The history of United States postage stamps is full of wars, printing innovations, price changes and culture. What could be a better source of patriotic pride than owning one of the first Ben Franklin stamps or an early George Washington?

While the pony express had been delivering letters for over fifty years, the first American postal service was formally granted by King William and Queen Mary in 1692. The American Revolution was fought to ensure that there was “no taxation without representation,” thus paving the way for US postage stamps. Benjamin Franklin was one of the first postmasters and created the United States Postal Service as we know it, in Philadelphia 1775. Early postal symbols ranged from the Roman god Mercury to a running pony to the modern day eagle.

Local provisional United States postage stamps issued from 1845 to 1846, before the Stamp Act was enforced, are some of the most coveted items, with the Millbury Massachusetts stamp fetching $130,000!

The 5-cent red brown Benjamin Franklin was the first of the official ones for sale in New York City and Boston. The second was the 10-cent black George Washington (which currently sells for around $1,400 used and $28,000 unused)! Stamp values decreased over the next few years and remained stable for nearly a century. Blue 1-cent Ben Franklins became a collector favorite when production errors led to new, noticeable plate variations in the prints. These innovative stamps can range from $100 to $200,000 in collection circles.

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