SCOTT #627 LIBERTY BELL 2 CENT

 

The Sesquicentennial International Exposition marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the 50th anniversary of the 1876 Centennial Exposition.  To advertise the expo, the Post Office Department issued a new 2¢ Liberty Bell stamp.  In fact, one of the fair’s main attractions was an 80-foot replica of the bell covered with 26,000 light bulbs!

John Wanamaker had helped plan the Centennial Expo and conceived the idea for the world’s fair in 1916.  At that time, Philadelphia had gained a reputation for

US #627 1926 2¢ Sesquicentennial Expo: Liberty Bell

political corruption and Wanamaker believed that a world’s fair could help improve how people saw the city.    

SHANGHAI OVERPRINTS

 

The Shanghai Overprints are overlooked pieces of postal history you’ll want in your collection.  They were issued in very limited quantities, making them hard to find today.  The first overprint stamp was issued May 24, 1919.  However, the stamps were short-lived, only available for sale in Shanghai until 1922.  For modern collectors, these stamps are a direct tie to this interesting period in US-China relations.  The time after China opened its borders to American missionaries and before it became a Communist nation…

US #K1 1919 2¢ Shanghai Overprint

SCOTT #3137 BUGS BUNNY 32 CENT

On May 22, 1997, the USPS issued the first stamp in the Looney Tunes Series, honoring Bugs Bunny.

The Bugs Bunny stamp was issued in conjunction with a campaign to launch the USPS’s “Stampers” program.  As the official mascot of Stampers, it was hoped Bugs would help revive youth interest in the hobby of stamp collecting.

When the Bugs Bunny stamp was announced, many were unhappy about picturing an animated character on a stamp.  They felt Bugs was too commercial and honoring him would cheapen America’s stamp program.  One

US #3137 1997 Bugs Bunny Pane – Perforated

newspaper editor wrote that the stamp was “a new low in commercializing and trivializing [the Postal Service’s] once high-minded stamp program.”  But a USPS official replied that Bugs was a “unique part of American history.”

 

SCOTT #C-100 U. S. AIRMAIL GLENN CURTISS 35 CENT

Glenn Curtiss started off as an expert in bicycles and motorcycles.  After a balloonist ordered one of Curtiss’s motorcycle engines to power his balloon, he made the leap from motorcycles to aviation.  In 1915, he was awarded the first contract to build US Navy planes!

But he didn’t stop there.  Believing in the future of flight, he sought to design an airplane that could be mass-produced.  The result was the JN-4, most commonly known as the “Jenny.”  That was the first plane to carry airmail – and pictured on the first US airmail stamps!  .

US #C100

 

FIRST AIRMAIL FLIGHT MAY 15, 1918

On the morning of May 15, 1918, a crowd of several hundred gathered at Washington, DC’s Polo Grounds to witness history being made.  Army pilot Lt. George Boyle climbed inside a Curtiss “Jenny” airplane with bags containing 5,500 letters destined to fly on the first airmail route in US history.

As President Woodrow Wilson looked on with a crowd of dignitaries, mechanics tried to start Boyle’s plane.    The propeller turned but the engine wouldn’t start…  After four attempts, mechanics checked the gas

Army Major Reuben Fleet stands in front of the “Jenny” plane shortly before take off.

tank and realized the plane was out of fuel.  Furthermore, there was no gas on the field, so mechanics quickly siphoned fuel out of nearby planes.  Boyle flew off for his journey to Philadelphia at 11:46 a.m. – 45 minutes late and barely clearing nearby trees!  

 

SCOTT #C-3 INVERTED JENNY 24 CENT

On May 14, 1918, stamp collector William Robey discovered the world’s most famous stamp – the Inverted Jenny.

America’s first airmail stamp (US #C3) was rushed.  Engraving started May 4 and the stamps were printed just three days before release.  Because they were bi-colored, the sheets were printed twice, starting with the red frame.  Then, the stamp sheets were set aside to dry and later printed with the blue plate showing the airplane.  A single sheet made its way to the New York Avenue post office branch in Washington, DC.

An original 1918 Inverted Jenny

On May 14, 1918, 29-year-old Robey withdrew $30 from his bank account – a figure equal to more than $1,500 in today’s wages – to purchase a full sheet of the new stamps.  When the unknowing clerk placed the sheet of inverted stamps on the counter, Robey said his “heart stood still.”  

 

SCOTT #C3 CURTISS JENNY AIR MAIL STAMP 24 CENT

On May 13th, 1918, just two days after President Woodrow Wilson signed an act allowing mail to be carried by airplane, the US Post Office Department released the world’s first airmail stamp.  To highlight the importance of the occasion – and to help postmasters differentiate the new stamp from regular issues – a bi-color design was created.  Two-color stamps were uncommon at the time.

The stamp was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  Huston had trouble finding a photograph of the plane to model for the stamp’s design, as only 6 Curtiss Jenny planes in the world had been specially modified to carry mail.  In a stroke of luck, the very plane engraved onto the stamp (Jenny #38262) was chosen for the inaugural airmail flight!

US #C3

First U.S. Airmail Stamp 1918 24¢ Curtiss Jenny

 

POSTAGE CURRENCY FROM THE CIVIL WAR ERA

 

During the Civil War, coins disappeared from circulation.  People hoarded “hard money” and spent paper money.  Because almost no coins remained in circulation, it was a pain to make change for small purchases.

A solution came when New-York Tribune owner Horace Greeley suggested using postage stamps instead of small change.  Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase petitioned Congress to authorize Greeley’s

Postage currency is a paper note picturing a postage stamp, used in place of coins after the Civil War.

idea.  On July 17, an act was passed allowing the Treasury to issue Postage Currency. 

These Civil War-era relics are difficult to find today.  Circulated notes show evidence of use. 

SCOTT 5378-80 TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD FOREVER STAMPS

 

The world’s first-ever Transcontinental Railroad was completed in Promontory Summit, Utah, 153 years ago today!  The amazing railroad marked an exciting time in our nation’s history.  That’s why it’s been the subject on several US stamps including the classic 1869 Pictorials…

US #5378-80

SCOTT #77 ABE LINCOLN 15 CENT

On May 7, 1833, Abraham Lincoln became the postmaster of New Salem, Illinois.  He was just 24 years old at the time and held the post for three years (the post office closed May 30, 1836).  In exchange for his work, Lincoln received a small salary plus the privilege of sending and receiving letters for free.  He was also delivered a free local newspaper each day.

First Abraham Lincoln stamp and first US mourning stamp, issued a year after he died.

US #368 Scarce 1909 Imperf Stamp Honoring Lincoln’s 100th Birth Anniversary. One of three issues created to honor the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth.

 

SCOTT U S REDS 1901-1932

The US commemorative stamps from the 1901 Pan-American issue to the 1932 Arbor Day issue represent a glorious period in philatelic history.  Many beautiful and noteworthy commemoratives were produced in these years, and the special issues reached new heights in design, color, detailed engraving, and subject significance.

These stamps are among the most widely collected stamps of this time period.  They were the first-class letter rate throughout the period (except for a 20-month emergency interval during WWI)…