World Stamp Catalogue/United States/1847
Postage Rates
[edit | edit source]Domestic Letter Rate per ½ oz
- 5¢ for under 300 miles
- 10¢ for over 300 miles
- 40¢ to Pacific Coast
- Between all places of the Pacific Coast per ½ oz.: 12½¢ (effective Aug. 14, 1848)
Drop Letter Rate
- 2¢ - A drop letter is a letter that is dropped off and picked up at the same post office
The First Issues, 1847
[edit | edit source]This was the first series of federally issued US postage stamps. They were issued under an act of congress on March 3, 1847 and first sold in New York City on July 1, 1847. They were printed on 200 subject plates in 2 panes of 100 in a 10x10 format by the Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson Bank Note Company of New York City.
| Date Issued | Denom. | Paper. | Color | Perf. | Type Die/Wmk |
Subject | Cat. No. Mi/Sc/Gi |
Design | No. Issued | Designer/ Engraver |
notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 1847 | 5¢ | red-brown | imperf | Benjamin Franklin | 1 | 
|
3,712,000 (includes all color types below) | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand | |||
| July 1, 1847 | 5¢ | dark-brown | imperf | Benjamin Franklin | 1a |
|
- | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand | |||
| July 1, 1847 | 5¢ | orange-brown | imperf | Benjamin Franklin | 1b | - | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand | ||||
| July 1, 1847 | 5¢ | red-orange | imperf | Benjamin Franklin | 1c | - | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand | ||||
| July 1, 1847 | 5¢ | brown-orange | imperf | Benjamin Franklin | 1d | - | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand | ||||
| July 1, 1847 | 10¢ | imperf | George Washington | 2 | 
|
891,000 | Vignt. Eng: Asher B. Durand |
