Do you know that the very first stamp issued in the whole world is called One-Penny Black! It was issued in London, United Kingdom, on May 6, 1840!
(Scott 1996 Stamp Catalog)
A unique envelope bearing the world’s first three postage stamps - A Penny Black, a Two Pence Blue and a Penny Red - was sold at London auction house Christie’s recently for 150,000 pounds ($232,000).
The envelope, containing a letter dated July 7, 1841, was first sent to the Earl of Lauderdale in the Scottish town of Dunbar bearing the Two Pence Blue.
The other two stamps were added to pay for the letter to be redirected, thereby creating an extraordinary philatelic rarity.
Christies’ said the envelope, believed to be the only example in the world to bear the three stamps, had been sold to an anonymous collector .
In 1840, Britain became the first country to introduce postage stamps. The Penny Black and Two Pence Blue were issued in May 1840 while the Penny Red followed in 1841. (Reuter)
(The Philippine Star, Page 20, October 14, 1996)
RARE AND VALUABLE "JENNY INVERT"
The U.S. "24-cent Jenny Invert" (stamp with inverted plane) is the most famous stamp error in the world. In fact, it's probably the most famous U.S. stamp. Only 100 of these inverts were produced, all on a single sheet, by a printer's simple mistake.
Since their discovery, the price of owning one of these incredible philatelic gems has skyrocketed. The 1996 Scott Catalog lists the price of a single invert at $135,000! The plate number block of four (only one exists) was sold for $1,100,000!
(Mystic 1997 Stamp Catalog)
SELF-ADHESIVE STAMPS:
In 1974, the U. S. Postal Service issued the first self-adhesive stamp.
Self-adhesive stamps do not require moistening, but rather are peeled off a special backing paper, ready to stick. These stamps are often referred to as "peel and stick" stamps.
Stamps with regular gum that requires moistening are often referred to as "lick and stick" stamps.
(Mystic 1999 Stamp Catalog)NATIONAL ANTHEM ON STAMPS:
National anthems often are performed at sporting events, especially at the Olympic Games, where the winner of each event is saluted with the anthem of the country that he or she represents.
The oldest national anthem is that of the Netherlands. It dates from 1568, when the Dutch were struggling to achieve independence from Spain. The man who wrote the words for the anthem, poet Marnix van St. Aldegonde (1540-1598), was honored with a stamp (Cat. No. Scott B103).
The national anthem of the United States was written during the War of 1812 by Francis Scott Key, a Baltimore lawyer. The stamp honoring Francis Scott Key (Scott 962) depicts the lyricist, his old home, and American flags of 1814 (when the anthem was written) and 1948 (the date of the stamp).
Israel honored its national anthem "Hatikvah" (The Hope) in a 1978 stamp (Scott 697).
The first stanza of India's national anthem appears on a 1976 stamp (Scott 746). The words of the anthem were written by Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), a Bengali poet who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
(Source: The American Philatelist, August 1995)
TRIANGLE-SHAPED POSTAGE STAMPS:
America’s first triangle-shaped postage stamps were issued in 1997. This is to publicize Pacific 97 and it features the 32-cent Clipper Ship and the 32-cent Stagecoach (Scott # 3130-31).
Also issued in 1997 is the largest U.S. postage stamp ever. The $3.00 Mars Pathfinder stamp (Scott # 3178) measures a whopping 3 inches across by 1.5 inches high, making it the largest U.S. postage stamp ever!
(Mystic 2003 Stamp Catalog, Vol. 4)
AMERICA'S FIRST POSTAGE STAMPS:
America’s first postage stamps went on sale on July 1, 1847. Now over 150 years old, they represent a crucial stage of U.S. history.
The 5-cent issue of 1847 (Scott # 1) features a portrait of Benjamin Franklin. On July 26, 1775, he was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first Postmaster General of the Confederation.
With this background, it’s easy to see why Benjamin Franklin was given the honor of appearing on America’s first postage stamp!
(Mystic 2003 Stamp Catalog, Vol. 4)
JOHN HARVARD - PHILANTHROPIST:
Seventeenth-century philanthropist John Harvard is honored on a 56-cent US stamp issued on September 3, 1986. The issue coincides with the 350th anniversary of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
John Harvard was born in London in 1607. His father died of plague in 1624, and it was through the efforts of his step-father that he was able to enter Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, where he received his bachelor and master of arts degree. In 1637, as one of almost 100 graduates of Cambridge and Oxford universities who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony soon after its founding, Harvard settled in Charlestown with his bride, Anne Sadler. There he became a teaching elder of the Charlestown church, and he was awarded a land grant of 120 acres before his death in 1638.
Harvard bequeathed his library and half of his estate to the college that had been established in Newtown (now Cambridge), Massachusetts, two years before his death. In 1639, because of the generosity of his gift, the college was named in his honor.
(The American Philatelist, September 1987)
America's Elvis Stamp is the Most Popular U.S. Stamp of All Time
The 1993 U.S. Elvis stamp is the best-selling U.S. commemorative of all time. 517 million were issued -- that's several times the number of commemorative stamps normally issued in the U.S. Everything associated with Elvis is extremely popular.
Elvis Quick Facts
-
Record sales of over one billion units worldwide and rising -- more than any other artist
-
131 gold, platinum and multi-platinum recordings in the United States alone
-
149 hit songs on Billboard's Hot 100 Pop Chart in America
-
18 number one singles
-
Starred in 33 movies -- 31 feature films and two concert movies
-
Elvis was paid record amounts for his appearances on “The Steve Allen Show,*#148; “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Frank Sinatra Show.”'
-
Starred in three networked TV specials -- “Aloha from Hawaii” (1973) was broadcast via satellite and viewed by as many as 1.5 billion people in more than 40 countries
-
Elvis is the only person inducted into the Rock 'n Roll, Country, and Gospel halls of fame.
-
The Elvis commemorative stamp is the top-selling U.S. commemorative postage stamp of all time. It also made history as the first U.S. stamp design selected by the American public.
-
Graceland, Elvis's legendary Memphis home, is second only to the White House as the nation's most famous home. 600,000 visitors tour Graceland each year.
-
40% of Elvis's record sales were made outside the U.S.
On 27 January 1989, the United Nations Postal Administration issued a set of six (6) commemorative stamps on the theme "World Bank". Under the umbrella of the United Nations, the World Bank is owned by the Governments of more than 151 nations which have subscribed to its capital. Over the past 42 years, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Associations (IDA) have lent more than $160 billion for about 4,000 projects, in more than 100 countries; and the World Bank has provided more development assistance to poor nations than any other single agency in the world. (Source: The American Philatelist, January 1989)
Saturnino "Ka Ninoy" Lumboy, from Bamban, Tarlac, Philippines, won the United Nations "World Bank" stamp design contest as mentioned above and was awarded the amount of US$20,000 being the winner on the first, second, and third prize categories?
"Ka Ninoy" was employed by Saudi Aramco's Office Services Department in Abqaiq from 1982 till 1994.
The idea of the United
Nations issuing its own stamps was first proposed by Argentina in 1947.
An agreement
with the United States postal authorities was reached in 1951 and it
stipulated that the stamps be denominated in United States currency, and
used only at UN Headquarters.
The first United Nations stamps were issued in U.S. dollar denominations on United Nations Day, 24 October, in 1951. The stamps were an immediate success and sold out within days.
Similar postal agreements were reached
with the Swiss and Austrian postal authorities.
On 11 December 1968, an agreement between the United Nations and the Swiss
Postal Telephone and Telegraph Enterprise enabled the Geneva office of UNPA
to issue the first UN stamps in Swiss francs on 4 October 1969.
A similar agreement with the Austrian government on 28 June 1979 enabled the Vienna office of UNPA to issue the first UN stamps in Austrian schillings on 24 August 1979.
The beauty, uniqueness and special significance of UN stamps, combined with their individual, often intriguing histories and original configurations, continue to be a source of fascination and of great value to the collector.
Although philately is one of the most popular hobbies in the world, the average age of collectors is increasing, and the future of philately rests with today's youth. UNPA is encouraging children to enjoy the hobby of philately, with the introduction of collectors' packs and a special stamp album for children. The album features E.T., the extraterrestrial from the popular movie of the same name. Steven Spielberg, the internationally acclaimed director and creator of E.T., granted permission for the project and wrote a foreword to the album. In the album, E.T. leads children on a voyage of discovery about the United Nations and its work and encourages children to collect stamps that relate to each theme.
In the Central American countries of Bolivia and Paraguay, stamps actually provoked a war! The conflict began when Bolivia issued a stamp claiming an undefined and long-disputed area of wilderness. This stamp was simply a map with this territory’s possession clearly labeled. Enraged by this bold claim, Paraguay countered by issuing a larger stamp, which even more clearly showed the territory and labeled-in Paraguay’s name. Also on the stamp were the words, "Has been, is, and will be." Soon afterwards a vicious war over the territory began. The war raged for many years with Paraguay eventually proving to be the victor. Several stamps were then issued proudly proclaiming the territory as Paraguay’s.
The world’s longest-lived mail delivery system exists to this day in India. Called the Dak or Dawk system, this organization can be traced back to Roman relay runners. Dak runners carried the mail over long distances by inserting it in a stick, split down the middle. A torch bearer helped guide the runners at night, and another ran along beating a drum to scare off dangerous animals. Sometime during the seventeenth century, the job of carrying the torch and tom-tom were combined. The East India Company ran the system while Britain controlled India. During that time, postal inspectors were employed, and time keepers kept the runners on schedule.
The first recorded stamp collector was John Bourke, who served as Receiver-General of Stamp Duties in Ireland.
Dr. John Edward Gray of the British Museum became the first collector of adhesive stamps when he purchased a block of Penny Blacks on May 1, 1840.
The January 1, 1869 issue of Stamp Collectors Magazine showed collectors how to make their own stamp hinges cut from the margins of stamp sheets. This is the first known example – previously collectors had pasted their stamps directly into their albums.
In 1918, the British government counterfeited stamps from the nations of Austria, Bavaria and Germany. The stamps were then to be used to mail fake propaganda leaflets and postcards to neutral countries, such as Switzerland or Holland, who would believe they were the genuine articles. It was hoped these letters would win support for the Allies, but the program was abandoned before it could be employed. However, during WW II the British did successfully circulate German "Hitler Head" stamps. These stamps were used to spread rumors of dissension among German Army troops.
George Herpin of Paris was the first to use the term philately. Herpin didn’t like the term "timbromanie," which means stamp madness, which had been popular in the 1860s.