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

OFFICIAL POSTAGE STAMPS - 1873-1884

The franking privilege having been abolished, to take effect on the 1st day of July, 1873, the Postmaster General, as required by law, provided a series of stamps of special design for each of the executive departments of the Government for the prepayment of postage on official matter.

DESCRIPTION

The elliptical white ground filled by a face on the official stamps of the other Departments is, on the stamps for the Post Office Department, made to represent the denominations by bold-face Arabic numerals 5/16 of an inch high. The name of the Department is printed across the top in lieu of the words "U. S. postage." There is also a slight difference in the ornamentation of the border.

In design, the official stamps for the other Departments do not differ materially from those issued for sale to the public. The profile busts are retained; but each stamp has at the top the name of the particular Department for which it was provided instead of the words "U. S. postage." Other changes, appearing in the border, need not be specified.

These stamps were supplanted on May 1, 1879, by the penalty envelope and on the 5th of July, 1884, were declared obsolete.