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 royal mail office was opened in England in 1516. Later, mail was required to be paid for by the recipient rather than the sender; this system proved too problematic for everyone because of the resulting preponderance of undelivered mail. The concept of adhesive postage stamp was introduced by James Chalmers in Great Britain in 1834. Brazil issued stamps in 1843, and in the United States, the adhesive postage stamp was officially issued in 1847.
The world’s first prepaid postage stamp, known as Penny Black, was issued on May 6, 1840, with the profile of Queen Victoria printed on it. Rowland Hill invented the first adhesive postage stamp. By and by, stamps picturing various personalities, instances and festivals came to be issued. Stamps brought in a new brand of hobbyists called philatelists. Stamps have undergone many changes and today they come in various sizes, designs, and formats.
Revenue stamps are an indirect way of collecting taxes. Many documents such as contracts and agreements are to be affixed with revenue stamps. Revenue stamps are older than postage stamps historically.
Today, stamp collection is a popular hobby among children as well as adults around the world. Old and rare stamps are sold and bought at high prices, sometimes even millions of dollars.
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An Introduction To Postage Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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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...
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Rare Postage Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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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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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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Date Stamps
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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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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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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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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
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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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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Notary Public Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Clerical supplies such as notary stamps, record books, handbooks and embossing seals are available for notaries to notarize various legal documents. A notary public stamp is an exclusive property of a notary public. It should be kept under the direct and exclusive supervision of the...
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Rubber Stamps
10 August 2010 8:30 PM |
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Stamps are a common feature in most organizations and offices. They are used to signify the identity of a person or organization. A simple stamp is made of a carved, moulded or engraved sheet of rubber. The imprint is made using either a dye or...