US stamp and coin collecting are about as patriotic as can be. One reason is because both are mentioned in the US Constitution. For stamps, Article I, Section 8, what’s become known as the “Postal Clause,” explicitly grants Congress the power to "establish Post Offices and post Roads.” That same section grants Congress the power to "coin money and regulate the value thereof.” Okay, it doesn’t specifically mention the hobbies but they have gone hand-in-hand....
When the country was first founded, the necessity for post offices and post roads was beyond essential given that mail was honestly the only means of local or long-distance communication. In addition to letters, regular mail included regional newspapers which would carry critical information in, one would hope, an impartial and unbiased manner.
Today, conventional mail has acquired something of a black eye due to the widespread use of electronic/digital means communication and bill paying. Even worse is the revealed dumping of undelivered mail of all types in a few cities. That combined with the recent smirking and apparent cavalier attitude of the nation’s Postmaster General when he was called before a Senate committee in Washington only adds fuel to the contemporary fire.
Surely, none of that could or would have been imagined by Ben Franklin, our first Postmaster General appointed in 1775. Ben is credited for creating the postal service in the US. Almost a century later – definitely not at his request – in 1847 he appeared on the nation’s very first adhesive postage stamp. Today, nice used examples of US stamp #1 are valued in the $250 to $900 range. Unused specimens can trade for $2,500 or more.
Much has changed since ol’ Ben created and devised our postal system. For our 2026 anniversary, one thing the USPS has gotten correct is this year’s continuum of stamps honoring our Semiquincentennial in various ways. Many images are representative icons important to our heritage of interest to both collectors and postal patrons.
Most recently, five new stamps featuring our national bird, the Bald Eagle, were released to the public. The pane of stamps shows a progression of the raptor first as hatchlings being fed by an adult Bald Eagle; then to early-adolescence in the nest; as a one-year-old; a two-year old semi-mature bird; and finally, a full adult Bald Eagle. The images are done in an impressive line-art style with sparing and muted sepia coloring and added contrast notable in the prominent orange beak.
Native to North America, the Bald Eagle has long been a staple of government indicia and seals. Ironically, Ben Franklin was somewhat skeptical of the Bald Eagle being our national symbol. Frankly, he was more a fan of the turkey. In a 1787 letter to his daughter, Ben wrote that the turkey was a more "respectable" bird compared to the eagle, which he described as having "bad moral character" for stealing fish from other birds.
While the Bald Eagle is our national bird, many may not realize the bison is our national mammal. No kidding. Congress made that official in 2016. It makes sense considering how vital bison were out West for both the American Indians and settlers in the early days. Sadly, similar to the Bald Eagle, our wholesale slaughter of native bison once almost made them extinct. The same was true for the Bald Eagle, though, for them, the cause was our use of deadly pesticides. Fortunately, we grew wiser and both the Bald Eagle and bison have rebounded and are off the “endangered” list.
Postally, the bison may be familiar from earlier stamps. Notably, a bison appeared on one of the 1923 regular issue, definitive stamps that have become a “must-have” for US collectors. That issue was a 30-cent release that featured the mammal with the words “American Buffalo” below it.
(For the record, a buffalo and bison are two distinctly different animals. The buffalo is indigenous to Africa and Asia with no hump and a smoother coat. Due to early Americans confusing the two and consistently using the name “buffalo,” the term stuck for the American Bison.)
The new bison/buffalo stamp replicates the 1923 issue overprinted atop of a photo of an American Bison roaming on the open range. Instead of having the former value of 30-cents, both the Bison and Bald Eagle stamps are “Forever” issues currently with a value of 78-cents but sure to rise..
Sadly, gone are the days of large, public celebratory First Day of Issue ceremonies and events for stamps. However, the special “First Day” cancellations on envelopes are still available by mail. For more information or to order, log onto www.USPS.gov.
For more collecting stories and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.