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Exhibitions Home | Current | Upcoming | Past | Virtual

Philatelic Firsts from the National Postal Museum

August 23, 2002 - October 28, 2002

Museum: Postal Museum

Location: Stamps and Stories, Rarities Gallery

This exhibition features first-of-their-kind philatelic items, including: 

  • the first U.S. postage stamp, a 10-cent stamp issued in 1847
  • the first airmail cover, signed by President Woodrow Wilson and sent on the 1st regular U.S. airmail flight on May 15, 1918.
  • a British Coronation cover celebrating the coronation of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth in 1937 and signed by the King and Queen
  • the earliest inverts, issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 1869 and illustrated with symbols and scenes from American history
  • Hawaiian rarities, including a 13-cent stamp issued in 1851