World’s First Triangle Stamps
On September 1, 1853, the Cape of Good Hope, a British colony at the southern tip of Africa, issued the world’s first triangle stamps. These were also the first adhesive postage stamps issued in Africa.
Stamp Collecting
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First US Stamp with “Air Mail” in Design
On August 17, 1923, the US Post Office issued its fifth Airmail stamp, #C5. Picturing the Air Service emblem, it was also the first US…
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First Commemorative-Sized Definitive Booklet Stamp
On March 29, 1985, the USPS issued its first definitive booklet stamp in the larger commemorative size. It was created for use in vending machines and to test the popularity of the format.
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Spay or Neuter Stamps
On September 20, 2002, the USPS issued the Spay or Neuter stamps in Denver, Colorado. The stamps had been the result of an extensive decade-long letter writing campaign.
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First Phosphorescent U.S. Stamps
On August 1, 1963, the U.S. Post Office experimented with luminescent stamps for the first time, in an effort to speed up mail sorting and cancellation.
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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.
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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…
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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!
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North American Wildlife Sheet
On June 13, 1987, the North American Wildlife sheet became the third US 50-stamp se-tenant. It was also the third stamp issue with a First Day ceremony outside of the US, in Canada.
