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The 1847 Issue: America's First Stamp

November 16, 2002 - June 9, 2003

Museum: Postal Museum

Location: Philatelic & Rarities Galleries (previously Stamps and Stories)

On view is a comprehensive collection of 1847 stamps and covers, selected from a philatelic album of more than 1,000 pages currently housed in Switzerland. The adoption of adhesive postage stamps in 1847, with the 5- and 10-cent issues bearing the likenesses of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, represents a turning point in the history of the mail service in the United States.