FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT

 

Today marks Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 140th birth anniversary.  Did you know he was a lifelong stamp collector?  He started at just 8 years old, building a collection of nearly 1 million stamps in his lifetime!  When he contracted polio in 1921, his collection helped settle his mind.  While governor of New York, Roosevelt became a member of the American Philatelic Society.  And throughout all four terms as president, he actively shared his love of stamps with the nation.

During WWII and the Great Depression, FDR used stamps as an outlet to raise spirits.  He also had a traveling exhibit (the “Philatelic Truck”) created to show America how stamps were made.  Roosevelt even sketched several designs himself AND personally approved every stamp issued during his presidency!

George W. Linn, founder of the weekly philatelic magazine Linn’s, created seals encouraging stamp collectors to vote for a fellow philatelist for president.

“I owe my life to my hobbies – especially stamp collecting.”
– Franklin D. Roosevelt

SCOTT #954 3 CENT & #3316 33 CENT CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH

When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California in 1848, word spread like crazy.  Hundreds of thousands of people worldwide flocked to California’s northern territory to make their fortune.  750,000 pounds of gold were found!  This massive influx of people pushed California to become our 31st state just two years later.

As California’s population exploded, so did the need for connecting new settlers with the rest of the country with mail.  

Sutter’s Mill – Where gold was first discovered in California. Click to enlarge.

The California Gold Rush radically changed US mail forever.  From it, stagecoach mail, the Pony Express, and the Transcontinental Railroad were born.  …

US #954 1948 U.S. Stamp Commemorating Gold Rush’s 100th Annive

US #3316 1999 U.S. Stamp Honroing Gold Rush’s 150th Anniversary

 

SCOTT #1 BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 5 CENT

 

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 – 316 years ago today.  Franklin was a statesman, scientist, printer, and America’s first postmaster general!  Below are several US stamps honoring him and his contribution to building our country. 

US #1 First-Ever U.S. Postage Stamp Features Benjamin Franklin

US #948 1947 CIPEX Souvenir Sheet Honors 100th Anniversary of First U.S. Postage Stamp

SCOTT #O127-O162 OFFICIAL STAMPS

 

Official stamps were first introduced on July 1, 1873.  They were in use for a little over ten years before they were declared obsolete in 1884.  (The stamps made a brief, limited return in 1910 as Postal Savings Official stamps, but were only in use for four years.)  Official stamps are unique because they were strictly used on government mail.  Plus, they were issued in small quantities, which means they’re quite scarce today.

US #O127//162

1983-2007 U.S. Officials – Mint Set of 33 Stamps

SCOTT #2721 ELVIS PRESLEY 29 CENT

After a yearlong campaign, the USPS held a special midnight first-day ceremony on January 8, 1993, for the long-awaited Elvis Presley stamp (#2721).  It quickly became America’s most popular stamp ever issued…

US #2721

 

SCOTT #2419 PRIORITY MAIL STAMP $2.40

Priority Mail Service began 54 years ago today.  But it wasn’t until 21 years later that a stamp came out specifically for the priority mail rate.  The stamp’s $2.40 denomination covered priority rate at the time.

In 2003, the USPS issued its first pre-stamped Priority Mail envelope.  These flat-rate envelopes feature a printed image of the current Priority Mail stamp as postage.  But since 2003, demand has gone down while production costs continue to climb.

Last year, USPS announced the 2021 $7.95 Castillo de San Marcos stamped Priority Mail envelope will be its last.

US #2419

First U.S. Priority Mail Stamp 1989 $2.40 Moon Landing

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SPACE SHUTTLE 33 CENT

 

On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed a bill authorizing $5.5 billion to create America’s first-ever space shuttle, Enterprise.  Unlike the spacecraft before it, these shuttles would be used again and again, up to 100 times.  This revolutionized transportation into near space!

Over the years, shuttle missions aided Spacelab, helped construct the International Space Station, serviced the Hubble Telescope, carried satellites to Earth’s orbit, and more.

The Space Shuttle Program was commemorated on the 1980s Celebrate the Century sheet (US #3190)

Like many of America’s groundbreaking achievements, space shuttles have been commemorated on US stamps.  A special cover was even created that flew to space aboard Space Shuttle Challenger!