Existing comment:
The Tag Collector:
As Owney's fame grew, Railway Mail Service clerks across the country began attaching metal tags to his collar. Soon enough, the shaggy dog was also collecting tags from hotels, fire departments -- even restaurants and bars. The tags made note of the travels of "His Dogship" (as one tag referred to Owney), and also served as tokens for free quarts of milk, drinks, and cigars.
When the postmaster general at the time, John Wanamaker, heard that Owney could hardly hold up his head from the weight of so many tags, he presented him with a special harness to display them all.
Stamp artist Bill Bond understood that any story about Owney must include mention of his tag collection. For the stamp image, he set Owney's profile against a background of tokens from trips across the country. |