1983-2009 US Official Mail, Set of 35 Stamps

1983-2009 U.S. Officials – Mint Set of 35 Stamps

Missing from Many Collections!

Here's what you'll get:

O127  

O128  

O129  

O129A 

O130  

O132  

O133  

O135  

O136  

O138  

O138A 

O138B 

O139  

O140  

O141  

O143  

O144  

O145 

O146 

O146A

O147 

O148 

O151 

O152 

O153 

O154 

O155 

O156 

O157 

O158 

O159 

O160 

O161 

O162 

O163

Official Mail stamps are genuine postage stamps, although they were never available at any post office. These unique stamps are called Officials because their use was strictly limited to government mail.  Before 1873, government agencies had franking privileges. This meant that government mail could be sent free of postage as long as it bore an authorized signature on the envelope. As of July 1, 1873, franking privileges were discontinued and special official stamps were put into circulation for use on government mail.

In 1983, the problem of government postage accountability came up once again.  As a result, the USPS issued six new Official stamps on January 12 of that year.  The new stamps weren’t department-specific and didn’t duplicate previous designs.  Instead, they pictured the Great Seal of the United States and the words, “Penalty for private use $300.”  These modern Official stamps remained in use until 2009.  Get them in your collection today!