Four Cent U.S. Postage

[Drew]

Mother's 90th birthday has recently passed. No one is more crushed than me at losing her to our family.

However, part of her legacy to us came in a small, glassine envelope. She had to have bought it before we were born, but she put it away and saved it for us. I wanted to share her sense of fun with the Forum.

 

[gary]

The Sherman, Grant and Sheridan stamp was only 3 cents, or First Class mail.

The 4 cent stamps were used for double weight first class mail.

 

[R. Porter]

A few years ago I bought something on eBay from a guy who dealt in stamps. When the envelope arrived, it was covered in low denomination stamps to pay the postage. I don't think a single stamp was more recent than the 1960's. I thought that was wonderful! Every so often you come across a person who knows how to smuggle you a gem. Three cheers for your mom!

 

[Drew]

A few years ago I bought something on eBay from a guy who dealt in stamps. When the envelope arrived, it was covered in low denomination stamps to pay the postage. I don't think a single stamp was more recent than the 1960's. I thought that was wonderful! Every so often you come across a person who knows how to smuggle you a gem. Three cheers for your mom!

Thanks, @R. Porter!

I think it was clever of the Postal Service to depict Stratford Hall on the stamp, rather than Arlington House. Wonder if the later even 65 years ago would have been too controversial?

 

[donna]

A great stamp. I love the old ones. Have several. My Dad would buy sheets. Have some of ones he bought.

 

[Pollaco]

A few years ago I bought something on eBay from a guy who dealt in stamps. When the envelope arrived, it was covered in low denomination stamps to pay the postage. I don't think a single stamp was more recent than the 1960's. I thought that was wonderful! Every so often you come across a person who knows how to smuggle you a gem. Three cheers for your mom!

I had a similar incident. A guy from Pennsylvania sent me some Zerox copies of some Confederate Money that he had. Big brown envelope but the postage was in all old 1960s stamps., including a few Civil War ones.

 

[JOHN42768]

This package I received recently was covered like photo with older stamps on three sides.

 

[Bur Oak]

A few years ago I bought something on eBay from a guy who dealt in stamps. When the envelope arrived, it was covered in low denomination stamps to pay the postage. I don't think a single stamp was more recent than the 1960's. I thought that was wonderful! Every so often you come across a person who knows how to smuggle you a gem. Three cheers for your mom!

I've had similar experiences, more than once. I suspect what happens is that stamp collectors buy sheets of new designs when they come out, and hang on to them for years. When they turn out to be so common that decades later no one has any interest in purchasing them, the only way to get their initial investment back is to use them. So they do.

 

[Pollaco]

I've had similar experiences, more than once. I suspect what happens is that stamp collectors buy sheets of new designs when they come out, and hang on to them for years. When they turn out to be so common that decades later no one has any interest in purchasing them, the only way to get their initial investment back is to use them. So they do.

That's my guess. "May as well use them as stamps, they ain't good for anything else".

 

[JOHN42768]

A lot of them are printed with postage amounts so before the forever rate we are use to using now.

 

[infomanpa]

I'm so old that I remember when first class postage cost 4 cents.