United Nations...Why Do They Issue Stamps? Part II Of II

In continuation to the post on Monday.

The first stamp issued by the UN in the United States was on October 24, 1951. These new stamps proved to be most desirable and were sold out within days of their issue. In 1957, with each new issue of stamp still regularly selling out, it was decided to increase production from one million stamps to five million stamps.

There would be similar postal agreements to follow with Austrian and Swiss postal authorities. On October 4, 1969, the UNPA began to issue stamps in Swiss francs. It took a bit longer for the agreement with the Vienna office. On August 24, 1979 the UNPA began it issue stamps in Austrian shillings. Stamps are currently issued in Euros. All postage rates are identical to the going rate of the host nation.

Because stamps can only be used at UN offices, they are often available in bulk in secondary markets. Many times buyers can even find the stamps discounted well below the stamps face value. Most stamps are purchased by stamp collectors or tourists. The UNPA currently has limited postal services available to the public. They have stated that their primary reason of issuing stamps is for philatelic purposes.

The 1970’s proved to be one of the best stamp selling decades for the UNPA. Many of their stamps sold out completely on their first day of issue.

Visit www.stampcenter.com if you are interested in purchasing stamps by the United Nations.