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Philately
“Philately” is the collection and study of postage stamps
(stamps) and of postal stationery that has passed through the
mail. When a new U.S. stamp is issued by the United States
Postal Service (Postal Service), it is released on a specific day
at a specific location. Stamp collectors refer to that day as
the “first day of issue”. Since about 1930, a special
cancellation bearing the words “FIRST DAY OF ISSUE” along with
the date and town of issue has been applied to stamped items
furnished to the Postal Service on the first day the stamp is
issued. This service is undertaken by the Postal Service at no
charge, other than the cost of postage.
One of the modes of collecting first day of issue stamps is
the collection of “first day covers”. A first day cover is an
envelope that bears a stamp postmarked with a first day of issue
cancellation. In some instances, the envelope includes a
decorative design usually related to the subject matter of the
applied stamp. By the 1940's, hundreds of thousands of first day
covers were routinely prepared by collectors for every newly
issued stamp, and first day covers had become an important part
of the hobby of stamp collecting.
There is a primary market and a secondary market for first
day covers. The primary market refers to current first day
covers (with newly issued stamps) sold directly to customers by
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Last modified: May 25, 2011