The following is an excerpt from the article. Read the full version of the article online here.
An Evolution of Collecting Postally Used on the First Day of Sale
It might truthfully be stated that the custom [of first day cover cancellation collecting] had its real beginning with the issue of 1922. – T. Russell Hungerford, c. 1930s
[Editor’s note: This is Part 1 of a two-part article exploring the pre-history of first day of issue and first day cover collecting (as we understand it in the modern sense). Part 2 is published in the December 2022 issue of The American Philatelist.] An excerpted version of Part 2 will also be posted on the website tomorrow.
Image above was photographed by Frances Benjamin Johnston, titled "Women operating machinery at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, Washington, D.C." Courtesy of Library of Congress.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of modern United States first day cover collecting.
Back in the 1930s, T. Russell Hungerford, charter member of the Washington Philatelic Society (in 1905) and an early member of the American Philatelic Society (in 1894) summarized cover collectors’ interests.
The present-day popularity of first day cover cancellations is something the old-time collector did not concern himself with. If he bothered at all about cancellations, it generally consisted in obtaining one from an Exposition Station such as the Chicago World’s Fair and those at Omaha, Buffalo, St. Louis, Jamestown, the Alaska-Yukon, or the Pan-Pacific, during the life of the Exposition. Possibly it was the paucity of new issues that was the main reason for not collecting first day covers, and it might truthfully be stated that the custom had its real beginning with the issue of 1922.
The Philatelic Sales Agency (PSA) was established December 1, 1921. The agency notified stamp collectors of upcoming new issues, special initial release cities, and organized first day of issue public ceremonies. Stamp dealers began to prepare first day covers in collectors’ quantities to satisfy demand. Printed cachets began in 1923, and by 1937, the phrase “First Day of Issue” was incorporated in special postmarks.
Before 1922, though, all this information was available on a hit-or-miss basis. Only a few stamps were placed on sale with advance notice and with specific instructions about first day of sale.
This article presents information about the few stamps from 1847 to 1921 with specific release dates.
In Part 1, I present the evolution and history of this collecting interest, followed by stamp release procedures during these early years. In Part 2, scheduled for publication in the December 2022 issue of this magazine, I will conclude with a chronological gallery of most of the stamp issues with specific designated first day dates before 1922.
Although the modern United States Post Office Department was established by legislation effective June 1, 1793, general issue postage stamps did not appear until July 1, 1847.
The Post Office Department had no way of systematically communicating initial day-of-sale information to the public until the United States Postal Bulletin (“Daily Bulletin of Order Affecting the Postal Service”) began publication on March 4, 1880. Before this date, newspaper announcements and periodic Post Office Department notifications announced stamp distribution information, with no directives regarding dates when stamps could initially be placed on sale.
The Postal Bulletin provided information to stamp collectors and dealers with specific first day of issue dates. In Part 2, I show a Joseph Rich-prepared cover and one from Arthur H.E. and Gustave A. Burger. These individuals probably became aware of these stamps’ new issue dates by reading the Postal Bulletin.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the practice of ordering new supplies of stamps occurred only when existing supplies were running low or when postage rates changed. The local postmaster would forward a completed requisition form, then forward it to the third assistant postmaster general for fulfillment.
Starting in 1913, Carroll Chase, the recognized stamp expert, developed a list of earliest known dates of use of classic stamps. Subsequently Stanley B. Ashbrook, another distinguished philatelic student, joined this research effort.
By 1952, a list of earliest usages up to and including the stamps of 1869 had been formulated.
Then, on February 20, 1954, George Sloane, philatelic dealer, auctioneer and columnist in Stamps magazine, wrote:
I am in consultation with Alan Thatcher, associate editor of Scott U.S. catalog. On the subject of certain first day dates of issue as given in the Post Office Department’s booklet, A Description of United States Postage Stamps, there was no doubt that some of the dates given in this publication are in error, and I am taking this up with the Department in hopes of correction.
In 1955, Herbert Bloch, the famous Philatelic Foundation stamp expert, wrote a lengthy article in the Mercury Stamp Journal noting that collectors wanted to find out when stamps were initially put into use. He acknowledged that it was not easy for early philatelists to get all the facts when they wanted to establish correct dates for the first use for each stamp. Sometimes, official documents were not considered important; he noted that in many cases the dates were buried in Post Office Department and government files.
In April 1978, Edward J. Siskin prepared a list of stamps with specifically established initial dates of sale to the public, as designated by the Post Office Department. Eleven years later, he updated this list and established definitions relating to the initial stamp distribution process (Table 1).
The American First Day Cover Foundation published Siskin’s A Checklist of First Days and Earliest Documented Covers 1847-1931 in 1990.
Here are the definitions for the various initial stamp distribution terms:
Designated First Day (DFD) – The date specifically established and announced by the Post Office Department on which a new postal issue first was authorized for sale to the public.
First Day of Sale (FDS) – The earliest date on which a postal issue was sold to the public. This term only applies to issues for which there was designated first day.
Pre-date – A postmark applied to a stamp prior to its designated first day.
Dating Error – A postmark that shows a date prior to the date of the initial stamp shipment.
Earliest Documented Use (EDU) – For stamps that do not have a designated first day, the earliest documented use is the date when a stamp was first used in the mails. These dates are listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers. New dates must be documented with recognized certificates by one of the leading expertizing committees.
Now with a structure of definitions and terms in place, additional questions about the availability of new stamps, their distribution to local post offices, and their initial sale and use must be considered and answered:
Did the stamp have a designated first day (DFD) or a first day of sale (FDS), and what is that date?
If the stamp had a designated first day, were the stamps printed prior to that date?
Were the stamps distributed to post offices prior to the designated first day?
Did receiving post offices sell stamps on the designated first day?
Were any stamps postally used on the designated first day or first day of sale?
Do any covers survive the many years since the stamps were issued on the designated first day or first day of sale?
Just because stamps are authorized for sale, covers may not exist, for reasons that include the following:
- Stamps were not printed until after the designated first day.
- Stamps were distributed to post offices but were held and not placed on sale until after the designated first day.
- Stamps were available on the designated first day, but not affixed to envelopes and not used until after the designated first day.
- Stamps were affixed to covers and postmarked on the designated first day but have not survived because they were either lost or destroyed.
Fundamental questions remain.
If a stamp’s designated first day is known and its first day of sale has been determined, then why would collectors seek out earliest documented use covers?
Would they not be disappointed when earlier dated covers, closer to the official dates were discovered?
Since EDU dates are not final, can collectors who are on the search find earlier dated covers?
To avoid the disappointment of an earlier date of use cover being discovered, why don’t collectors seek only designated first day or first day of sale covers?
Oh, yes, when terms such as “known” or “documented” are used, isn’t there an admission of incomplete information and knowledge? After all, only a small percentage of all covers have been examined by any single collector or third-party expertizing committee, and therefore conclusions resulting from earliest documented use covers are limited.
As Ardem Patapoutian, a California-based medical researcher and 2021 Nobel Prize recipient, once said: “When you find a field that’s not well understood, it’s a great opportunity to dig in.”
Let’s dig in to pre-1922 United States adhesive stamps, but not revenue stamps, postal stationery items or stamps from the Confederate States. They are beyond the scope of this article.
Most of the designated first day and first day of sale covers shown in this article were prepared either as souvenirs of historic events or new postal rates and services. Occasionally, covers survive that appear to be everyday, commercial mail. All shown are from the author’s collection.