In the age of modern technology, the idea that a remnant of a popular mode of communication from the not-so-distant past would be popular might seem far-fetched. However, according to StampWorld, stamp collecting is in the midst of a rebirth that began in 2005 and is still going strong. The following are some stamp-related facts that might compel even more people to begin collecting stamps.
Congress authorized United States postage stamps on March 3, 1847, and the first general issue postage stamps went on sale in New York City on July 1, 1847. A five-cent stamp featured Benjamin Franklin, while a ten-cent stamp depicted George Washington. The province of Canada began issuing stamps on April 23, 1851. The first stamp in Canada depicted a beaver.
Postage stamps did not initially come with an adhesive back. People needed to use their own glue or paste to keep the stamp on. Some sewed them on.
An estimated 20 million people collect stamps in America. Philately is the study and collection of stamps and is considered the world’s oldest formal collecting hobby.
Products were once advertised on the back of three-cent stamps in the United States.
Great Britain was the first country to issue stamps, though their stamps do not feature the country’s name printed on them.
Stamp collecting, not unlike numismatics (coin collecting), is a hobby in which errors are a cause for celebration among collectors.
Graphic designers, artists and photographers are involved in the production of new stamp designs. Old stamps were printed using an engraving process.
The first stamp collector is believed to be John Bourke, Receiver-General of Stamp Duties in Ireland.
The ‘Inverted Jenny’ stamp is one of the world’s rarest stamps. These stamps were produced in 1918 with an airplane printed upside down.
The most popular U.S. postage stamp design was a 1993 stamp featuring an image of Elvis Presley.
Aviator Amelia Earhart, actor/comedian Charlie Chaplin, Queen Elizabeth II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and legendary musician John Lennon are some famous people who collected stamps.
