National Postal Museum Opens
On July 30, 1993, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum opened in Washington, DC. It’s home to the National Philatelic Collection, one of the world’s largest and most valuable stamp collections.
Postal History
1980 Summer Olympics
On July 19, 1980, the Summer Olympic Games opened in Moscow, Soviet Union. They were the first Olympics to be held in Eastern Europe. The US was among 65 countries that boycotted the games, and the numerous stamps issued to commemorate the games were removed from sale until after the Olympics were finished.
Start of the Bicentennial Series
On July 4, 1971, the USPS issued the first stamp in the Bicentennial Series. Over the course of six years, the USPS issued 113 commemorative stamps honoring the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.
First U.S. Postage Stamp Goes on Sale
On July 1, 1847, America’s first postage stamps were issued. While the use of stamps wasn’t mandatory until 1856, this was a historic philatelic milestone.
First U.S. Rotary Stamp
On June 30, 1914, the US issued its very first stamp printed on the rotary press, US #459. It’s also the only imperforate US rotary press coil. Just 21,000 were printed and they went unnoticed for three years.
First Canal Zone Stamps Issued
On June 24, 1904, the US issued its first stamps for use in the Canal Zone. The stamps were used by the thousands of workers who built and maintained the Panama Canal.
First US Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps
On June 20, 2018, the USPS issued America’s first scratch-and-sniff stamps. Before they were issued, the stamps faced criticism from the American Lung Association…
Trans-Mississippi Stamps Issued
On June 17, 1898, the prized Trans-Mississippi stamps were issued as part of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha, Nebraska.
Jefferson Counterfeits
On June 16, 1938, the post office issued a 3¢ Jefferson stamp, which was convincingly counterfeited. In fact, the counterfeits are more valuable than the genuine stamp, which rarely happens!