U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13

The U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13 were the first such stamps issued by the U.S. Post Office Department and consisted of twelve denominations to pay the postage on parcels weighing 16 ounces and more, with each denomination printed in the same color of "carmine-rose". Their border design was similar while each denomination of stamp bore its own distinctive image in the vignette. Unlike regular postage items, whose rates were determined by weight in ounces, Parcel Post rates were determined and measured by increments in pounds. The new stamps were soon widely used by industry, farmers and others who lived in rural areas. Partly owing to some confusion involving their usage, their exclusive use as Parcel Post stamps proved short lived, as regular postage stamps were soon allowed to be used to pay parcel postage rates.

Before 1912 the delivery of parcels was controlled and handled by private companies, most of whom operated in cities and urban areas where there was more business to be had. Consequently, delivery of parcels to rural areas was inadequate and frequently hindered farmers who needed various supplies, parts and equipment delivered to their remote locations. To meet this demand Congress approved a law on August 24, 1912 creating postal rates for fourth class mail and providing for parcel post service. The Congressional law authorized the U.S. Post Office to produce the various special purpose postage stamps to pay the parcel fees, which became effective on January 1, 1913, the first day the U.S. Parcel Post began service. The 12 stamps were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on the flat plate printing press on soft yellowish wove paper made with a single-line watermark bearing the letters 'U S P S' and were perforated with 12 gauge perforations. The stamps were designed by Clair Aubrey Houston who at the time had worked at the Bureau for ten years, while the dies for the individual stamps were produced by several different engravers, with up to four engravers working on each die. The Post Office initially planned to place all dozen stamps on sale before parcel post service began, but Frank Hitchcock, the Postmaster General, deemed the original designs for the 3-cent, 50-cent and 75-cent denominations unsatisfactory, delaying the issue of those values until after the first of the year. The twelve stamps each bore their own distinctive subject in the vignette and were issued in a single color, "carmine-rose". It was Hitchcock who came up with the idea of printing all the denominations of these stamps in one uniform color. However, because of the common color and similarity in border design Parcel Post stamps during the first six months of use were met with mixed reaction from postal personnel who had difficulty distinguishing the stamps at a glance and often confused the denominations, especially during busy hours. "In an effort to help the stamp clerks an inscription of value in large plain capital letters was added to the [sheet] margin, next to each plate number. These were first added to plates on January 27, 1913." An example of these large red spelled-out numbers, which appeared on two margins of each pane, can be seen on the illustration of the ten-cent plate block in the section "Other configurations" further down this page.

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