- Before standard postage rates, the cost of mailing was determined by the number of sheets being mailed and the destination. The cost could be paid to the postmaster before mailing, collected on delivery or split between the two.
- An enterprising company in New York, the City Dispatch Post, offered customers adhesive stamps to pay for delivery. This business was eventually purchased by USPS, which continued to use the stamps.
- The USPS standardized postage rates in 1845. Rather than calculating the cost per letter, the rate for all correspondence became the same. Some postmasters used special "stamps" to let postal carriers know the postage for the letter had already been paid.
- Congress officially authorized and issued stamps to pay for postage in 1847 and mandated them for mail delivery in 1856. In 1873, Congress authorized pre-stamped postcards which, until 1999, were sold at the cost of the postage with no additional charge for the card.
- In the hundred years following the birth of postage stamps, Congress and the USPS issued many different types of stamps. Commemorative stamps celebrate important events or individuals, while semipostals cost more than the current postage rate and donate the difference to a charitable cause. After several years of postage rate increases, the USPS issued the Forever stamp in 2007. Sold at the current rate, the Forever stamp is valid postage even if the rate increases.
Before Postage
City Dispatch Post
Standardization
Authorization and Requirements
Postage Evolution
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