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THE CHICKEN STAMP CENTENNIALcolor category. It was beaten out by the 1982 Consumer Education stamp, which was definitely worse. In 2001, over a half-century after the stamp%u2019s 1948 release, Linn%u2019s had a contest in which it asked readers to write a caption for the chicken stamp. Not surprisingly, several people suggested, %u201cWhich came first%u2014the chicken or the egg?%u201d Many entries were even cornier, such as, %u201cI%u2019m egg-cited about philately%u2014it%u2019s all it%u2019s cracked up to be, and that%u2019s no yolk.%u201d There was also, %u201cEat pork, the other white meat.%u201d The winning caption ended up being, %u201cFarmer Brown promised me a special cancellation later today!%u201dStill, the chicken stamp has always had its fans. Some like its underdog status. Others, who raised chickens on the family farm, or were in 4H, have a warm spot in their heart for it. Some people, too, simply think it%u2019s attractive. In fact, Steve Brett, in the Santa Rosa Stamp Club Newsletter, considered it the most beautiful stamp ever produced%u2014based on four criteria, 1) as Portraiture: it was prettier than Martha Washington, 2) for Pictorial Content: the chicken comes before the egg, 3) for Topical Value: one gorgeous chicken (if you look closely, he%u2019s watching you), and 4) Detail and Aesthetics: there%u2019s no mistaking this bird for a retiring grackle.CHICKEN, ALASKACould it be that the First Day of Issue for the chicken stamp might have been held in Chicken, Alaska? This was reported in 2001, inThe Circuit, The Official Journal of the International Society of Worldwide Stamp Collectors. The article was based on an earlier one in the newsletter of the Olympic Philatelic Society, which was based on an even earlier book by Postmaster General, J. Edward Day. So, as the story is recounted here, it is fourthhand%u2014at least.It seems that a Postal Inspector was dispatched to Chicken, Alaska to make the appropriate arrangements for the chicken stamp%u2019s First Day of Issue. In searching for the local Post Office, he discovered that it consisted of a couple of feet of counter space in the grocery store%u2014and was a sort of self-service operation. The entire Post Office seemed to consist of nothing more than a box containing stamps where patrons could take what they needed and leave some money. Plus, another box for mail that arrived irregularly, along with a few money-order forms.The Inspector located the Postmaster, which wasn%u2019t too difficult, and told him how Chicken, Alaska was going to be deluged with thousands and thousands of requests for cancellations. Not only that, but each had to be done neatly, so as not to deface the stamps. It was quite an honor, but it was also going to be a lot of work.The Postmaster listened quietly, and when the Inspector finished his spiel, he picked up a sack The current log Post Office in Chicken, Alaska.