A postage stamp is an adhesive label pasted on envelopes and other postal articles as an evidence of the pre-payment of fee for postal services. Postage stamps are issued by the government and sold through various outlets such as post offices.
Postage stamps are issued in different shapes and sizes, with figures and images such as personalities, flowers, animals, and birds printed on them. There are commemorative postage stamps dedicated to various important events. Postage stamps are also issued to honor national luminaries or other very important personalities. There are also various other types of postage stamps celebrating diverse cultures and geographical features. Birds and animals are the theme of many a postage stamp. Great Britain’s postage stamps do not bear a name, but always feature a photograph of its current reigning monarch.
Postage stamps vary according to their usage. Airmail stamps, postage due stamps, special delivery stamps, and express mail stamps are the main types of postage stamps in use. The values of postage stamps generally vary by the weight of the postal article and the nature of the mail. There are self-adhesive stamps and water-activated stamps. Postage stamps generally carry information such as the name of the country, year, and the value of the stamp.
United Kingdom was the first country to issue postage stamps. It was James Chalmers of Great Britain who first put forwarded the idea of adhesive postage stamps in the early 19th century. The credit of inventing the first adhesive postage stamp goes to Rowland Hill, an employee of the British Post Office. The world’s first prepaid postage stamp was issued on May 6, 1840. Known by the name Penny Black, it carried the profile of Queen Victoria. Adhesive postage stamps were officially issued in the United States in 1847. To the credit of William Barry is the invention of the postmarking and canceling machine.
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Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Stamps are authorized impressions or marks used for the prepayment of a tax or fee. It is an official mark or seal indicating an approval, ownership, or payment of tax. The history of stamps can be traced back to the sixteenth century. The first official...
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Cost Of Postage Stamps
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The US postal service delivers about 500 million pieces of mail everyday, which shows that the usage of stamps is quite high. Either this could be due to the lower stamp prices or people are still used to writing letters. The costs of stamps are...
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Personalized Postage Stamps
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A personalized stamp is a postage stamp to which a member of the community or some non-governmental entity can add a picture or photograph. This concept was initiated by the United States, on trial basis, for about six weeks. Since, its inception, personalized stamps were...
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Rare Postage Stamps
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Postage stamps are extensively used in the US. They are used on mails, envelopes and packages and help post offices ascertain where they are to be delivered. Stamps are made in the U.S. every day but the manufacturers of some stamps have been prevented from...
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Vintage Postage Stamps
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Vintage postage stamps may be known as the stamps that are not in circulation at present and therefore cannot be used to send letters or mails through the post. According to some people, vintage stamps are those that are older than some arbitrary year, such...
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Postage Stamp Collecting
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Stamp collecting is one of the world’s most popular hobbies. It includes the collecting of postage stamps as well as related objects. Related objects include envelopes or packages with stamps on them. Stamp collecting is often mistaken for the term philately. Philately is the study...
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Postage Machines
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Postage machines were introduced in the United States in 1912. Since then, they have come a long way. These machines have evolved from mere mechanical devices to Internet-based postage dispensing services. Postage machines usually carry out the functions of mailing, logistics, and document handling. Postage...
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Where To Buy Date Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Stamps are used all over the world to indicate a number of messages and seals of specific institutions and corporations. A stamp may be defined as a distinguishing mark or impression used by individuals or firms to represent certain memos. The first stamp was used...
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Date Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Date stamps are used to impress date on official papers, business documents, and a variety of other objects. The most common date stamps are made of rubber. The rubber date stamp is hand carved, laser engraved, or molded with numerals and other characters. The rotating...
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Postage Meter Tape
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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In an office, the postage meter makes the complicated process of mail dispatching a breeze. All the postage meters are equipped to hold $1,000 in postage and can send first-class, and priority as well as express mail, in addition to handling packages of various sizes....