Stamp collecting

Philately is the hobby of collecting postage stamps. Even today people are still mesmerized by tiny works of art and continue to collect them. There are as many reasons for collecting as there are stamps. Stamps were first issued in 1840 and shortly thereafter people started to collect them. The tools needed are fairly simple and for the most part this can be an inexpensive hobby.

Stamp History

Development of Postal Services

Since the beginning of writing, communication between people has been around. The evidence indicates that China had postal services since 4000 BC. Egypt and Assyria followed a millenium later. Many of these services were limited to the court even to the point of death if a commoner were to use them. Examples of letters in the form of clay tablets written in cuneiform have survived the ages. In 1925 a stash of such tablets were found in Kultepe, Turkey and were dated as far back as 2000 BC.

The Chinese were the first to use paper as writing material while the Romans of the 2nd century wrote theirs on wax tablets and later used thin sheets of wood. Egyptians as it is well noted preferred papyrus, while Europe favoured parchment until the introduction of paper in the 15th century.

Postal services have been around since the Middle Ages in Europe. Many of these were operated specifically for certain guilds, universities or great religious houses. One particular group whose service lasted for over 420 years was Thurn and Taxis. Their range extended from the Baltic to the Adriatic and from Poland to the Straits of Gibraltar. These services eventually became extinct or were annexed when state services were established.

War campaigns also precipated the advent of the postal services by the simple expedient of the need to keep in touch with one's generals during war-time. Henry VII had such a service in the late 15th century while Henry VIII's war against the Scots set up the basics of the service along the Great North Road. Finances also played a part in its creation as Charles I opened the Royal Mail to general public as a means to raise money without recourse to Parliament, which he had dissolved. This service was revamped after the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660.

Postal service in America was first developed in November 1639 when Richard Fairbanks became Postmaster to the Massachusets Bay Colony. Virginia followed in 1657, then New York in 1672, Connecticut in 1674, Philadelphia and New Hampshire in 1683. In 1691 these services were united under Thomas Neale as Deputy Postmaster General (under the Postmaster General in London).

Conveying Mail

The Romans used light carts which rattled over paved roads to carry mail but during the Dark Ages this system fell into disuse which meant that mail was more often carried either by foot or by horse posts. This continued well into the 19th century and the term 'postmaster' originally meant 'horse-hirer'. The age of steam dawned in the 1830s and rail began to supersede horses and coaches while sailing packets gave way to the first steamships. Despite improvements in timeliness of delivery, the cost of sending mail remained prohibitively high until 1840 when national postal services underwent a revolutionary change.

The Postage Stamp

In the past it was the receiver and not the sender who paid for mail received. The existing system was a costly and cumbersome process. Depending on the weight of the letter and the distance travelled a letter could cost almost as much as a full day's work for a commoner. Much of the mail would be refused at the receiver's end as the cost was so exorbitant. This in turn cost the post office just as much to collect the amount owed.

Sir Rowland Hill is credited with the reforms that changed postal history forever. He believed that if more people could send letters then it would also encourage them to read and therefore improve their lives. He also felt that the current postal system was fraught with inequities and that the commoner was the one to suffer. He began to work on his system in 1837 with the publishing of his book, "Post Office Reform: its Importance and Practicability". In this book he advocated prepaid postage and a uniform rate of 1 penny per half ounce letter. He had also suggested that the indication of payment would be affixed to the letter and thus the idea for the first adhesive postage stamp came into existence. Due to his efforts The British Treasury was authorized to implement a plan for an affordable postal service as put forth by Sir Rowland Hill. After much time and preparation the Penny Black as it is now known was issued on May 1, 1840 (for use on May 6). The Two Pence Blue was in use from May 7, 1840 onwards.

The Penny Black was designed by William Mulready. He based his design on an earlier work by William Wyon, which portrayed the head of Queen Victoria on a medal. The general populace welcomed the new additions to the postal service and it took some time for supplies to catch up to the demand.

Brazil was the first country to follow Britain's lead with its Bull's Eyes stamp of 1843. In actuality the New York City Dispatch Post had been using 1c stamps portraying George Washington a year earlier. The owner of this private local service, Henry Thomas Windsor, was an Englishman who imported the idea from his country. Some of the Swiss cantons also used stamps as early as 1843 - 1845. In 1845 the US Post office sanctioned the issuance of stamps by postmasters. Two years later the first federal issue consisted of 5c and 10c stamps portraying Benjamin Franklin and George Washington respectively. Mauritius was the first British colony to implement the use of adhesive stamps in 1847. Bavaria, Belgium and France produced their first stamps in 1849 and by 1853 they were in use on all continents.

Reference

• The Complete Guide to Stamps & Stamp collecting, Dr. James Mackay, 2005