US POSTAL HISTORY BLOG

The wheels of government are turning. In 2007, after years of arguing with Congress, the Postal Service was authorized to increase postage rates once a year at an amount no more than the increase in the Consumer Price Index. (The annual increase is modeled on a process used in Canada.) At the moment, however, there’s some acrimonious discussion about whether the date for the increase falls in May of 2008 or January 2009. It’s a cliffhanger!

According to Danish history, the idea for charitable Christmas seals came to a postal clerk as he sorted letters and cards on the eve of the holiday in 1903.
 
Holboll’s idea captured the imagination of Denmark’s king, Christian IX. The savvy monarch suggested that the first issue of the fundraising seals include the Danish queen’s picture as a sign that both he and his wife fully supported the idea. The royals were extremely popular and thanks in large part to their endorsement, Danes bought four million of the world’s first Christmas seals when they were issued a year later. That’s a lot of krone! (Danish currency)

The first U.S. Christmas seals were the work of Emily Bissell. She hoped to emulate the success she’d read about and bring support to a small TB facility in Delaware. Bissell found a powerful ally in Philadelphia newspaper man Leigh Mitchell Hodges who helped her promote the campaign. The seals were issued in 1907, featuring a classic wreath of holly in bright red. Public support was instantaneous and overwhelming. $3,000.00 was earned that first year.

In 1962, the USPS delivered a holiday gift of its own in its official Christmas stamp. During the stamp dedication ceremony, Postmaster General J. Edward Day said that the new issue was created in response to demand from postal customers. In previous years, stamps that conveyed the spirit of the season had proven popular with card senders who favored the 1958 Forest Conservation stamp with a deer in a wooded clearing and the 1960 stamp commemorating the 5th World Forest Congress, showing a stylized green tree resembling a fir.
 
Day also announced that the stamp would be the first in a series of Christmas stamps, thus instantly creating a popular and entertaining area of collecting. The Postal Service issued its first Hanukkah stamp in 1996, followed in 1997 by its first Kwanzaa.

When it was released in December of 1941, the event cover commemorating the first trip of New York Central’s flashy, streamlined Empire State Express train – serving New York, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit – was scheduled to be front page news across the country.  While the cover certainly achieved status as railroad postal history in 1941…other news of the day eclipsed its significance. 

Passengers on the inaugural run were very surprised at the low turnout at trackside en route.  But as it happens, the Empire State Express made its inaugural run on December 7th , the day that 350 planes under the command of Japanese admiral Chuichi Nagumo attacked the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. American dead numbered 2,403.

The government has on occasion, but not often, sanctioned official counterfeiting of some of its postal emissions when desired for some very special purpose.  As an example of government stamp imitations, most collectors will recall at once the official counterfeits of the 5¢ and 10¢ 1847 designs, which were made up to complete the Centennial sets of 1875, when it was discovered that the original dies were no longer available.  Few, however, will think of the stamped envelope imitations shown on the posters formerly used in post office lobby displays as an incentive to the general public to use more stamped envelopes.

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The Civil War patriotic covers and other printed stationery items created by the Charles Magnus Company are distinguished by their eye-catching hand-coloring. To create the covers, a pre-cut stencil pattern was laid over a black and white design and color was applied. The workers, primarily women and children paid a salary of 8-cents per day for their labors, were given free reign in their color selections. As a result, Civil War patriotic covers with designs created by the Charles Magnus Company may be truly unique.

In 1908, Congress authorized post offices aboard ships and stations of the U.S. Navy. These post offices offer the same service as do post offices in cities and towns, and have identifiable postmarks. Around 1930, collectors began sending their own covers to U.S. Navy ships to be cancelled and returned.

If you’re a fan of naval covers, and have thought about creating your own collectibles, the Universal Ship Cancellation Society (USCS) can help. You can contact them for more information on how and where to send for ship cancellations, reference materials for learning about collecting, and a well-written monthly magazine called the USCS Log. The log includes articles about the current and historic fleet, as well as other information of interest.

The Civil War patriotic covers and other printed stationery items created by the Charles Magnus Company are distinguished by their eye-catching hand-coloring. To create the covers, a pre-cut stencil pattern was laid over a black and white design and color was applied. The workers, primarily women and children paid a salary of 8-cents per day for their labors, were given free reign in their color selections. As a result, Civil War patriotic covers with designs created by the Charles Magnus Company may be truly unique.

The Rose of Washington is a multi-colored Civil War patriotic designed by Charles Magnus. It is his arguably his best-known work. The colorful and elaborate rose is printed in blue on one side and bronze on the other. The Rose of Washington cover features a foldout rose enclosure with numerous scenes and monuments of Washington, D.C.

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95% or more of the patriotic covers that exist today were printed between 1861-65. It is believed that no fewer than 7,500 and perhaps as many as 10,000 designs exist. A wide variety of subjects were used to inspire patriotic sentiment and gain support for and against secession. Civil War patriotic covers include famous faces (military and political), scenes from the battlefield, designs related to the Army and its regiments, state-themed designed, and perhaps as many as 1,000 distinctive caricatures.