Transportation Series 1981-1995

The first time I saw a transportation series stamp was the 1 cent Omnibus from 1983. I knew it was something different and special. First of all, it only comes in a coil. Second, it’s from the 1980s but is only one color (multi-colored printing had been in practice since the 1960s). I thought it was worth investigating.

What I uncovered was a whole series of stamps that were produced as postage for bulk mail, which is mail that is produced and processed in bulk quantities in exchange for lower postage costs. The transportation series coils are a group of 51 designs produced from 1981 to 1995. Each features a simple image of a form of transportation found in the US after independence. They range from the expected (locomotive, conestoga, school bus) to the unexpected (baby buggy, circus wagon, elevator).

These stamps were issued in denominations from one cent to one dollar. Many have decimals in the face value, like the 24.1 cent Tandem Bike or the 5.2 cent Sleigh. They’re also quite small, with the vertical side measuring one inch and the horizontal just under an inch.

I love the very “vintage” look of these, and hope you do too. You can find many of them for sale here.