Special Delivery Stamp.
The history of the introduction and usage of these stamps is contained in the following extracts from two circulars, both dated at Post Office Department, Office of the Postmaster General, Washington, D. C., August 11th, 1885, and signed by William F. Vilas, Postmaster General. The first directed to postmasters reads as follows:
"Sir:—On the first of October, 1885, you are directed to establish at your office, a system for special delivery of letters, in accordance with sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Act making appropriation for the postal service for the current fiscal year (XLVIII Congress, Session II, Chapter 342, approved March 3d, 1885,) which are as follows:
Section 3. That a special stamp of the face valuation of 10 cents may be provided and issued, whenever deemed advisable or expedient, in such form and bearing such device as may meet the approval of the Postmaster General, which when attached to a letter, in addition to the lawful postage thereon, the delivery of which is to be at a free delivery office, or at any city, town or village containing a population of 4,000 or over, according to the Federal census, shall be regarded as entitling such letter to immediate delivery within the carrier limit of any free delivery office which may be designated by the Postmaster General as a special delivery office, or within one mile of the post office at any other office coming within, the provisions of this section which may in like manner be designated as a special delivery office.
Section 4 provides for immediate delivery between the hours of 7 a. m. and midnight.
Section 5 provides for the employment of special messengers and,
Section 6 the mode of paying them. The rest of this circular gives the details of the service which it is not necessary to repeat here.
The second circular after reciting the provisions of Section 3, of the Act of March 3d, 1885, and that it has been decided to introduce the system on the first day of October, at all the post offices permitted by the law; contains a description of the stamp prepared to carry out the law, which with some additions is as follows:
Special Delivery Stamp.
Issue of October 1st, 1885.
A line engraving on steel, oblong in form; dimensions 13/16 by 1-7/16 inches, color dark blue. Design: on the left in an arched panel, 10½ by 15½ mm., a mail messenger boy on a run, faced to the right on a hatched back-ground, and surrounded above by the words "United States," in curved line of colorless capitals. On the right an oblong tablet, ornamented with a wreath of oak on the left, and laurel on the right, surrounding the words, "Secures—Immediate—Delivery—At a special—Delivery—Office," in six lines of white capitals on a solid ground. The ground of the tablet above is composed of light vertical lines with colorless border. Across the top of the tablet, but above it, is the legend, "Special—Postal delivery," and at the bottom the words, "Ten Cents," separated by a shield bearing the numeral "10." The entire ground of the stamp is composed of fine vertical lines except the edges, which are so contrived as to appear bevelled.
Plate impression, 21 by 27 mm., in color, on white paper, perforated 12.
10 cents, dark blue.
"They are to be sold by Postmasters to any required amount, and to any person who may apply for them, but they can be used only for the purpose of securing the immediate delivery of letters."
About a year ago, after the system was inaugurated at carrier offices there was a further change in the law, and the system was further extended as is shown by the following extracts from three circulars, all dated August 10th, 1886, from the office of the Postmaster General, Washington, D. C., signed by William F. Vilas, Postmaster General. The first is addressed to Postmasters at carrier offices, the second to all other postmasters, and the third to the public. The following from the first circular:
"By the Act of August 4th, 1886, Congress has authorized the extention of the special delivery system to all post offices and to all mailable matter. The Act is as follows, namely:
'That every article of mailable matter upon which the special stamp, provided for by Section 3 of the act entitled: an Act, etc., shall be duly affixed, shall be entitled to immediate delivery according to said act, within the carrier limit of any free delivery office, and within one mile of any other post office which the Postmaster General shall at any time designate as a special delivery office.'"
From the second circular only this is of interest:
"No change will be made in the general style of the special delivery stamp now in use. The following is its description: (same as in the original circular). The words 'Secures immediate delivery at a special delivery office,' will however, be changed to read: 'Secures immediate delivery at any post office.' But as stamps with the former words are now in the hands of the postmasters and the public, their use will continue until the present supply shall be exhausted."
From the third circular only this is to be noticed:
"The attention of the public is invited to the fact that under a recent Act of Congress the special delivery system heretofore in effect in cities and towns having a population of 4,000 and upwards, has been extended to all post offices in the United States, to take effect on and after October 1st, 1886. The privileges of this system have also been extended to all classes of mail matter."
The remainder of these circulars are devoted to directions to postmasters at the two classes of offices, and to the public.
These stamps are printed in sheets of 100, and distributed in half sheets of 50, the center of the sheets being marked as usual by an arrow head. There are consequently 10 stamps in a row, and 10 rows in the whole sheet. The makers imprint appears four times on the sheet, above and below the center row of each half sheet, and the plate number is also four times repeated on the sheet.
3,699,560 special delivery stamps were issued up to June 30th, 1886.