Postage stamps of the United States

240 Pages·2016·25.52 MB·English

A Publication of the
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT • Washington
25. D.C.
Postage Stamps
OF THE UNITED STATES
An illustrated description of all United States postage and special
service stamps issued hy the Post Office Department from
July 1, 1847, to December 31, 1961
UNITED STATES POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT
OFFICE OF SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE POSTMASTER GENERAL
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1962
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents
U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C.
Paper cover, 11.25
The postage stamp is a symbol. It represents the un-
restricted interchange of thought. It satisfies the urge for
expression of patriotic ideals and offers an imaginative,
educational and rewarding field for the collector.
Each stamp features some notable aspect of our common
heritage. Its study presents the opportunity to broaden
our vision and sharpen our understanding of both the in-
dividuals and events that have forged our culture and
advanced our progress.
It is my hope that this revised edition will create a
greater interest in the history and traditions of this country,
as symbolized by postage stamps.
The Postmaster General.
December 31, 1961.
The Post Office Department
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee consists of a dis-
tinguished historian, a representative of the fine arts, two repre-
sentatives from the field of commercial art, a representative from
the field of steel engraving, and six outstanding philatelic au-
thorities. The Committee examines requests meeting the estab-
lished criteria for commemorative stamps and selects subjects of
general interest with the most appropriate and appealing themes
for recommendation to the Post Office Department. Its members
are:
Bruce Catton David Lidman
John Walker James J. Matejka, Jr., M.D.
Norman Todhunter Robert W. Baughman
John Maass Roger Kent
Donald R. McLeod William N. Posner
George W. Brett
The Post Office Department liaison with the Committee is
James F. Kelleher, Special Assistant to the Postmaster General.
A DESCRIPTION OF
United States Postage Stamps
ISSUED BY THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT FROM
JULY 1, 1847, TO DECEMBER 31, 1961
INTRODUCTORY turers until July 1, 1894, on which date the
printing of stamps was transferred to the
The adoption of adhesive postage stamps Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Treas-
in 1847, for use in the prepayment of postage ury Department, where all postage stamps,
on mail matter, represented one of the most with the exception of the overrun countries
important single improvements in the his- series, have since been produced.
tory of the Postal Service in America. As
provided by law, these stamps were designed
to be issued to postmasters on account, for SERIES OF 1847
sale to the public, thereby providing an ac-
curate 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 Five-cent—Portrait of Franklin reproduced
and date of mailing. from a drawing by James B. Longacre,
To facilitate the handling of mail matter, three-quarters face looking left, white neck-
some postmasters provided special stamps or erchief and fur collar to coat, the ground
devices for use on letters as evidence of the enclosure surrounded by a faintly engraved
prepayment of postage. These stamps of lo- wreath of leaves, on which are the letters
cal origin are known as “Postmasters’ Pro- “U” and “S” placed in the left and right
visionals.” After the introduction of postage upper corners, respectively, and in each of
stamps, these various methods of mailing the two lower corners a large figure “5.”
without stamps affixed continued to be legal On a line curved with the upper portion of
until the prepayment of postage by means the medallions are the words “Post Office”,
of stamps of governmental issue was made and following the lower line of the medal-
obligatory by law, effective January 1, 1856. lion outside the inclosure the words “Five
As soon as possible after the enactment of cents.” A border of fine straight lines sur-
the law on March 3, 1847, authorizing the rounds the entire stamp. Color, light
issuance of adhesive postage stamps, contract brown.
was entered into with a private manufacturer Ten-cent.—Portrait of Washington from
for the printing of the quantities required Stuart’s painting, three-quarters face, look-
for placing on sale July 1, following. ing to the right, white neckerchief and black
Subsequent contracts for postage stamps con- coat, faint wreath of artificial leaves sur-
tinued to be awarded to private manufac- rounding the inclosing line of the medallion
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and extending to the border, on which are upper and lower lines of the medallion are
the letters “U” and “S” in the left and the words “Post office” at the top and “Ten
right upper comers, respectively, and in cents” at the bottom, with a straight-line
each of the lower corners a large Roman outer border, as shown on the 5-cent stamp.
numeral “X”. In a curved line around the Color, black.
SERIES OF 1851
Denomination Subject Presentation Color Date of issue
1-cent Franklin Right Blue July 1, 1851
3-cent Washington Left Red July 1, 1851
5-cent Jefferson Right Brown Jan. 1, 1856
10-cent Washington..- Left - - Green-- May 10, 1855
12-cent Washington - - - Left -- Black July 1, 1851
24-cent Washington. . - - -- Right-- Lilac - June 14,1860
30-cent - Franklin - . . Left-- Orange ----- July 30.1860
90-cent. -------- - -_ Washington - Left-- - - Blue Sept. 5.1860
1-cent carrier’s stamp .. - -- FrankUn Left Blue - - - Oct. 6. 1851
1-cent Eagle Left Blue - - - Nov. 17, 1851
One-cent.—Profile bust of Franklin look- excised panel ends forming the extreme cor-
ing to the right, the words “U. S. postage” ners of the stamp is a small white diamond
following an outside-border line in the figure. A fine white line forms an outer
medallion at the top, and “One cent” at the rectangular border. Color, brick red.
bottom in white capitals and on curved Five-cent.—Portrait of Jefferson, after a
panels; on the comers and partly surround- painting by Stuart, three-quarters face, look-
ing the two panels are convolute scroll-work ing to the right and upon a ground slightly
ornaments, nearly meeting in points on the lighter than the general cast of the stamp.
sides. Color, indigo blue. These were the The lathework border nearly follows the
first stamps in perforated sheets, and they rectangular outer lines of the stamp. It
were so issued as early as the 24th of Feb- extends inward about of an inch wide,
ruary, 1857. curving inward at the middle of the four
Three-cent.—Profile of Washington, after sides, at the top and bottom touching the
Houdon, facing left. Surrounding the ellipse medallion and at the sides passing under
is a tessellated frame, terminating in each it, thus leaving small spaces of a different
of the four corners with a fine lathework figure at the four points outside the ellipse.
rosette. At the top and bottom of the stamp This border follows the curved lines at the
are straight panels with a small part cut corners. It has slight projections on the
off at each end, the top bearing the words outer side, equidistant from the corners. The
“U. S. postage” and the bottom “Three words “U. S. postage” are in the middle of
cents” in w'hite capitals. In each of the four the border at the top, and “Five cents” at
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the bottom in white capitals follows the extending from it into the corners, and bits
slightly curved line of the border, (^olor, of scroll work on each of the sides of the
brown. shield, the |)oint of tin; shield being directed
Ten-cent.—Portrait of Washington, after inward toward the center of the stamp. The
the painting by Stuart, three-quarters face, irregular outer border terminates at each
looking to the left. Around the upper por- corner in two white spear points. Color,
tion of the medallion, on a solid ground, orange.
are 13 five-pointed stars, above which, in Ninety-cent. -Portrait of Washington in
a white panel following the general line general’s uniform, after the painting by
of the medallion, are the words, in small Trumbull, three-cfuarters face. The tablet
stencil capitals, “U. S. postage”, and at upon which this portrait appears is oblong,
the bottom, in white capitals and following a with an arched top, differing in this respect
double reverse curve, are the words “Ten from any other stamp in the series. The
cents.” In each of the upper corners is the ground is a deep, solid color and the picture
Roman number “X” in the nearly circular occupies about one-half the opening. The
spaces left by the foliate and scroll orna- words “U. S. postage”, in white capitals, on
mentations which appear there as well as, a tablet following the arched line, appear at
to a larger extent, in the trigonal spaces the top, and at the bottom, on a straight panel
in the lower corners of the stamp. Color, with rounded ends, are the words “Ninety
dark green. cents.” Outside the portrait inclosure, in the
Twelve-cent,—Portrait of Washington, the middle of each side, the frame appears to
same as on the 10-cent stamp. Above the roll back, and there are some slight orna-
medallion and conforming to its curve are ments. Color, deep indigo blue.
the words “U. S. postage” in white shaded One-cent carrier stamp .—Profile bust of
capitals, and below, similarly inscribed, are Franklin, much like that on the 30-cent
the words “Twelve cents.” The medallion stamp, and looking to the left. At the top,
lies upon a rectangular, straight-line en- on a straight line, in white capitals, is the
graved background, whose corners which ap- word “Carriers”, terminating at each end
pear outside the ellipse are ornamented by with a five-pointed star in heavy parentheses,
scroll-work rosettes, and between this back- and at the bottom in a straight line of white
ground and the outer border of the stamp capitals, the word “Stamp”, terminating also
there is a finely tessellated space. Color, at each end with a white five-pointed star
black. in heavy white parentheses. The corners of
Twenty-four-cent.—Portrait of Washington a straight rectangular figure, engraved in hor-
after the same original as the 10- and 12-cent, izontal lines, appear from under the medal-
but reduced to about two-thirds the size and lion and are marked by scroll-work rosettes.
facing three-quarters to the right. Double The remainder of the space inside the border
lines inclose the medallion, with a space lines of the stamp is in fine tessellated work.
sufficient between them to place at the top The value of the stamp is not stated, though
in white capitals the words “U. S. postage” it represented 1 cent. Color, indigo blue on
and upon the lower half the words “Twenty rose-colored paper.
four cents.” These two inscriptions are sep- One-cent carrier stamp.—Picture of an
arated on each side by rectangular ornaments eagle upon the branch of a tree, poised as
with a white border and a white spot in the
for flight, looking to the left. The central
middle. Outside of this is intricate lathe-
portion of the ground is dark, shaded into
work extending to the outer limit of the
white near the circumference. Within a
stamp, which has rounded comers and curved
dark border described by double lines there
outer lines. Color, very dark lilac.
Thirty-cent.—Profile bust of Franklin look- is a space left at the top for the words
“U. S. P. 0. despatch” in white capitals, and
ing to the left, slightly smaller, but evidently
a reproduction, reversed, of that on the 1-cent at the bottom “Pre-paid. One cent”, the tab-
stamp. At the top, following the elliptical lets on which these words appesir not quite
lines of the medallion, is the word “postage” meeting on the left and right, leaving spaces
in white capitals, and immediately above, of lighter color. Leaves of oak appear in the
reaching nearly to the border of the stamp, left-hand corners and of laurel in the right,
the letters “U. S.”, and at the bottom “30” in clinging to the inscription surrounding the
Arabic numerals. On the left of the me- medallion, but leaving in the extreme corners
dallion is the word “Thirty” reading up, and a white ground. The longest diameter of the
on the right the word “Cents” reading down. ellipse is horizontal. Color, light indigo
In each corner is a shield with radiant lines blue.
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STAMPS OF 1847 AND 1851 DEMONETIZED the replacement of post office stocks. Their
acceptance in the prepayment of postage was
These stamps are obsolete and worthless ordered discontinued in the several States
for postage. A reasonable time after hostili- and Territories, effective November 1 and
ties began in 1861 was given for the exchange December 1, 1861, and January 1, 1862, de-
of stamps in the hands of the public and for pending on the distance from Washington.
SERIES OF 1861—AUGUST 17, 1861, TO FEBRUARY 27, 1869
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