1975 10c U.S. Postal Service Bicentennial

 

Issue Date: September 3, 1975

City: Philadelphia, PA

Quantity: 42,163,750

Printed By: Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Printing Method: Photogravure

Perforations: 11 x 10 ½

Color: Multicolored

 

This block of four stamps displays the different modes of transportation used for conveying mail over the years by road, rail, air, and space. The stamps were issued in observance of the U.S. Postal Department’s 200th anniversary.

 

As tensions grew between the colonies and England in 1775, the Continental Congress established the United States Postal Department and named Benjamin Franklin to be its first postmaster general. Franklin had served as the postmaster of Philadelphia and as Joint Postmaster General under England’s rule and brought considerable experience to his new position. During his tenure, Franklin standardized rates, surveyed routes, erected milestones along long-distance delivery routes, and slashed delivery time between major cities by half. The postal agency was headquartered in Philadelphia until the capitol was moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800.