United States Postage Stamps
A History

Regular, Commementive, Memorial Issues
Introduction ~ Series of 1847
Series of 1851
Series of 1861
Series of 1869
Issues of 1870
Issues of 1890&3
Columbian Series of 1893
Isues of 1894
Trans-Mississippi Exposition Stamps of 1898
Pan-American Stamps of 1901
Series of 1902-3
Lousiana Purchase Commemorative Stamps of 1904
Jamestown Commemorative Stamps of 1907
Issues of 1908-9
Issues of 1909
Issues of 1912
Panama-Pacific Commemorative Stamps of 1913
Issues of 1914-5
Issues of 1918
Issues of 1919
Pilgram Tercentenary Commemorative Stamps of 1920
Issues of 1922-23
Issue of 1923
Huguenot-Walloon Tercentenary Stamps of 1924
Issues of 1925
Issues of 1926
Issues of 1927
Issues of 1928
Issues of 1929
Issues of 1930
Isues of 1931
Washington Bicentennal Commemorative Stamps of 1932 & other Issues
Issues of 1933
Issues of 1934
Issues of 1935
 Special Souvenior sheets of 1935
Issues of 1936
Issues of 1937
Issues of 1938
Issues of 1939
Famous Americans Commem's of 1940 & Others
Vnmont Statehood of 1941
Issues of 1942
Overrun Countries commem's of 1943-44 & Others
Issues of 1944
Roosevelt and Armed Forces Series of 1945 & Others
Issues of 1946
Issues of 1947

Air Mail Stamps
 Issues of 1918-1947
Carriers' Stamps
Issues of 1851
Newspaper & Periodical Stamps
 Issues of 1865
Issues of 1875
Issues of 1895
Offical Postage Stamps
 Issues of 1873-1884
Parcel Post Stamps
Issues of 1912-1913
Postage Due Stamps
Issues of 1879-1930
Parcel Post Postage Due Stamps
  Issues of 1912
Postal Savings Offical Stamps
Issues of 1910-1911
Postal Savings Stamps
 Issue of 1911
Registry Stamp
Issue of 1911
Special Delivery Air Mail Stamp
Issue of 1934-1936
Special Delivery Stamps
 Issues of 1885-1925
Special Handling Stamp
Issue of 1925

United States Postage Stamps

1847 through 1947 ~ The first 100 years

Series of 1861--August 17, to February 27, 1869

One-cent. -Profile head of Franklin, looking to the right, in an ellipse as large as could be placed upon the stamp. The entire ground within the enclosure is formed of lathework. The outer 3/16 of an inch of this space is more open. The upper corner spaces contain the Arabic figure "I", and the lower the white capital letters "U" and "S" in the left and right, respectively-all four corners having ornate surroundings. The words "U.S. postage" are placed above and "One cent" below the bust, following the curvature of the elliptic lathework upon which they rest.

Two-cent. -A full face of Andrew Jackson fills the entire tablet, which is as wide as the stamp, three-fourths of an inch, and only 1/16 less in its long diameter than the stamp, 15/16 of an inch, space being left at the top for the words "U.S. postage" above the elliptical ground, which is cross-hatched. The word "Two" and the distorted capital "U" in  black fill the left lower corner, and the word "Cents" and a distorted "S" to the right. An Arabic "2" in white is placed in each upper corner inclined outward to the left and right, respectively, and resting upon small black disks. Appropriate scroll decorations complete the upper part. The face of Jackson on this stamp is probably after the portrait by Dodge.

Three-cent. -A profile of Washington looking to the left rests upon an oblong tablet of lathework, which is scarcely sep­arated from the rest of the stamp by a border of lighter work of the same character. The entire ground of the stamp, except touches at and near the outer corners, is of this ma­chine design. The large Arabic figure "3"  appears in the upper corners, and between them in two lines are "U.S." and "Postage", the latter word taking the curve of the head close below. At the bottom, also in two lines of white capitals, are the words "Three" and "Cents", the ends of the lines tending upward. In the lower corners are the Gothic capitals "U" and "S", of the same size as the figures; all four are white, except slight tracery near the middle of each.

Five-cent. -A portrait of Jefferson rests upon a cross-hatched elliptical tablet 17/32 by 43/64 of an inch. This is surrounded by a border of lathework, principally in a triple­line design reaching the limits of the stamp and giving the general outline of a parallelo­gram, though the corners are rounded, and midway of each side it swells outward. A large white Arabic figure "S" is placed in each of the upper corners, and resting on each end of the line "U.S. postage", which rises in the middle to surmount the upper curve of the tablet. Similar white capitals form the words "Five cents" below the tablet, and the Gothic capitals "U" and "S", slightly distorted, are placed in the lower corners.

Ten-cent. -The head of Washington is upon a hatched ground whose cross lines are almost imperceptible, and is enclosed by four small white stars on each side, with the words "U.5. postage" above and "Ten cents" below. There are five more stars at the top of the stamp. The number "10", in Arabic figures, is placed in each upper corner, in an appropriate enclosure of ornamental design, and the white capitals "U" and "S" are seen in the left and right lower corners, respectively.

Twelve-cent. -The face of Washington is placed upon a cross-hatched elliptical ground 1/2 by 5/8 inch, which is surrounded to the edge of the stamp by a very fine geometrical design with a serrated outer white line, edged with a black hairline and the trace of an ornament in the middle of each side, with a larger one at each corner, outside the lines mentioned. The number "12", in Arabic figures, inclined as in the 2-cent stamp, is placed in each upper corner, with "U.S. postage" between, bordering the medallion line. Below, in the corners, are the white capitals "U" and "S", with the words "Twelve cents" just below the medallion line and ris­ing at each end above the "U" and "S." The portrait is the same as that on the 10­cent stamp.

Fifteen-cent. -The portrait of Lincoln appears upon a cross-hatched elliptical ground 9/16 by 3/4 of an inch. On each side of this are fasces, and above are the words "U.S. postage" in white capitals upon a tablet curled at each end and encircling the number "15", in Arabic figures, in each upper corner; the figures lean outward to the right and left and backward. At the bottom are the words "Fifteen cents" in similar letters to those above and on a like ground, except that the latter terminates abruptly at the ends when reaching the fasces. The letters "U.S." in the lower corners are in bold.faced white capitals, the letters leaning to correspond with the numerals in the upper corners.

Twenty.four-cent .-The portrait is the smallest in the series and is enclosed by very fine lathework 1/8 of an inch wide, the general outline of which is irregularly hexagonal. On each outer side, above the middle line, are four small five-pointed stars, enlarged in size from the lowest one up. At the top are three more stars, the smallest one in the mid­dle. To the right and left of these, in the corners, and within an elliptical space, are the white-faced and shaded Arabic numerals "24", inclined slightly to the left and right. In each lower corner is a large five­pointed star, completing the 13; upon the left of these is the letter "U", and upon the right "S", tending inward at the top. Curled­leafed ornaments above and at the side of these stars complete the principal features of the stamp. The portrait ground is cross lined vertically and horizontally.

Thirty-cent. -The portrait is enclosed in a circle 31/32 of an inch in diameter. The background of this space is obliquely cross lined at right angles. The inscriptions "U. S. Postage" above and "Thirty cents" below the circle follow it closely; the number "30" leans outward in the upper corners, and the white capital letters "U" and "S" in the lower left and right hand corners, respectively, incline inward. Around the sides are scroll-work ornamentations.

Ninety-cent. -The portrait stands upon a background similar to that of the 5-, 12-, and I5-cent stamps. The border, about 3/32 of an inch wide, is crossed with rays. The outer line of this border rises at the top to a Gothic apex. The denomination nu­merals "90" appear at each side of the tablet, on its border, one-fourth of an inch from its highest point. Across the top of the stamp, upon an independent pennant tablet, whose ends fall about the border, are the words "U. S. Postage" in white, shaded capitals. The words "Ninety" and "Cents" are upon the left and right lower quarters of the border, which rests upon branches of oak and laurel tied with a small ribbon. The extreme lower corners are filled with the letters "U" and "S" in the left and right, respectively.

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