1993 National Postal Museum

U.S. #2779-82: National Postal Museum

Issue Date: July 30, 1993
First Day City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 150,000,000
Printed by: American Bank Note Company
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Pane of 20 (Horizontal 4 across, 5 down)
Perforations: 11 x 10.9 (Bickel reciprocating stroke perforator)
Tagging: Prephosphored paper (taggant added to tan offset ink)

Why the Stamp was Issued:
The issuance of the National Postal Museum stamps commemorated the opening of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. The stamps featured historic items, images, and themes from U.S. stamp and mail history, celebrating the rich heritage of American postal services.

About the Stamp Designs:
The stamp designs underwent an extensive process, with two different designers involved. Lou Nolan began the design process, but Richard Schlecht eventually took over. The designs were refined through collaboration with the Postal Service and museum representatives. Schlecht described it as the most complicated set of stamps he had worked on, emphasizing the need to cover all relevant concepts while satisfying various stakeholders.

First Day City:
The stamps were issued in Washington, DC, coinciding with the opening of the National Postal Museum. Four First Day of Issue cancellations were available, including standard handstamps and pictorial cancellations featuring a boy dropping a letter in a mailbox and an image of an ice cream bar. The ice cream cancellation was sponsored by Good Humor Ice Cream, which supported the Smithsonian Institution and donated to its archives in 1992.

History Represented by the Stamp:
The National Postal Museum, which opened on July 31, 1993, houses the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of stamps. The museum showcases interactive exhibits that vividly depict the colorful history of the nation’s mail service.

The roots of the American postal system date back to 1692 when King William II of England granted Thomas Neale the right to establish a postal service in the American colonies. Benjamin Franklin's tenure as deputy postmaster general in 1753 brought significant improvements to the postal system, including the introduction of stagecoaches to enhance mail delivery reliability and frequency.

Stagecoaches remained vital in transporting mail and passengers as the nation expanded. The Concord coaches, which appeared in the 1820s and were used until the early 1900s, played a crucial role in connecting communities. The coach displayed at the National Postal Museum once operated on a route between White River Junction and Woodstock, Vermont, highlighting its significance in American transportation history.

(Photo is of actual product)