First U.S. Stamp Books
On April 18, 1900, the US Post Office issued its first stamp books. The books proved to be very popular with the general public and several post offices sold out of their supplies on the first day they were placed on sale.
Postal History
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Olympic Stamps Removed from Sale
On March 11, 1980, the USPS removed all the stamps it had issued for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Moscow from sale as part of an American boycott of the games. According the USPS, this was the first time they removed stamps from sale for political reasons since the Civil War.
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American Scenes & American Transportation Series
On March 10, 1995, the USPS issued the first stamps in two new definitive series – American Scenes and American Transportation. These stamps were created as part of the USPS process of converting its service-inscribed stamps for discounted bulk mail to non-denominational postage.
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Street Mailbox Patented
On March 9, 1858, iron manufacturer Albert Potts of Philadelphia patented an early mail collection box. His mailbox was affixed to a lamp post for the convenience of mailers.
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Star Routes
On March 3, 1845, a congressional act established star routes. Businesses would carry mail under contract with the post office on these postal routes.
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Bank Note Series
March 1, 1870, is the earliest known use of one of the Bank Note stamps, a long-running series of stamps produced by three different bank note companies. These stamps have interesting differences thanks to secret marks, grills, paper varieties, fancy cancels, and more!
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Ukraine War Stamps Chronicle History as it Happens
On February 24, 2022, Russia sparked outrage worldwide when it invaded Ukraine. Ukraine has not only fought back, they’ve harnessed the power of the postage stamp to bring worldwide attention to the conflict and raise money for its troops with clever, edgy, and playful issues.
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Washington Establishes U.S. Post Office
On February 20, 1792, George Washington signed the Postal Service Act, creating the US Post Office.
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First Highway Post Office
On February 10, 1941, the first Highway Post Office began service in the United States. These Highway Post Offices provided mail service to areas that didn’t have passenger train service to bring in the mail.
