SCOTT #459 ROTARY PRESS STAMP

On June 30, 1914, the US issued its very first stamp printed on the rotary press, and the only imperforate US rotary press coil – #459.

Prior to 1914, postage stamps were printed on flat plate printing presses.  They made coils by pasting sheets of stamps together, end to end, like a ribbon.  These ribbons were then fed through machines that slit each row of stamps and rolled them into coils.

Benjamin Stickney’s rotary press.  Click to enlarge.

The demand for coils prompted Benjamin Stickney, a mechanical expert at the BEP, to develop the faster and cheaper process of using the rotary printing press.

US #459 First & ONLY Imperforate U.S. Rotary Press Stamp, Mint Issued in 1914 – Only 21,000 Printed!

US #551-73 Last Flat Plate-Printed U

 

TREATY OF VERSILLES

On June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, and World War I was officially over.  The end came five years after Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination, which started it all.  Fighting had stopped on November 11, 1918, with the signing of the armistice, but it wasn’t until six months later that the peace treaty was finalized.

One of the most important parts of the treaty demanded that Germany (and the rest of the Central Powers) accept responsibility for all damage caused during the war.  This was later nicknamed the “War Guilt clause”

Allies & Germany signing the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors.  Click to enlarge.

and led to the disarming of Germany, giving up of territory, and payment of steep reparations.  Historians now attribute this clause as having been a driving factor in the rise of the Nazi party and the beginning of WWII.

Despite remaining neutral until 1917, the US was integral in ending WWI.  By the end of the war, about five million Americans were fighting in Europe.  Nearly 117,000 didn’t make it home.  Without America’s help, the tide of the war may never have turned in the Allies’ favor…

 

SCOTT #1131 ST.LAWRENCE SEAWAY 4 CENT

 

Dear Sheldon,

On June 26, 1959, the United States issued its first stamp created in collaboration with another country.  It was the 4¢ St. Lawrence Seaway stamp and was jointly issued by the US and Canada.  The US stamp’s First Day of Issue city was Massena, New York, while the Canadian stamp was issued in Ottawa…

US #1131 First U.S. Joint Issue with Canada 1959 4¢ St. Lawrence Seaway

Canada #387

First Canada Joint Issue with U.S. 1959 St. Lawrence Seaway

SCOTT #1556 PIONEER-JUPITER 10 CENT

 

Pioneer 10 was the first American space probe to leave our solar system.  It also captured the first closeup photos of Jupiter along with information about the planet’s weather and atmosphere.

After Jupiter, Pioneer 10 passed Saturn in 1976 and Uranus in 1979.  On June 13, 1983, after crossing Neptune’s orbit, the spaceship became the first man-made object to go beyond the major planets of our solar system.  Scientists estimate that Pioneer 10 is now over 8 billion miles from Earth!  

NASA artwork of Pioneer 10 spacecraft in the outer solar system

US #1556 1975 10¢ Pioneer 10 by Jupiter U.S. Commemorative Stamp

US #3189 1970’s Celebrate the Century Sheet Features Pioneer 10 Stamp

PANAMA CANAL POSTAGE

Building the Panama Canal is known as one of the greatest engineering feats of all time.  During the Canal’s 10-year construction, American workers needed to stay in touch with loved ones back home.  So a special postal service was established on June 24, 1904.  That’s also when the first canal zone stamps were released, which were overprints of Panama stamps.

Most Canal Zone stamps were created right in Washington, DC.  Overprinted Panama

One of the first stamps issued for use in the Canal Zone – 1904 overprinted Panama stamp.

stamps came first and were used for less than a month.  On July 18, 1904, they were replaced by US postage stamps overprinted “CANAL ZONE.”

However, US stamps with images of famous Americans like Washington and Franklin weren’t popular with Panamanians in the Canal Zone!  As a result of protests, the stamps were changed.  .

 

2004 ART OF DISNEY

In 2004, the USPS worked with Walt Disney artists to create the first stamps in the Art of Disney Series.  The set would include the first US stamp to picture Mickey Mouse, even though many other nations had issued Disney and Mickey stamps before.  The set was issued on June 23, 2004 and was named the Art of Disney: Friendship.  The series continued for the next four years featuring all of our favorite Disney characters.…

Friendship 2004 Art of Disney

US #3865-68 Strip of 4

US #3865-68 Sheet of 20

US #3865-68 Fleetwood FDC

 

UNITED STATES GREAT SEAL

On June 20, 1782, the United States adopted the Great Seal.  It took six years, three committees, and the work of 14 men.  The history of the Great Seal dates back to July 4, 1776, when America declared its independence from Great Britain.  That same day, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams to a special committee to design the country’s Great Seal or national emblem.  The emblem was needed to seal, or sign, international treaties and transactions. 

The United States’ Great Seal has been featured on several different US stamps…

US #771//CE2 Great Seal Special Delivery Set of 3 With Farley’s Follies Special Printing

US #O127/163 Set of 1983-2009 U.S. Official Stamps Missing from Most Collections!

 

SCOTT #RG2 SILVER TAX

 

In 1934, during the Great Depression, President Roosevelt ordered the government to seize all silver, except silver coins, and put a 50% tax on the profits from selling silver.  Documentary stamps were quickly overprinted and pressed into service to satisfy the tax.  In 1941, a Silver Tax stamp series featuring secretaries of the Treasury was introduced.

This followed FDR’s 1933 executive order making it illegal for people to own more than 5 troy ounces of gold and to turn in their gold to the government.

US #RG2

SCOTT #5283 SALLY RIDE 50 CENT

Sally Ride received instant fame once it was announced she’d be the first American woman to fly into space.  On June 18, 1983, she launched into space for the first time aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger.  In her career, she spent over 343 hours in space – more than two full weeks in total!

Long before Sally made her mark on space history, she discovered a passion for collecting space stamps.   In 2018, her life and legacy was commemorated on a US stamp. 

US #5283

2018 U.S. 50¢ Sally Ride Commemorative Stamp

 

SCOTT #285-293 TRANS-MISSISSIPPI SET

The Trans-Mississippi commemoratives have been prized by collectors for decades.  The stamps were issued on June 17, 1898, to promote the Trans-Mississippi Exposition.  They’re considered by many to be the finest engraved stamps ever produced in America.  In fact, the $1 stamp was long thought to be the most beautiful of all US stamps – and many collectors still consider it so.

The Trans-Mississippi stamps are essential to your serious collection. 

 

SCOTT #1909 EXPRESS MAIL $9.35

On June 16, 1970, Express Mail began as a pilot program with the Federal National Mortgage Association in Washington, DC.  After it became a permanent service in 1977, a special stamp was created to meet escalating demands for overnight deliveries.

The first Express Mail stamp was issued on August 12, 1983, to coincide with the Challenger Space Shuttle’s eighth mission.  It was supposed to be issued on an earlier date, but the flight was delayed.  Since then, a new Express Mail stamp has been issued for every rate change.  And the stamps almost always set a new record for the highest face value US stamp.  

US #1909 First U.S. Express Mail Stamp Features Original NASA Photography

 

FIRST U.S. FLAG STAMP

On June 14, 1777, Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the flag of the United States.  In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed an act of Congress officially making June 14 National Flag Day.  This was after many years of campaigns to establish the holiday, dating back to the Civil War era! 

Here is the first US flag stamps issued.

US #1094