Philatelist or not, you have to agree that holograms are still pretty cool. Then you'll love the recently released "Space Exploration Series" stamps from the US postal service. The series feature, of all things, a beautifully rendered holographic image of the Earth taken from actual NASA space photos. This piece, which is the first in the series, has been appropriately cut as a circular stamp, a US first. Throw away your plain old rectangular envelopes, as you will really need to push the envelope (sorry) with this beauty. Although at $11.75, this just might be a keeper.
Also debuted in the series are the first US pentagonal shaped stamps. These gems ($1 each) come arranged in a star pattern on the press sheet ($5). Hidden within they contain a surprise. In the center of the pattern lies the elusive black stamp, whose true value is priceless for those fans of inconspicuous consumption. The whole series is available as an uncut press sheet ($38.50) available at larger post offices, postal stores, or by calling 1-800-STAMP-24. Spaceship Earth never looked so good.