1893 Columbian Exposition Commemorative Postage Stamps Part I Of II

I cannot imagine a world without commemorative postage stamps. I love the variety, colors, shapes, types, people, smells, characters and sizes. In my humble opinion, I think collecting commemorative stamps is the best part of stamp collecting. I shutter to think of a world without them. Thank goodness I don’t need to!

The first ever commemorative postage stamp was issued in 1893 to commemorate the Columbian Exposition, which was held in Chicago, Illinois. These controversial stamps also marked the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s voyages to the new world. These stamps were quite controversial for their time. John Wanamaker, the Postmaster General at the time, thought that commemorative postage stamps would become huge money makers. Congress on the other hand was not thrilled with the idea and issued a joint resolution that protested the “unnecessary” stamps.

History soon proved Wanamaker right as these postage stamps were a huge hit. Years ago, stamp collectors often tried to collect any postage stamp that was printed. They were upset at the high cost of the stamps though. The prices of the stamps ranged from 1 cent to $5. It was difficult to afford the entire set, which cost $16.34. The average weekly wage of that time period was about the same cost during 1893, so it was a financial strain for most collectors.

Please come back on Monday for more interesting information on this first ever commemorative United States postage stamp.