Avid philatelists, aka stamp collectors, were probably among the first to learn that Steven Bronstein, a blacksmith who operates Blackthorne Forge in Marshfield, was the lucky winner of the U.S. Post Office’s Hanukkah stamp design this year. That is, his wrought-iron menorah was chosen to be photographed for the stamp — an annual designation by the USPO.
Bronstein himself was not contacted until the selection was a fait accompli. “I had nothing to do with it,” he says, when asked if he had applied for the gig. “I got a phone call one day and they said they wanted to use my menorah for a stamp.”
What he learned later was that “an art director saw my work at a craft show in D.C.” and chose his design. The piece is in the style of what Bronstein calls “Classic Curve.”
That art director was Ethel Kessler, of the Kessler Design Group in Bethesda, Md., who has designed some 250 stamps for the post office.
There is no remuneration to be on the stamp, nor is his name on it, but it’s an honor nonetheless. Of course, Bronstein can’t help wishing the image on the stamp didn’t cut the menorah in half. “There is this artistic component — I’d like the piece to be appreciated,” he says, likening it to a painting only half seen.
But he’s quick to say he doesn’t want to appear ungrateful. He was thrilled his work was chosen, Bronstein says.
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