Rare Franklin

Rare Franklin

When I first got into "serious" stamp collecting, I already knew what I wanted to collect - topicals. Space exploration on stamps, ships and marine exploration on stamps, aviation, mountain climbers, adventurous topics. As a result, I never really knew much about the beginnings of United States stamps - or any stamps for that matter, except the Penny Black, of course. What reader of mysteries, particularly those written in England, would not know of the Penny Black (first issued in 1840) and how rare and valuable it was. Quite a few murder mysteries hinged on some unscrupulous person acquiring that little stamp!

Yesterday, I was browsing through the bookshelves of my local library, and came across a book called The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps, 32nd edition (current to 2005). It's an 8 X 11, comb-bound book, with full-color, glossy pages, which lists every US stamp ever issued - whether it comes perforated, unperforated or both, what colors it comes in, and any errors associated with it.

I thought to myself... I've got a lot of stamps, but I've never done a systematic study to make sure I've got every US stamp ever issued that suits each of my topics.

So I took the book home, and went through it, and made a list of the stamps I was missing. Quite a few, as it turned out. (Most of my stamps are the colorful ones that Palau and those types of places put out.)

I enjoyed going through the book, page by page, starting with 1903 (since that was the year of the Wright Brother's first flight) and when I got to the end, I was armed not only with a list of additions to my current topicals, but also a few more topics I'd start collecting! (These books are dangerous!)

Then, out of curiosity, I decided to find out... what did the first United States stamp look like.

And I was surprised to see that the first US stamp ever issued was not one of George Washington, but rather one of Benjamin Franklin. On July 1, 1847, according to the book. (A George Washington stamp was also issued, with a 10 cents value, fitting since the Franklin stamp was a 5 center.)

Why on earth did Benjamin Franklin make it ahead of George Washington, I wondered.

Well, I turned to that handy dandy resource, Wikipedia, which told me t hat Benjamin Franklin had been appointed the first Postmaster General of the "soon-to-be" independent American colonies. This occurred on July 26, 1775, when Franklin was 68 years old.

Wikipedia didn't bother to tell me what the American post office used in place of from 1775 to 1844...if I remember my history correctly, people gave letters to the post, and when they got to their destination - that person would pay for it.

Anyway, since Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General, it makes sense that he'd be honored with the very first stamp, issued on July 1, 1847, as I've already mentioned, when the United States was 73 years old (if one judges its birth as July 4, 1776). (I've always wondered why the birth of the US was not considered to be 1783 - when the Revolutionary War officially ended and the United States officially became a new nation?!)

Anyway, the United States was not the second country to start using postage stamps, or even the third.

After England, the next country to adopt the practice was Switzerland, in 1843. The third country to use the postage stamp was Brazil, also in 1843. In 1845, a few forward-thinking postmasters in the US issued their own stamps, but they weren't official - those came iwth the 1847 stamps featuring Franklin and Washington.

Who...or what...was the next person, place or thing to be honored on a US stamp?

Person - Thomas Jefferson, in 1851. Andrew Jackson was next, between 1861 and 1867 (the Postal Service doesn't give the exact year, but I can't think why Jackson would get a stamp before 1865.) Lincoln would be put on a stamp for the first time in 1867.

The first non-President or non-notable was a "Post horse and rider", in 1869, for 2 cents, and a locomotive, for 3 cents. A shield and eagle would follow.

Then..there's the S.S. Adriatic, also issued in 1869.

What is that ship, and why was it deemed worthy of being placed on a postage stamp so early in the game? Well...that's the topic for another article.

Barbara Peterson
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Rich ACE Franklin Signed RARE Official UFC Glove JSA $407.05 Rich ACE Franklin Signed RARE Official UFC Glove JSA Rich ACE Franklin Signed RARE Official UFC Glove JSAEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee.

Rare $12.49 Rare

Benjamin Franklin and the American Revolution $14.95 The inventor, the ladies’ man, the affable diplomat, and the purveyor of pithy homespun wisdom: we all know the charming, resourceful Benjamin Franklin. What is less appreciated is the importance of Franklin’s part in the American Revolution: except for Washington he was its most irreplaceable leader. Although aged and in ill health, Franklin served the cause with unsurpassed zeal and dedication. Jonathan R. Dull, whose decades of work on The Papers of Benjamin Franklin have given him rare insight into his subject, explains Franklin’s role in the Revolution, what prepared him for that role, and what motivated him.

Satires and Hoaxes of Doctor Benjamin Franklin $39.48 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: Franklin, Benjamin/ Roth, Herb Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 116 Publication Date: 2010/09/10 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.44 inches

The Gunfighters by McCarty, Lea Franklin [Hardcover] $39.48 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: McCarty, Lea Franklin Binding Type: Hardcover Number of Pages: 110 Publication Date: 2010/09/10 Language: English Dimensions: 8.50 x 11.02 x 0.31 inches

Franklin: Franklin In The Dark - Fullscreen $8.99 Franklin: Franklin In The Dark - Fullscreen

Franklin: Franklin'S Birthday Party - $8.99 Franklin: Franklin'S Birthday Party -

Franklin: Franklin Goes To Camp - $8.99 Franklin: Franklin Goes To Camp -

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Signed Colby Rasmus & Ryan Franklin Baseball $69.99 Signed Colby Rasmus & Ryan Franklin Baseball Signed Colby Rasmus & Ryan Franklin Baseball. We've never had a complaint about authenticity, and all of our items are 100% guaranteed authentic. With those stats, it's easy to see why Franklin's memorabilia is highly prized by collectors. Superb signature quality. Extremely rare piece with hologram certification. Since Colby Rasmus & Ryan Franklin rarely does signings, pieces with this signature are in high demand. All of our pieces are highest possible quality. One of the great things about a nice item like this is that it will likely gain value over time.

The Twisted Claw By Dixon, Franklin W. $12.62 The Hardy boys embark on another puzzling mystery when they try to discover who is stealing rare collections of ancient pirate treasure and smuggling them out of the United States. Author: Dixon, Franklin W. Series Title: The Hardy Boys Publication Date: 1975/11/01 Binding Type: Hardcover Grade Level: 79 Language: English Depth: 0.65 Width: 5.25 Height: 7.75

The Vanishing Thieves By Dixon, Franklin W. $12.62 The Hardy boys accompany a Canadian teenager to Los Angeles to help locate a missing rare coin, but soon become involved in an even larger case. Author: Dixon, Franklin W. Series Title: Hardy Boys Mystery Stories Publication Date: 2005/04/21 Number of Pages: 179 Binding Type: Hardcover Grade Level: 46 Language: English Depth: 0.75 Width: 5.00 Height: 7.50

In the Mix: Rare and Hard to Find Remixes $6.99 Track Listing: 1. Don't Make Me Come to Vegas - Tori Amos/Various Artists (Timo on Tori House Remix), 2. Wrapped - Gloria Estefan/Various Artists, 3. Everyone Says "Hi" - David Bowie/Various Artists (Metro Remix), 4. Hit the Freeway - Toni Braxton/Various Artists (HQ2 Club Mix), 5. Nights in White Satin (Notte di Luce) - Mario Frangoulis/Various Artists (Ralphi's Club Vox Mix), 6. House of Jupiter - Casey Stratton/Various Artists (Mix Show), 7. Shed Your Skin - Indigo Girls/Various Artists (Stephen Nikolas Club Mix), 8. Breathe - Blu Cantrell/Various Artists (Andy & the Lamboy Club Mix), 9. Deep Love, A - Aretha Franklin/Various Artists (Tribesman Mix), 10. If I Lose My Woman - Kenny Lattimore/Various Artists (M.A.W. Remix)

JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 White Autograph Card of Franklin Morales $52.61 JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 White Autograph Card of Franklin Morales JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 White Autograph Card of Franklin Morales. These white autograph cards are serial-numbered to only 10 and are extremely limited. They are only sold individually and not available in any packaged product. There is a limit of 2 per customer on these rare cards.

JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 Black Autograph Card of Franklin Morales $35.07 JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 Black Autograph Card of Franklin Morales JL07-20: Just Limited 2007 Black Autograph Card of Franklin Morales. These white autograph cards are serial-numbered to only 25 and are extremely limited. They are only sold individually and not available in any packaged product. There is a limit of 5 per customer on these rare cards.

2007 Just Autographs Preview Black Autograph Card #JAPr-15 of Franklin Morales $35.07 2007 Just Autographs Preview Black Autograph Card #JAPr-15 of Franklin Morales 2007 Just Autographs Preview Black Autograph Card #JAPr-15 of Franklin Morales. Preview Black Autograph cards are serial-numbered to 25 unless otherwise noted and priced individually. There is a limited of 2 per customer on these rare cards.

Abundant Life by Emerson, Samuel Franklin [Paperback] $29.86 Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hardtofind books with something of interest for everyone Author: Emerson, Samuel Franklin Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 216 Publication Date: 2010/09/10 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.46 inches

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