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  • Washington Franklins

    Another area in which the United States outspecializes any other philatelic country is the Washington Franklin Series of 1910-1930.
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  • Civil War-Era Adversity and Patriotic Covers

    The American Civil War was not only a conflict of armies but also a clash of cultures and resources. Among the most poignant and collectible artifacts from this era are adversity covers and patriotic covers.
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  • The Pan-American Inverts

    The Pan-American Inverts are among the most storied and coveted errors in US philately. They capture both the drama of early 20th-century printing and the excitement of the Pan-American Exposition of 1901.
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  • Proofs

    Proofs are stamp impressions that the printers make usually before the stamps go to press to show to postal officials for final approval of the stamp design, color, and printing quality.
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  • Canadian Beavers

    The first animal on stamps thematic, the first allegorical representation of a national identity, and one of the finest engraved stamps of the nineteenth century are all found in the first issue of Canada.
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  • Kiauchau

    Throughout the late nineteenth century Germany was as involved as any European power in the fight to carve up China for political and commercial advantage. They contracted for land by the bay of Jiaozhou (or as they spelled it, Kiauchau) in northern China in 1898.
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  • Inverted Jenny Position 63

    Position 63 from the sheet of 100 #C3a stamps purchased in 1918 by William Robey is, in my opinion, the Jenny Invert with the most tantalizing history.
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  • Officials

    Another area in which United States philately differs from nearly all the rest of the world is in our Official Stamps. In 1873 the Post Office issued a series of stamps for the various government agencies that used stamps.
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  • United States Stamps

    Because of its familiarity to most American philatelists, we tend not to appreciate just how difficult collecting United States stamps is compared to collecting the stamps of most other countries.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question that needs to be answered? You’ll find what you’re looking for here in our FAQ.

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This Day in History

Learn about the history of US stamps with a daily snapshot of this day in US stamp history.

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  • June 20, 2025

    West Virginia Becomes 35th State 
    On June 20, 1863, West Virginia joined the Union as the 35th state. It had formed from the western counties of Virginia which disagreed with the state’s decision to secede during the Civil War.
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