Philatelic Invention to Prevent Stamp Reuse in the United States: 1861-1881 Hardcover – August 15, 2024

In 1859 the U.S. Post Office Department reported a loss of $1.3 million. Although Postmaster General Holt did not attribute the loss to the fraudulent reuse of postage stamps, the New York Herald ran with the following sensational story: "Astounding frauds in the Post Office - why that Department is not Self-Sustaining." The article went on to claim that postmasters and fraudsters were colluding on a massive scale to clean and reuse stamps. And by 1863, Postmaster General Blair had concluded that the only way to prevent reuse was to develop a stamp that "when once affixed to a letter, cannot be removed therefrom without their destruction..."This book is the story of the philatelic invention that took place in the roughly twenty years between 1861 and 1881 to try to create a postage stamp that could only be used once. Starting with Leeds's envelope to damage stamps; and ending with Massey's double paper stamp, it is a fascinating account of postage patents and experiments early in the development of postage stamps. Read more