Hobbies And Interests
First Stamps
The world's first postage stamp was the famous Penny Black, issued in the United Kingdom in 1840. Previously, people paid a different rate for each item of mail they sent, depending on how many pages it contained and how far it had to travel. The issue of the Penny Black meant that people could pay for their mail in advance and allowed any letter weighing less than a half ounce to be sent anywhere within the United Kingdom. Congress authorized the first pre-paid stamps in the United States in 1847.
Designs
The earliest stamps were very simple designs, often using a portrait of the country's monarch or head of state. The Penny Black, for example, featured the head of Queen Victoria in profile, while the first American stamps showed Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Since then, designs have widened to include many other subjects -- the United States Postal Service issued the first American commemorative stamp in 1893 to mark the World Columbian Exposition held that year in Chicago.
Most Valuable Stamps
For collectors, some of the most valuable stamps are those printed with an error, of which the "Inverted Jenny" is probably the most famous. Issued for airmail by the USPS in 1918, the stamp featured a picture of a plane known as the "Jenny," but several sheets mistakenly showed the plane upside down. A single sheet sold at a post office in Washington, D.C., is the source of all remaining "Inverted Jenny" stamps. A block of four of the rare stamps sold at auction in 2005 for $2.9 million.
Stamps Today
Stamps are a major industry in their own right. In 2009 the USPS printed 30 billion stamps with designs drawing from American history, culture and wildlife. The Forever stamp features an image of the Liberty Bell and will always be valid for first class post even if the postal rate changes. As of December 2010 a Forever stamp costs 44 cents. The USPS sells stamps at its post offices, at its website and through a network of more than 58,000 stores, banks and ATMs.