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!

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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…

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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)…

 

SCOTT #C13-C15 GRAF ZEPPELIN

 

Of the many reasons why we collectors treasure the 1930 Graf Zeppelin airmails, one is the history they tell.  US #C13-15 went on sale April 19, 1930.  They were issued to commemorate the Zeppelin’s first round-trip voyage between Europe and the Americas.  These famous stamps are artifacts from that exciting time in postal history. 

The Zeppelin airmails are also really scarce.  They were on sale for only five weeks, and very few sold.  All leftover stamps were destroyed!  And with the passage of almost a century, their

The historic Graf Zeppelin flying over New York City in 1928.  Click to enlarge.

scarceness has only increased.  Serious collectors around the world dream of owning them.

US #C13 1930 65¢ Zeppelin Over Atlantic Ocean

US #C14 1930 $1.30 Zeppelin Between Continents

US #C15 1930 $1.30 Zeppelin Passing Globe

SCOTT #2470/4795 LIGHTHOUSES 25 CENT TO FOREVER STAMPS

 

Lighthouses are beautiful and historic landmarks, making them the perfect subject for stamps.  It’s no wonder they’re such a popular topic to collect!

The US Lighthouse Series began on April 26, 1990, and commemorates “the classic coastal sentinels that reflect our nation’s seafaring past.”  The first set of five stamps was issued to celebrate the US Lighthouse Service’s 200th anniversary.

It’s unusual to see a US stamp series issued over 24 years.  Originally planned as one 5-stamp set (#2470-74), the USPS kept issuing new lighthouse stamps because the public loved them. 

US #2470/4795

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SCOTT #803-34 THE PREXIE SET

 

Today I want to tell you about one of the most popular stamp series in US history – the 1938 Presidential Series.  These stamps are commonly known as the “Prexies.”  The series was approved by stamp-collecting president Franklin D. Roosevelt and pictures every US president from Washington to Coolidge.  It also includes influential figures Benjamin Franklin and Martha Washington.

One of the most interesting facts about the Prexies is the designs were found in a contest FDR ordered the postmaster general to run.  The contest asked the public to submit design suggestions for the new series.

US #804 1938 Presidential Series

A total of 1,122 candidates sent in their designs!  The winner was Elaine Rawlinson from New York City.  She won $500 and is forever remembered as the woman who designed the Prexies.

US #803-34

OKLAHOMA LAND RUSH

 

Over 130 years ago, Congress agreed to open previously closed territory in Oklahoma to settlement.  The event took place on April 22, 1889, and is still considered to be one of the most famous land rushes.  Settlers who took part in this rush were given the nickname “Eighty-Niners” or “Sooners.”  They were responsible for developing the areas that later became Canadian, Cleveland, Kingfisher, Logan, Oklahoma, and Payne counties in Oklahoma.

Oklahoma Land Rush 100th anniversary postal card

The land offered for settlement in the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889 was called the “Unassigned Lands” and originally belonged to Native American tribes.  This land was held by the federal government until the Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 was passed.  This act allowed President Benjamin Harrison to open two million acres to settlers.

SCOTT #230-235 COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION STAMPS FROM 1893

While every stamp has its story and is fun to collect, there are those certain classic US sets that stand out from the pack.  These “key sets” deserve a place in every serious US stamp collection.  They’re popular for their beautiful designs, importance to America, and stamp collecting history.  Each issue tells a different and major chapter of America’s progress – from its founding to its amazing technical advancements, historic landmarks, significant leaders, and much more.  My personal favorite set.

Iconic 1893 Columbians America’s First-Ever Commemorative Stamps

 

SCOTT #3184 CHARLES LINDBERGH 32 CENT

On April 15, 1926, at 5:50 a.m., Charles Lindbergh took off on his first airmail flight.  He flew from Chicago to St. Louis, with stops in Springfield and Peoria.  Lindbergh himself had surveyed the 278-mile route and established flight and postal operations at each of the four landings. Lindbergh finally reached St. Louis at 9:15 a.m.  Because his morning flight had generated so much excitement, the amount of mail loaded onto the afternoon flight (with pilot Phil Love) was dramatically more than what Lindbergh brought from Chicago that morning.

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1998 Charles Lindbergh

 

SCOTT #4125 FIRST FOREVER STAMP

 

The first-ever Forever stamps were issued on April 12, 2007.  Once purchased, these stamps are good for all future one-ounce letter mailings, regardless of rate changes.  And they’re always sold at the same price as a regular First-Class Mail stamp.

Because of the Liberty Bell’s importance to our nation, it was chosen as the subject of the first Forever stamp.  The USPS said, “The Liberty Bell is an icon that resonates for freedom and independence for all of America, and those are exactly the qualities we want people to associate with the Forever stamp.”

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Liberty Bell of 2007

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SCOTT #617-19 LEXINGTON CONCORD ISSUES

 

On April 4, 1925, the US Post Office issued the first three stamps in a multi-year series honoring important events and people from the American Revolution.  The stamps were created for the 150th anniversary of the Revolution…

US #617-19

Complete 1925 Lexington-Concord Issue

#617 pictures Washington leading colonial forces at Cambridge Common two and a half months after the battles at Lexington and Concord.

SCOTT 1120 STAGE COACH UNDER ATTACK 4 CENT

The Jarbidge Stage Robbery was the last known stagecoach robbery in the United States.  The case was solved by postal inspectors who caught the bandits within five days of the crime! On December 5, 1916, Fred Searcy, the driver of a small stagecoach, was ambushed on his way into Jarbidge, Nevada.  He made routine trips to and from the closest railroad town to deliver mail and company payrolls for local gold miners.  Searcy was killed and $4,000 was stolen, which still hasn’t been found to this day.  Local postal inspectors worked together and found three suspects who were arrested shortly afterward.

US #1120

1958 Overland Mail Stamp Pictures a Stagecoach Under Attack