United States Postage Stamps
A History
Regular, Commementive, Memorial Issues
Introduction
~ Series of 1847
Series of 1851
Series of 1861
Series of 1869
Issues of 1870
Issues of 1890&3
Columbian Series of 1893
Isues of 1894
Trans-Mississippi Exposition Stamps of
1898
Pan-American Stamps of 1901
Series of 1902-3
Lousiana Purchase Commemorative Stamps of
1904
Jamestown Commemorative Stamps of
1907
Issues of 1908-9
Issues of 1909
Issues of 1912
Panama-Pacific
Commemorative Stamps of 1913
Issues of 1914-5
Issues of 1918
Issues of 1919
Pilgram Tercentenary Commemorative Stamps
of 1920
Issues of 1922-23
Issue of 1923
Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Stamps of
1924
Issues of 1925
Issues of 1926
Issues of 1927
Issues of 1928
Issues of 1929
Issues of 1930
Isues of 1931
Washington Bicentennal Commemorative Stamps
of 1932 & other Issues
Issues of 1933
Issues of 1934
Issues of 1935
Special
Souvenior sheets of 1935
Issues of 1936
Issues of 1937
Issues of 1938
Issues of 1939
Famous Americans Commem's of 1940 &
Others
Vnmont Statehood of 1941
Issues of 1942
Overrun Countries commem's of 1943-44 &
Others
Issues of 1944
Roosevelt and Armed Forces Series of 1945
& Others
Issues of 1946
Issues of 1947
Air Mail Stamps
Issues
of 1918-1947
Carriers' Stamps
Issues of 1851
Newspaper & Periodical Stamps
Issues
of 1865
Issues of 1875
Issues of 1895
Offical Postage Stamps
Issues
of 1873-1884
Parcel Post Stamps
Issues of 1912-1913
Postage Due Stamps
Issues of 1879-1930
Parcel Post Postage Due Stamps
Issues of 1912
Postal Savings Offical Stamps
Issues of 1910-1911
Postal Savings Stamps
Issue
of 1911
Registry Stamp
Issue of 1911
Special Delivery Air Mail Stamp
Issue of 1934-1936
Special Delivery Stamps
Issues
of 1885-1925
Special Handling Stamp
Issue of 1925
United States Postage Stamps
1847 through 1947 ~ The first 100 years
INTRODUCTION
The adoption of adhesive postage stamps in 1847, for use in the prepayment of postage on mail matter, represented one of the most important single improvements in the history of the Postal Service in America. As provided by law, these stamps were designed to be issued to postmasters on account, for sale to the public, thereby providing an accurate and automatic check on the postage revenues, in lieu of the less uniform and more uncertain methods that had prevailed in the past.
Prior to the issuance of the first stamps, letters accepted by postmasters for dispatch were marked "Paid" by means of pen and ink or hand stamps of various designs. Such letters usually contained the town post mark and date of mailing. (Example below)
Envelopes were not used. They simply used a piece of paper, wrote their message and folded it up and sealed it with wax.
This stampless folded letter below was mailed at Geneseo NY on August 6. The date on the letter is Aug 1845.
To read this letter go here.
To facilitate the handling of mail matter, some postmasters provided special stamps or devices for use on letters as evidence of the prepayment of postage. These stamps of local origin are known as "Postmasters' Provisionals." Two exaamples below
After the introduction of postage stamps, these various methods of mailing without stamps affixed continued to be legal until the prepayment of postage, by means of stamps of governmental issue was made obligatory by law, effective January 1, 1856.
As soon as possible after the enactment of the law on March 3, 1847, authorizing the issuance of adhesive postage stamps, contract was entered into with a private manufacturer for the printing of the quantities required for placing on sale July 1, following. Subsequent contracts for postage stamps continued to be awarded to private manufacturers until July 1, 1894, on which date the printing of stamps was transferred to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Treasury Department, where all postage stamps have since been produced, with the exception of those few issues specifically noted.
A few Facts
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United States adhesive postage stamps were first issued under an act of March 3, 1847 and placed on sale at New York, N.Y., July 1, 1847.
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Books of stamps were first issued April 16, 1900
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Coils of stamps were first issued February 18, 1908.
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Postal cards were first issued May 1, 1873, under an act of June 8, 1872.
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Airmail postal cards were first issued January 10, 1949.
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Stamped envelopes were first issued in June 1853 under an act of August 31, 1852
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Printed stamped envelopes were first issued in the spring of 1865.
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Newspaper wrappers were first issued in October 1861 under an act of February 27, 1861.
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Giori presses were first used in printing American Flag stamp issued July 4, 1957.
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Precanceled postal cards were first issued November 19, 1962.
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Luminescent-tagged stamps were first issued August 1, 1963.
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The new nine color Huck press was first used to print the Christmas issue on November 1, 1968.
We will start with the regular (ordinary), memorial, and Commemorative issues first.
SERIES OF 1847
Five-cent. -Portrait of Franklin reproduced from a drawing by James B. Longacre, three-quarters face looking left, white neckerchief and fur collar to coat, the ground enclosure surrounded by a faintly engraved wreath of leaves, on which are the letters "U" and "S" placed in the left and right upper corners, respectively, and in each of the two lower corners a large figure "5." On a line curved with the upper portion of the medallions are the words "Post Office", and following the lower line of the medallion outside the enclosure the words "Five cents." A border of fine straight lines surrounds the entire stamp. Color, light brown.
Ten-cent. - Portrait of Washington from Stuart's painting, three-quarters face, looking to the right, white neckerchief and black coat, faint wreath of artificial leaves surrounding the enclosing line of the medallion and extending; to the border, on which are the letters "U" and "S" in the left and right upper corners, respectively, and in each of the lower corners a large Roman numeral "X". In a curved line around the upper and lower lines of the medallion are the words "Post office" at the top and "Ten cents" at the bottom, with a straight-line outer border, as shown on the 5 cent stamp. Color, black.
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