Misplaced Pages

#455544

86-406: A city boy finds a discarded postage stamp that unlocks his imagination; a country boy is captivated by stories. When they grow up, the two boys take different paths—one becomes a prison guard, the other works in a factory—but their early childhood passions remain. Their lives intersect years later when the country boy's stories of hope land him in prison, guarded by the city boy. The rules prohibit

172-539: A Member of (British) Parliament, gave Sir Rowland Hill numerous books and documents about the postal service, which Hill described as a "half hundred weight of material". After a detailed study, on 4 January 1837 Hill submitted a pamphlet entitled Post Office Reform: Its Importance and Practicability to the Chancellor of the Exchequer , Thomas Spring Rice , which was marked "private and confidential", and not released to

258-406: A bit of paper just large enough to bear the stamp, and covered at the back with a glutinous wash..." This would eventually become the first unambiguous description of a modern adhesive postage stamp (though the term "postage stamp" originated at a later date). Shortly afterward, Hill's revision of the booklet, dated 22 February 1837, containing some 28,000 words, incorporating the supplement given to

344-479: A discontinued personal delivery service, once had a surfboard mail postmark, for covers that traveled by surfboard. A colour postmark is on the United States Postal Service-issued collectible envelope commemorating the 2004 inauguration of George W. Bush . While postmarks are applied almost universally by or under the authority of the official postal department, service, or authority in

430-459: A nine-character alphanumeric code that is written as a 3x3 grid on the piece of mail as an alternative to stamps. In December 2020, 590,000 people sent cards with these handwritten codes. When the first postage stamps were issued in the 1840s, they followed an almost identical standard in shape, size and general subject matter. They were rectangular in shape. They bore the images of queens, presidents and other political figures. They also depicted

516-443: A purely decorative perforated edge is often present). Stamps are most commonly made from paper designed specifically for them, and are printed in sheets, rolls, or small booklets. Less commonly, postage stamps are made of materials other than paper, such as embossed foil (sometimes of gold ). Switzerland made a stamp that contained a bit of lace and one of wood . The United States produced one of plastic . East Germany issued

602-467: A recent innovation. The first postmark, called the "Bishop mark", was introduced by English Postmaster General Henry Bishop in 1661 and showed only the day and month of mailing to prevent the delay of the mail by carriers. In England during the latter part of the 17th century, several postmarks were devised for use with the London Penny Post , a postal system that delivered mailed items within

688-708: A scent, more readily apparent when rubbed . The effect is achieved by using ink which contains microcapsules that provide the desired fragrance when broken. The scent usually only lasts for a limited time after production, such as a few months or years. Such stamps are usually related to aromatic subjects including coffee, roses, grapes, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, pine needles or freshly baked bread. The first scented stamps were issued by Bhutan in 1973. Apart from these, there are also revenue stamps (used to collect taxes or fees on items like documents, tobacco, alcoholic drinks, hunting licenses, and medicines) and telegraph stamps (for sending telegrams), which fall in

774-446: A separate category from postage stamps. Postage stamps are first issued on a specific date, often referred to as the First day of issue. A first day cover usually consists of an envelope, a postage stamp and a postmark with the date of the stamp's first day of issue thereon. Starting in the mid-20th century some countries began assigning the first day of issue to a place associated with

860-483: A similar service. There have apparently been some postmarks producing a stereoscopic or "3D" effect where a special viewer is required. They are considered more as a novelty than as a practical postmark. The local post Hawai'i Post had a rubber-stamp postmark, parts of which were hand-painted. At Hideaway Island , Vanuatu , the Underwater Post Office has an embossed postmark. The study of postmarks

946-522: A simple and elegant manner, with the additional benefit of room for an element of beauty to be introduced. Concurrently with the first stamps, the United Kingdom offered wrappers for mail. Later related inventions include postal stationery such as prepaid-postage envelopes, post cards , lettercards , aerogrammes , and postage meters . The postage stamp afforded convenience for both the mailer and postal officials, more effectively recovered costs for

SECTION 10

#1733084894456

1032-421: A small number of stamps. Souvenir sheets typically include additional artwork or information printed on the selvage , the border surrounding the stamps. Sometimes the stamps make up a greater picture. Some countries, and some issues, are produced as individual stamps as well as sheets. Stamp collecting is a hobby . Collecting is not the same as philately , which is defined as the study of stamps. The creation of

1118-565: A source of net profit to that agency. On 1 May 1840, the Penny Black , the first adhesive postage stamp, was issued in the United Kingdom. Within three years postage stamps were introduced in Switzerland and Brazil , a little later in the United States , and by 1860, they were in 90 countries around the world. The first postage stamps did not need to show the issuing country, so no country name

1204-469: A stamp of synthetic chemicals . In the Netherlands a stamp was made of silver foil . Bhutan issued one with its national anthem on a playable record . The subjects found on the face of postage stamps are generally what defines a particular stamp issue to the public and are often a reason why they are saved by collectors or history enthusiasts. Graphical subjects found on postage stamps have ranged from

1290-648: A steel die, which was then hardened and whose impression was transferred to a printing plate. Using an engraved image was deemed a more secure way of printing stamps as it was nearly impossible to counterfeit a finely detailed image with raised lines for anyone but a master engraver. In the mid-20th century, stamp issues produced by other forms of printing began to emerge, such as lithography , photogravure , intaglio and web offset printing . These later printing methods were less expensive and typically produced images of lesser quality. Occasionally, postal authorities issue novelty "scented" or "aromatic" stamps which contain

1376-557: A valuable or comprehensive collection, however, may require some philatelic knowledge. Stamp collectors are an important source of revenue for some small countries that create limited runs of elaborate stamps designed mainly to be bought by stamp collectors. The stamps produced by these countries may far exceed their postal needs. Hundreds of countries, each producing scores of different stamps each year, resulted in 400,000 different types of stamps in existence by 2000. Annual world output averages about 10,000 types. Some countries authorize

1462-406: A widespread basis, historians and collectors began to take notice. The study of postage stamps and their use is referred to as philately . Stamp collecting can be both a hobby and a form of historical study and reference, as government-issued postage stamps and their mailing systems have always been involved with the history of nations. Although a number of people laid claim to the concept of

1548-401: Is a small piece of paper issued by a post office , postal administration , or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail). Then the stamp is affixed to the face or address-side of any item of mail —an envelope or other postal cover (e.g., packet, box, mailing cylinder)—which they wish to send. The item is then processed by

1634-599: Is a specialized branch of philately called marcophily . It may bring added value to the stamps by their historical significance. Other parameters are the rarity and the attractiveness. In particular, the stamps issued by the Empire of Austria during the 1850–1867 period (the 5 issues before the Austro-Hungarian compromise of 1867), are collected for their variety and beauty. More details can be found in Valuation of cancellations of

1720-563: Is now in the United Kingdom's National Postal Museum. Since Chalmers used the same postage denominations that Hill had proposed in February 1837, it is clear that he was aware of Hill's proposals, but whether he obtained a copy of Hill's booklet or simply read about it in one or both of the two detailed accounts (25 March 1837 and 20 December 1837 ) published in The Times is unknown. Neither article mentioned "a bit of paper just large enough to bear

1806-584: Is often considered as an official confirmation that a cover (letter, packet, etc.) mailed item was mailed at a given location at a specific date. For example, the date of the postmark can be quite important. In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service will still consider income tax returns as filed on time though it receives them late if they are postmarked on time, and this date (with, perhaps, other proof of mailing ), may have significance in

SECTION 20

#1733084894456

1892-487: Is the "censored postmark", overprinted with a black obliteration of the time and place of mailing, for similar reasons. The Pony Express used a variety of different postmarks on the mail it carried across the Western United States. There are only 250 known examples of surviving Pony Express mail/postmarks in various collections today bearing one of more than a dozen different types of postmarks. Hawai'i Post,

1978-705: The Act of March 3, 1855 required the prepayment of postage on all mailings. Thereafter, postage stamp use in the United States quickly doubled, and by 1861 had quadrupled. In 1856, under the direction of Postmaster General James Campbell , Toppan and Carpenter, ( commissioned by the United States government to print United States postage stamps through the 1850s ) purchased a rotary machine designed to separate stamps, patented in England in 1854 by William and Henry Bemrose, who were printers in Derby , England. The original machine cut slits into

2064-434: The London Penny Post . The LPP was a mail system that delivered letters and small parcels inside the city of London for the sum of one penny. Confirmation of paid postage was indicated by the use of a hand stamp to frank the mailed item. Though this "stamp" was applied to the letter or parcel itself, rather than to a separate piece of paper, it is considered by many historians to be the world's first postage stamp. In 1835,

2150-562: The Ontario Historical Society, honouring the book for bringing “public awareness to the principles of freedom of conscience and freedom of thought .” Thisdale's illustrations blend traditional drawing and painting with digital imagery. “Detailed Chinese landscapes are creatively blended with dreamy, imaginative vistas” creating a “riveting combination of realism and imagination.” Layered into each image are Chinese characters, bright stamps and ghostly postmarks. One image, that of

2236-628: The Zürich 4 and 6 rappen on 1 March 1843. Although the Penny black could be used to send a letter less than half an ounce anywhere within the United Kingdom, the Swiss did not initially adopt that system, instead continuing to calculate mail rates based on distance to be delivered. Brazil issued the Bull's Eye stamp on 1 August 1843. Using the same printer used for the Penny black, Brazil opted for an abstract design instead of

2322-448: The envelope or package to which they are affixed is submitted or deposited for acceptance into the mailstream , they most commonly have taken the form of a pre-printed city name on the stamp) specifically, which generally do not indicate a date. Flight cachets , more or less elaborate rubber-stamps on an envelope indicating on which flight (typically a first flight ), a first flight cover has traveled via airmail , are in addition to

2408-557: The 1850s, and by the 1860s most countries issued stamps. Perforation of postage stamps began in January 1854. The first officially perforated stamps were issued in February 1854. Stamps from Henry Archer's perforation trials were issued in the last few months of 1850; during the 1851 parliamentary session at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom ; and finally in 1853/54 after the United Kingdom government paid Archer £4,000 for his machine and

2494-462: The 1890s as an agent of Hamilton Bank Note Company . He approached Latin American countries with an offer to produce their entire postage stamp needs for free. In return. he would have exclusive rights to market stamps to collectors. Each year a new issue would be produced, but would expire at the end of the year. This assured Seebeck of a continuing supply of remainders. In the 1960s, printers such as

2580-489: The Austrian Empire . A special or rare postmark can substantially add to the value of a stamp. For example, on a Victorian cover sold at auction for £8,000 in 2019, a two penny blue stamp "was upstaged by" a rare 'sun' date stamp. Also, in addition to everyday postmarks there are postmarks indicating the first day of issue of a particular stamp and pictorial cancellations commemorating local events, anniversaries, and

2666-478: The Barody Stamp Company contracted to produce stamps for the separate Emirates and other countries. The sparse population of the desert states made it wholly unlikely that many of these stamps would ever be used for mailing purposes, and earned them the name of the "sand dune" countries. Postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope , parcel, postcard or the like, indicating

The Stamp Collector - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-686: The Chancellor and statements he made to the commission, was published and made available to the general public. Hansard records that on 15 December 1837, Benjamin Hawes asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer "whether it was the intention of the Government to give effect to the recommendation of the Commissioners of the Post-office, contained in their ninth report relating to the reduction of the rates of postage, and

2838-558: The Penny Red and all subsequent designs. In the United States, the use of postage stamps caught on quickly and became more widespread when on 3 March 1851, the last day of its legislative session, Congress passed the Act of March 3, 1851 ( An Act to reduce and modify the Rates of Postage in the United States ). Similarly introduced on the last day of the Congressional session four years later,

2924-414: The U.S. issued a new two-dollar bill . People could buy the bills at face value, add a first class stamp (at the time 13 cents), and have the combination postmarked to show they were the first day of issue. Large numbers of these were produced and they remain common. When the first universal postal system was started in the United Kingdom with its Penny Black , the postmark used red ink for contrast. This

3010-465: The United States it is possible to receive "a permit to apply your own postmark", called a Mailer's Postmark Permit, and under certain conditions specified by the private express statutes in the United States, a privately carried letter may be cancelled with a private postmark. Unofficial entities that issue artistamps may use postmark-like markings as well. Marcophily is the study of postmarks and there are many published work on postmarks covering

3096-458: The United States, these services have been offered by such companies as Stamps.com and Neopost ). These indicia are not always postmarked by the post office but if put into the mailstream later than the date listed on them, they are postmarked about 50% of the time. Because of this, it is a bad idea to try to use the date on one's postage as a postmark. An official example relating a numismatic item to postmarks occurred on April 13, 1976, when

3182-449: The back side of the envelope or a blank region of the postcard, known as the "delivery postmark" ( Chinese : 投递日戳 ). A postmark should not be confused with the killer which are lines, bars, etc. used to cancel a postage stamp. The killer acts as the cancellation , though the postmark can also serve this purpose. Neither should a postmark be confused with overprints generally, or pre-cancels (stamps that have been cancelled before

3268-461: The book explains the concept of freedom of expression and the work done by International PEN and other charities on behalf of writers and journalists imprisoned or at risk. It is also disclosed that a portion of all proceeds from its sales “will support PEN Canada in its efforts to bring hope to writers in prisons around the world.” PEN Canada is the Canadian arm of International PEN. Lanthier says

3354-463: The city of London. The postmarks bore the initial of the particular post office or handling house it was sent from along with a separate time stamp. Postage was prepaid and the postmark was applied to the mailed item by means of an inked hand-stamp. Some historians also consider these postmarks to be the world's first postage "stamps". In the 19th century and early 1900s, it was common for letters to receive multiple postmarks, or backstamps , indicating

3440-481: The civil servant Lovrenc Košir from Ljubljana in Austria-Hungary (now Slovenia ), suggested the use of "artificially affixed postal tax stamps" using "gepresste Papieroblate" ("pressed paper wafers"), but although civil bureaucrats considered the suggestion in detail, it was not adopted. The 'Papieroblate' were to produce stamps as paper decals so thin as to prevent their reuse. In 1836, Robert Wallace ,

3526-499: The commemoration. In 2004 the United States Postal Service announced plans to introduce first day digital colour postmarks to be used to cancel some first day covers for commemorative stamps in 2005 and this practice continued and was ongoing as of 2015. Singapore Post offers a "postmark advertising" service which, strictly speaking, applies to the "killer" rather than the postmark. Hungarian Post Co., Ltd. offers

The Stamp Collector - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-456: The context of legal filings and proofs of service or of delivery (though in this case the date may viewed as "on time" if the date of the postmark is no more than one day after the date service is supposed to have been made). Postal voting ballots may be accepted in some places if postmarked by the date of the election, though other places require receipt by a certain deadline. Historically, postmarks, known as backstamps were also applied to

3698-472: The corruption of the government official, Bo Xilai . Lanthier says that encounter led her to write The Stamp Collector . In the afterword Lanthier explains “We asked Mr. Weiping if there was any point in writing letters to prisoners who weren’t allowed to see them. He said yes – because the guards collect stamps .” In June 2013 The Stamp Collector won the Huguenot Society of Canada Award, presented by

3784-473: The county of Forfar), and 12 June 1839. At this same time, other groups organized petitions and presented them to Parliament. All petitions for consumer-oriented, low-cost, volume-based postal rates followed publication of Hill's proposals. Other claimants include or have included Postage stamps have facilitated the delivery of mail since the 1840s. Before then, ink and hand-stamps (hence the word 'stamp'), usually made from wood or cork, were often used to frank

3870-543: The denomination of the postage-paid, and with the exception of the United Kingdom , depicted the name of the country from which issued. Nearly all early postage stamps depict images of national leaders only. Soon after the introduction of the postage stamp, other subjects and designs began to appear. Some designs were welcome, others widely criticized. For example, in 1869, the United States Post Office broke

3956-843: The discarded stamp found by the city boy in the opening pages and saved for its beauty, recurs throughout the book and serves as the metaphor carrying the book's political message. Thisdale based the image on this particular stamp on The Temple of the Sun in Chaoyang District , Beijing , China. During the 2008 Summer Olympics , at the behest of the IOC , The Temple of the Sun was one of three locations designated by Chinese officials as official protest zones. All applications to protest there were denied or withdrawn and no protests took place. At least two persons who applied to protest were arrested and sentenced to reeducation. Postage stamp A postage stamp

4042-511: The early portrayals of kings, queens and presidents to later depictions of ships, birds and satellites , famous people , historical events, comics, dinosaurs, hobbies (knitting, stamp collecting), sports, holiday themes, and a plethora of other subjects too numerous to list. Artists, designers, engravers and administrative officials are involved with the choice of subject matter and the method of printing stamps. Early stamp images were almost always produced from an engraving —a design etched into

4128-637: The essay's existence. Nevertheless, until he died in 1891, Patrick Chalmers campaigned to have his father recognized as the inventor of the postage stamp. The first independent evidence for Chalmers' claim is an essay, dated 8 February 1838 and received by the Post Office on 17 February 1838, in which he proposed adhesive postage stamps to the General Post Office . In this approximately 800-word document concerning methods of indicating that postage had been paid on mail he states: Chalmers' original document

4214-679: The first postmark employed for the cancellation of the then new adhesive postage stamps was the Maltese Cross , so named because of its shape and appearance. This was used in conjunction with a date stamp which was applied, usually to the rear of the letter, which denoted the date of posting. Different types of postmarks include railway post offices (RPOs) and maritime (on-board ship) postmarks. Postmarks on naval vessels during sensitive operations in wartime are sometimes "clean", showing less information than usual to prevent route of travel or other details from falling into enemy hands. Similar to this

4300-435: The first stamps were separated from their sheets by cutting them with scissors. The first stamps did not need to show the issuing country, so no country name was included on them. The United Kingdom remains the only country to omit its name on postage stamps, using the reigning monarch's head as country identification. Following the introduction of the postage stamp in the United Kingdom, prepaid postage considerably increased

4386-499: The general public. The Chancellor summoned Hill to a meeting at which he suggested improvements and changes to be presented in a supplement, which Hill duly produced and submitted on 28 January 1837. Summoned to give evidence before the Commission for Post Office Enquiry on 13 February 1837, Hill read from the letter he wrote to the Chancellor that included a statement saying that the notation of paid postage could be created... by using

SECTION 50

#1733084894456

4472-493: The guard and writer from talking. As the years pass, the writer's story spreads around the world and letters of support from faraway places begin to arrive. The guard is fascinated by the beautiful stamps and intrigued by what they suggest about the prisoner he watches. With time, the guard feels compelled to deliver first the stamps and eventually the letters, as evidence to the writer that the world has not forgotten him. A unique friendship begins. The writer grows ever weaker while

4558-414: The guard begs him to tell him his stories and promises to share them. After the writer's death the guard courageously leaves his post and journeys to a distant but safe library where he puts pen to paper and begins to share the stories. Although the setting of The Stamp Collector is unnamed, the postmarks and Chinese characters used in the illustrations suggest a thinly-disguised China. An afterword in

4644-640: The intention of retrieving and collecting the mailed item at a later time and place. The envelope used for this type of FDC often bears a printed design or cachet of its own in correspondence with the stamp's subject and is usually printed well in advance of the first day of issue date. The latter type of FDC is usually far more common; it is usually inexpensive and relatively easy to acquire. Covers which were sent without any secondary purpose are considered non-philatelic and often are much more challenging to find and collect. Postage stamps are sometimes issued in souvenir sheets or miniature sheets containing one or

4730-520: The inventor or inventors of the stamp. Before the introduction of postage stamps, mail in the United Kingdom was paid for by the recipient, a system that was associated with an irresolvable problem: the costs of delivering mail were not recoverable by the postal service when recipients were unable or unwilling to pay for delivered items, and senders had no incentive to restrict the number, size, or weight of items sent, whether or not they would ultimately be paid for. The postage stamp resolved this issue in

4816-401: The issuing of penny stamps?" Hill's ideas for postage stamps and charging paid-postage based on weight soon took hold, and were adopted in many countries throughout the world. With the new policy of charging by weight, using envelopes for mailing documents became the norm. Hill's brother Edwin invented a prototype envelope-making machine that folded paper into envelopes quickly enough to match

4902-471: The like' and slogan postmarks which advertise an event or pass information to the public (there has been a recent change to the term "pictorial postmarks" rather than "pictorial cancellations" by the USPS). There are some examples of "faked covers" produced by philatelic forgers, most usually to increase their value, in which the postmark has been altered in some way; for example, by changing the date. The postmark

4988-405: The mail and confirm the payment of postage. The first adhesive postage stamp, commonly referred to as the Penny Black , was issued in the United Kingdom in 1840. The invention of the stamp was part of an attempt to improve the postal system in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , which, in the early 19th century, was in disarray and rife with corruption. There are varying accounts of

5074-575: The most common rectangular shape, stamps have been issued in geometric (circular, triangular and pentagonal) and irregular shapes. The United States issued its first circular stamp in 2000 as a hologram of the Earth . Sierra Leone and Tonga have issued stamps in the shapes of fruit. Stamps that are printed on sheets are generally separated by perforations, though, more recently, with the advent of gummed stamps that do not have to be moistened prior to affixing them, designs can incorporate smooth edges (although

5160-433: The nation's traditions and values, every stamp is printed on a piece of usually rectangular, but sometimes triangular or otherwise shaped special custom-made paper whose back is either glazed with an adhesive gum or self-adhesive . Because governments issue stamps of different denominations in unequal numbers and routinely discontinue some lines and introduce others, and because of their illustrations and association with

5246-486: The number of letters mailed. Before 1839, the number of letters sent in the United Kingdom was typically 76 million. By 1850, this increased five-fold to 350 million, continuing to grow rapidly until the end of the 20th century when newer methods of indicating the payment of postage reduced the use of stamps. Other countries soon followed the United Kingdom with their own stamps. The canton of Zürich in Switzerland issued

SECTION 60

#1733084894456

5332-459: The pace of the growing demand for postage stamps. Rowland Hill and the reforms he introduced to the United Kingdom postal system appear on several of its commemorative stamps. In the 1881 book The Penny Postage Scheme of 1837 , Scotsman Patrick Chalmers claimed that his father, James Chalmers , published an essay in August 1834 describing and advocating a postage stamp, but submitted no evidence of

5418-572: The paper rather than punching holes, but the machine was soon modified. The first stamp issue to be officially perforated, the 3-cent George Washington, was issued by the United States Post Office on 24 February 1857. Between 1857 and 1861, all stamps originally issued between 1851 and 1856 were reissued with perforations. Initial capacity was insufficient to perforate all stamps printed, thus perforated issues used between February and July 1857 are scarce and quite valuable. In addition to

5504-407: The patent. The Universal Postal Union , established in 1874, prescribed that nations shall only issue postage stamps according to the quantity of real use, and no living persons shall be taken as subjects. The latter rule lost its significance after World War I . After World War II , it became customary in some countries, especially small Arab nations, to issue postage stamps en masse as it

5590-511: The place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. Modern postmarks are often applied simultaneously with the cancellation or killer that marks postage stamps as having been used. Sometimes a postmark alone is used to cancel stamps, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Postmarks may be applied by handstamp or machine, using methods such as rollers or inkjets , while digital postmarks are

5676-627: The portrait of Emperor Pedro II , so his image would not be disfigured by a postmark. In 1845, some postmasters in the United States issued their own stamps , but it was not until 1847 that the first official United States stamps were issued: 5 and 10 cent issues depicting Benjamin Franklin and George Washington . A few other countries issued stamps in the late 1840s. The famous Mauritius "Post Office" stamps were issued by Mauritius in September 1847. Many others, such as India , started their use in

5762-429: The postage stamp, it is well documented that stamps were first introduced in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 1 May 1840 as a part of postal reforms promoted by Sir Rowland Hill . With its introduction the postage fee was paid by the sender and not the recipient, though it was still possible to send mail without prepaying. From when the first postage stamps were used, postmarks were applied to prevent

5848-486: The postal service, and ultimately resulted in a better, faster postal system. With the conveniences stamps offered, their use resulted in greatly increased mailings during the 19th and 20th centuries. Postage stamps released during this era were the most popular way of paying for mail; however by the end of the 20th century were rapidly being eclipsed by the use of metered postage and bulk mailing by businesses. As postage stamps with their engraved imagery began to appear on

5934-462: The postal system, where a postmark or cancellation mark—in modern usage indicating date and point of origin of mailing—is applied to the stamp and its left and right sides to prevent its reuse. Next the item is delivered to its address. Always featuring the name of the issuing nation (with the exception of the United Kingdom ), a denomination of its value, and often an illustration of persons, events, institutions, or natural realities that symbolize

6020-499: The postal system. Most national post offices produce stamps that would not be produced if there were no collectors, some to a far more prolific degree than others. Sales of stamps to collectors who do not use them for mailing can result in large profits. Examples of excessive issues have been the stamps produced by Nicholas F. Seebeck and stamps produced for the component states of the United Arab Emirates . Seebeck operated in

6106-492: The production of postage stamps that have no postal use, but are intended instead solely for collectors. Other countries issue large numbers of low denomination stamps that are bundled together in starter packs for new collectors. Official reprints are often printed by companies who have purchased or contracted for those rights and such reprints see no postal use. All of these stamps are often found "canceled to order", meaning they are postmarked without ever having passed through

6192-521: The ragged edges of surviving examples. Mechanically separating stamps from a sheet proved an inconvenience for postal clerks and businesses, both dealing with large numbers of individual stamps on a daily basis. By 1850, methods such as rouletting wheels were being devised in efforts of making stamp separation more convenient, and less time-consuming. The United Kingdom was the first country to issue postage stamps with perforations. The first machine specifically designed to perforate sheets of postage stamps

6278-411: The reverse side of a cover to confirm arrival at the post office on a specific date. China Post distinguishes delivery postmarks from posting postmarks. When a letter or a postcard is accepted into the care of a postal service, a black postmark is applied on the postage stamp, known as the "posting postmark" ( Chinese : 收寄日戳 ). When a letter or a postcard is delivered, a red postmark is applied on

6364-403: The separated stamp defines a characteristic meme for the appearance of a postage stamp. In the first decade of postage stamps' existence (depending on the country), stamps were issued without perforations. Scissors or other cutting mechanisms were required to separate a desired number of stamps from a full sheet. If cutting tools were not used, individual stamps were torn off. This is evidenced by

6450-400: The social and political realities of the time of their issue, they are often prized for their beauty and historical significance by stamp collectors , whose study of their history and of mailing systems is called philately . Because collectors often buy stamps from an issuing agency with no intention to use them for postage, the revenues from such purchases and payments of postage can make them

6536-596: The stamp", so Chalmers could not have known that Hill had made such a proposal. This suggests that either Chalmers had previously read Hill's booklet and was merely elaborating Hill's idea, or he had independently developed the idea of the modern postage stamp. James Chalmers organized petitions "for a low and uniform rate of postage". The first such petition was presented in the House of Commons on 4 December 1837 (from Montrose). Further petitions which he organized were presented on 1 May 1838 (from Dunbar and Cupar), 14 May 1838 (from

6622-457: The stamps being used again. The first stamp, the " Penny black ", became available for purchase 1 May 1840, to be valid as of 6 May 1840. Two days later, 8 May 1840, the Two penny blue was introduced. The Penny black was sufficient for a letter less than half an ounce to be sent anywhere within the United Kingdom. Both stamps included an engraving of the young Queen Victoria , without perforations, as

6708-424: The story was inspired by the writer Nuremuhamet Yasin , who was sentenced to ten years in a Chinese prison in 2004 for writing a short story called “ The Wild Pigeon .” Lanthier advocated for his release while volunteering for PEN Canada. At a meeting of PEN advocates, Lanthier met the exiled journalist Jiang Weiping , who had spent six years in a Chinese prison for a series of investigative articles he wrote exposing

6794-471: The subject of the stamp design, such as a specific town or city. There are two basic types of First Day Covers (FDCs) noted by collectors. The first and often most desirable type among advanced collectors is a cover sent through the mail in the course of everyday usage, without the intention of the envelope and stamp ever being retrieved and collected. The second type of FDC is often referred to as "Philatelic", that is, an envelope and stamp sent by someone with

6880-434: The time, date, and location of each post office transporting or delivering the letter, and this is still occasionally true. While almost every contemporary postmark includes a location as well as a date, in 2004, New Zealand Post announced plans to eliminate the location on their postmarks and include only the date; however, information about this can be determined by a three-number code on the postmarks. In Great Britain,

6966-410: The topic from before 1900, such as the fancy cancels , until the present day. These include the so-called fancy cancels of the United States to modern machine postmarks . Fewer postmarks are used now than previously, with the advent of meter labels , some types of computer vended postage , and computerized postage that people can print from their own personal computers (called "PC postage" in

7052-467: The tradition of depicting presidents or other famous historical figures, instead using other subjects including a train and horse.(See: 1869 Pictorial Issue .) The change was greeted with general disapproval, and sometimes harsh criticism from the American public. Perforations are small holes made between individual postage stamps on a sheet of stamps, facilitating separation of a desired number of stamps. The resulting frame-like, rippled edge surrounding

7138-543: Was included on them. Thus the United Kingdom remains the only country in the world to omit its name on postage stamps; the monarch's image signifies the United Kingdom as the country of origin. Throughout modern history numerous methods were used to indicate that postage had been paid on a mailed item, so several different men have received credit for inventing the postage stamp. In 1680, William Dockwra , an English merchant in London , and his partner Robert Murray established

7224-522: Was invented in London by Henry Archer , an Irish landowner and railroad man from Dublin , Ireland. The 1850 Penny Red was the first stamp to be perforated during trial course of Archer's perforating machine. After a period of trial and error and modifications of Archer's invention, new machines based on the principles pioneered by Archer were purchased and in 1854 the United Kingdom postal authorities started continuously issuing perforated postage stamps in

7310-402: Was not successful, and the stamp was changed to non-black colours so that the postmark could use black ink. The majority of postmarks today are in black, with red (particularly in the United States with local post offices' handstamps) following, though sometimes they are in other colours. This is particularly true in the case of pictorial postmarks if the colour in question has some connection to

7396-497: Was realized how profitable that was. During the 21st century, the amount of mail—and the use of postage stamps, accordingly—has reduced in the world because of electronic mail and other technological innovations. Iceland has already announced that it will no longer issue new stamps for collectors because sales have decreased and there are enough stamps in stock. In 2013 the Netherlands PostNL introduced Postzegelcodes ,

#455544