PKEFACE. 



Tliis catalogue of United States postage stamps, stamped envel- 

 opes, specimen stamps, and proofs is published with the view of 

 acquainting philatelists with what the Museum desires the Govern- 

 ment collection of United States stamps to represent when com- 

 pleted. An asterisk (*) has been placed after each item already 

 installed in the exhibition frames, so that the catalogue shows 

 exactly what portion of the collection has been already acquired 

 and what has yet to be added to complete the exhibit. 



The catalogue is designed to be of educational service to all phi- 

 atelists in forming a comprehensive collection of United States 

 stamps; it notes all the important varieties and shades. The 

 extreme speciahst will find that the very minor varieties have been 

 smitted and that only the marked and important shades of color 

 have been Usted. In almost every stamp printed there are many 

 variations of shade of color which are of no especial interest except 

 to the extreme speciahst. 



The catalogue is not intended as a philatelic primer, so that no 

 description of the designs of the stamps is given. PhilateUsts are 

 generally very well acquainted with all the various designs, but a 

 short description is given of the distinguishing features of the 

 various varieties of type noted. 



No hst is given of the numerous coil stamps issued by various 

 vending and mailing machine companies. They are merely private 

 perforation varieties and have no place in the Government collection. 



The collection as installed is of unused stamps, with the exception 

 of a few rarities, such as postmasters' provisionals and carriers, 1851; 

 Ic. Type III, 1869; inverted medaUions, 1870; grilled 12c. and 

 24c.; and 1895, revenue paper 6c. and 8c. Such items are hardly 

 ever to be acquired unused. 



The imperforate stamps, with the exception of the 1851 issue and 

 the 90c. 1861, August, are in blocks of four or horizontal pairs. 



At the beginning of 1908 the subject of philately, at the United 

 States National Museum, was illustrated by only a smaU miscella- 

 neous collection of domestic and foreign stamps, numbermg about 

 2,500 specimens, and principally donated by Mre. Spencer F. Baird. 

 In 1908, however, through the munificence of the late David W. 

 Cromwell, of New York City, the Museum received a fine collection 

 of about 20,000 specimens, representing the United States and nearly 

 all foreign countries. In 1912 the Museum obtained by transfer the 

 more essential parts of the large exhibition of the Post Office 

 Department, comprising as its most valuable feature the stamps. 



