U.S. #1

1847 5¢ Benjamin Franklin, Red Brown

Value: 5¢ 1/2-Ounce Letter Rate (300 miles or less)

Issue Date: July 1, 1847

First Day City: Washington, DC

Type of Stamp: Definitive

Printed by: Rawdon, Wright, Hatch & Edison

Printing Method: Flat Plate

Format: Sheets of 200

Paper: Thin, Bluish Wove

Perforations: Imperforate

Quantity Printed: 3,600,000 (Estimate)

This is America's very first postage stamp. It's famous throughout the world and is in great demand among collectors everywhere.

First placed on sale July 1, 1847, the 5¢ red-brown stamp was legal postage for any letter weighing up to half an ounce and being sent less than 300 miles. It pictures a portrait of Benjamin Franklin based on a drawing by James Longacre. Nicknamed the "Father of America's Postal Service," the scientist, inventor, and statesman earned his place on America's first postage stamp.

The first US postage stamps were issued in large sheets without perforations. Postal clerks simply cut the stamps away from the sheet by hand. It's a miracle these stamps have survived over 170 years. Think of the caring hands that have protected it all this time. And now you can take your turn in preserving this scarce stamp for generations to come.

Printed in small quantities compared to later stamps, the 1847 Franklin is increasingly scarce today in any condition. Order yours today.