In the report of the Postmaster General for the year ending June 30, 1873, it is stated that
"The several Acts for the repeal of the franking privilege became operative on the first of July last. The results of the first quarter of the current year are highly satisfactory and more fully verified the predictions of the friends of the repeal. * * * Section 4 of the Act of March 3rd, 1873, making it the duty of the Postmaster General to provide official stamps and stamped envelopes for the several Executive Departments, has been strictly complied with. The stamps and envelopes furnished have been executed in the highest style of art and will compare favorably with those of any other country. From July 1st to September 30th of the current year the following varieties, numbers and values were issued:
| To whom issued. | D'minat'n. | Number. | Value. |
| The Executive Dep't | 5 | 5,150 | 200.00 |
| The State Dep't | 14 | 60,495 | 20,749.70 |
| The Treasury Dep't | 11 | 7,842,500 | 407,000.00 |
| The War Dep't | 11 | 446,500 | 17,689.00 |
| The Navy Dep't | 11 | 247,230 | 12,239.00 |
| The Post Office Dep't | 10 | 10,054,660 | 354,535.00 |
| The Interior Dep't | 10 | 1,058,475 | 59,171.00 |
| The Dep't of Justice | 10 | 65,400 | 3,900.00 |
| The Dep't of Agriculture, | 9 | 275,000 | 20,730.00 |
| Making a total of | 91 | 20,055,410 | 896,213.70 |
The stamps for the Departments other than the Post Office do not differ materially from those for sale to the public except that each Department has its own distinctive color and legend. The colors are: For the Executive, carmine; State Department, green; Treasury, velvet-brown; War, cochineal red; Navy, blue; Post Office, black; Interior, vermilion; Department of Justice, purple; and Department of Agriculture, straw color.
In the stamps for the Post Office Department the medallion head gives place to a numeral representing the value with the words "Post Office Department" above and the denomination expressed in words below. All the official stamps correspond in denomination with those issued for the public, except in the case of the State Department, for which four of higher value were made for dispatch bags. These four are of the denominations of $2, $5, $10, and $20, respectively, are of large size and printed in two colors, and bear a profile bust of the late Secretary Seward."
Elsewhere the Postmaster General states that the stamps were ready the 24th of May, for use the 1st of July, 1873. The following circular was accordingly issued to postmasters:
Official Postage Stamps and Stamped Envelopes.
[Circular to postmasters.]
Post Office Department,
Office of the Third Assistant Postmaster General,
Division of Postage Stamps, Stamped Env. & Post Cards.
Washington, D. C., May 15th, 1873.