Noteworthy Mentions

You're lucky if you have one of these in your stamp collection. The 90 cents George Washington stamp is the last and highest denominated stamp in the 1850s. Approximately 29,000 stamps were printed as postal rates at the time did not call for 90 cent stamp to be used in most domestic mails. Only a very few of these stamps ended up in the hands of stamp collectors making these a very collectible item.  

"The presidency is more than a popularity contest." Al Gore Stamps that depicted George Washington and Ben Franklin were favored in the 1800's. Five decades later, in 1856 the US Postmaster General released the 1st Thomas Jefferson stamp to ride off that popularity wave. However, unlike previously issued stamps, this Jefferson stamp  was used primarily on mail to foreign destinations like France. But why was Thomas Jefferson chosen over John Adams or James Madison as the "breakaway" stamp? One can only guess.  

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." Marilyn Monroe This stamp of Ben Franklin from the United States Postal Service was issued in 1851 with a face value of one cent. The stamp was used to pre-pay certain types of mail like circulars or what is known today as junk mails. The 1-cent Ben Franklin stamp varies considerably in its design. The imperfection in the design is due to the technical difficulties in making the plates causing the stamps to appear incomplete, mostly at the top and bottom borders. To further differentiate...