Why So Many Franklin's & Washington's?

Did you ever wonder why the United States went through a period of the same stamps with different values on them. Well the truth was that we were starting to look at the rest of the world and the popular stamps were all the same having a King or Queen on the stamp with a different value.

The only problem was we never had a King or Queen. So it was decided to use Ben Franklin and George Washington. So now you know the rest of the story.

Your're absolutely right MK

The hardest part of sorting stamps for me me is that sometimes the same stamp was printed in several batches or years and I have found with some of the older ones I have much difficulty telling them apart. I am making some headway though I'm getting to be a master of perfs but the different types of paper still have me a little stumped.

Dianne

Dianne,
I am on my third set of Washington, Franklins. Think you have a headache now wait until you get to the watermarks on yellow stamps.

i think that the us used washington so much just because he was our first president and franklin because he has the postmaster.
i could be wrong.
the different types do drive me crazy too.
you think you have a special stamps and usually get disappointed.

dan

That was why they were selected Dan. They wanted to follow suite like the some of the European countries and well since they were probably the closest thing to royalty we ever had they chose those two people for the new stamp heads of multiply values.

Do not forget history, but we were very close to having King George Washington. General Washington turned it down to have elected officials.