1882 Large Dragon 5 Candarins Stamp

Did you know? There are approximately 22 million stamp collectors in the United States and nearly 75 million worldwide! The hobby of stamp collecting is technically called philately. The first stamps to be issued in the United States were issued in New York on July 1, 1847. The first two men depicted on U.S. stamps were George Washington on the 10 cent stamp and on the 5 cent stamp, the first Postmaster General, Benjamin Franklin. The U.S. began offering parcel post service along with special stamps on January 1, 1913. It was quickly decided that regular stamps could be used on parcels and no more special stamps were offered after the initial run. The rarest and most valuable stamp in the world? The British Guiana 1c Magenta, holds a value of approximately $12 million! Most valuable U.S. postage stamp? The famous Inverted Jenny, issued in 1918, has a current approximate value of $1 million, due to a printing error!