Mo. Trout Stamp Archive

[fishinwrench]

I tried googling up an archive of all the trout stamps issued by MDC over the years, but I struck out.

I have a few, and thought if any of you guys had kept them we might be able to fill in some gaps.

Here's the only ones I have managed to hang onto...

87

88

94

[FishinCricket]

So that's why they call it a trout "stamp"!! Aha!

[Phil Lilley]

I think I have them all at home... I kept sheets of stamps in the early 80's through the year they ended them.

[jdmidwest]

Al Agnew may help, I think he designed one.

[FishinCricket]

Al Agnew may help, I think he designed one.

I was gonna guess that, but only half joking...

[kdan]

Al Agnew may help, I think he designed one.

Al did design at least one. A copy of the original drawing hangs in the lodge at montauk, and a good friend of mine, and Laker67, has one of the original stamp art works done by Al. I think it was 1984. Also Laker67 has a near complete collection of trout stamps starting back in the 70's.

[Trevor K]

I think the stamps were really cool. I wish they would bring them back

[Danoinark]

I think the stamps were really cool. I wish they would bring them back

Ditto. I wish Arkansas still used them. I am not sure any state still issues a stamp.

Dano

[flytyer57]

Ditto. I wish Arkansas still used them. I am not sure any state still issues a stamp.

Dano

Wisconsin stopped using them when they went to the cheap plastic licenses.

They had two trout stamps. One for inland trout and one for great lakes trout.

[Al Agnew]

Wrench, your top one, the 1987, is mine. I did the 1984 and 1987. The 1984 was the second one issued...Terry Miller won the first contest in 1983. Charlie Schwartz did one the year before that but it wasn't a contest. The contest was open only to Missouri residents, and once you won it you couldn't enter for three years. I won the only two I entered.

I also did one of the Arkansas trout stamps. Don't remember the year, but it was of a brown trout on the surface, with angler, boat, and a White River bluff in the background. Arkansas' wasn't a contest, they just commissioned various artists to do them.

I don't think I have any of mine...at some point somebody made me an offer on them that I couldn't refuse!

Back in the days when trout stamps were issued by a number of different states, I entered several of the contests that weren't limited to state residents, and was commissioned to do several others. Illinois was the only state that caused me problems. The first year I entered, the day of the judging I got a call from the officials. They told me they had good news and bad news. The good news was that I tied for first place. The bad news was that they flipped a coin to decide the winner and I lost. That was one of only two trout stamp contests that I entered and did not win.

I did the first of state Nevada trout stamp, and two commissioned stamps for California. I also did finally win the Illinois one year.

Funny thing was that the 1984 Missouri stamp was what actually turned me to a career as an artist. At the time I was ready to quit teaching in the public schools and either go back to college in order to get an advanced degree and teach at the college level, or to try to make it as an artist. I entered the contest and when I won, it convinced me I should try to go the artist route. At that time, I knew very little about the wildlife art market, but I knew the Federal Duck Stamp was worth several million dollars to the winner from print sales and signing stamps, and I thought (erroneously) that winning the Missouri Trout Stamp would actually make me SOME money. As it turned out, because I had to foot the bill for producing the limited edition prints, I did little more than break even on print sales. Still, it all turned out well in the end...I got to know a bunch of people in MDC, some of whom became good customers in the next few years and did as much as anything to keep me going until my name got to be well known around the country.