the stamp would pop up, curl, and drop off. The envelope was golden, but it could not hold a stamp. You’d think the card manufacturer would pay attention to such a detail?!
most children in the US now don’t know to lick stamps. they’re all self-adhesive now.
Ah yes, I lamented that before (http://designblog.nzeldes.com/2008/07/lick-and-stick-stamps-endangered/).
And you may enjoy my compilation of other objects no one recognizes any more: http://www.nzeldes.com/Miscellany/Oblivion.htm