United States Post Office Department Stamped Envelope Posters 1860 – 1930

Contributed by Mike Ludeman

The United States Post Office Department issued the first series of stamped envelopes on July 1, 1853. The envelopes, printed by George F. Nesbitt & Company of New York, were in three denominations: three, six and ten cents. These first envelopes were available in two sizes. When the U.S. postage was demonetized at the beginning of the Civil War, new envelopes were prepared.

Following the end of the war, the Post Office Department continued to issue new series of envelopes, with a greater number of denominations, and in an ever-expanding variety of sizes. They also began to experiment with envelopes prepared with different quality papers, so that it quickly became a complex field for business and postal patrons to know what was available. The Post Office Department also began to promote these envelopes, citing both convenience and security ( “the stamps cannot fall off!), and began to offer a printed corner card with the senders address when envelopes were purchased in quantity. To help advertise and promote these stamped envelopes, the Post Office Department prepared a series of large format posters (or broadsides), which were sent to each Post Office with instructions for the postmaster to post in a conspicuous location in the post office for the patrons to view.

Because of the large format, few of these stamped envelope posters survived the ravages of time. A few have survived and are now part of my collection. Many of these came from the collection of Herb Trenchard, who apparently had the good fortune to locate others not available in original form, and he was then able to obtain photostatic copies from an institutional library. These photostats are also included here, and these are distinguished by appearing in black and white.

Also included are several examples of the order forms used by postmasters to order these envelopes for customers. They are include because they also provide lists of available sizes and denominations, as well as the costs to the postal patron. Anyone who has examples of other stamped envelope posters which not shown here is invited to contact me and we will work to prepare scans to add to the presentation.

Click on drawer and thumbnail to open each broadside as an image file.