Almanac When I Damn Well Feel Like It-The Birthday of the American Adhesive Postage Stamp
On July 1, 1847 the United States Post Office issued its first official adhesive-backed postage stamps. This was only 7 years after the world’s first stamp, the famous Penny Black, was issued by the British. Only a handful of countries, notably Switzerland and Brazil, had adopted pre-paid stamps.
The post office issued two stamps. The 5¢ Benjamin Franklin covered the cost of a half ounce letter addressed within 300 miles. There was also a 10¢ stamp featuring George Washington for greater distances. Lest you think that this was a great bargain, the 5¢ stamp would cost a little more than 90¢ at the current value of the Dollar.
The cost meant that most local letters were still hand delivered and that long distance ones were still often put in the hands of travelers to carry. Still, the convenience did cause an increase in use of the Postal system and over time, with the introduction of amenities like home delivery and still later Rural Free Delivery, helped create a system that was reliable not just for personal messages, but importantly for business which boomed along with expanded postal use.
As the railroads and other means of modern transportation cut the cost of carrying the mail, the price of postage shrank both in real terms in terms of the relatively modest inflation over the next century. In 1947, centennial of American postage, a First Class stamp good for up to one ounce cost only 3¢. That price held steady from 1932-1958.
Prices have risen steadily since then until First Class postage is now 44¢.
The familiar lick-em adhesive back stamps have been phased out. The United States Postal Service, heir to the Post Office, now issues only “self-adhesive” stamps with peel-off backs. But the vast majority of first class postage moves without a conventional stamp but is metered or created and printed from programs sold by the USPS.
The rise of e-mail and other electronic communications have decimated the use of letters for personal communications. Few people get or receive personal messages by post anymore. Many bills are now paid on line or by automatic withdrawal drastically reducing both mailed bills and remittances. The rising cost of Second, Third, and Bulk mailings have also put a dent in advertising, as business looks for cost effective alternatives to junk mail.
The result is a Postal Service in perpetual crisis, constantly raising prices to cut costs, saddled with a system designed for much greater volume, and considering severe cut backs including the reduction of home delivery to four, or even three days a week.
The Postal Service is supposed to function as a profit making business, which is virtually impossible, and not as an essential public service. So the future of the mail-and postage stamps is open to doubt.