Reading - What is a Stamp?

What are stamps? People use them to mail letters, bills, and postcards. Without prepayment, like stamps, people would not be able to mail their letters. They are self-adhesive images found on the upper right hand corner of an envelope, bought from a post office or vending machine.

Stamps always include three important pieces of information in their design: subject, stamp value and country of origin. The value is there so people know how much to pay for it. The country’s abbreviation is included so people from other countries know where the letter came from. Subject designs are important because it makes the stamp interesting to look at as well as reflects the country’s national identity.

The subjects of stamps cover every topic you can imagine – and most relate to Social Studies: significant battles, presidents, contributions of artists and scientists, natural landmarks and resources, social revolutions, popular culture, and constitutional rights – to name a few. Subject ideas start as suggestions from the public. Ideas have to match a list of requirements: for example, does this subject have a national significance or, if it’s a person have they been deceased for at least 5 years? Then, the idea is given to the Citizen’s Stamp Advisory Committee who review all the suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General on what stamp subjects to print in the coming years.

Five out of the twelve rules for stamp subjects are listed below:

• American/American-related themes, including national symbols, holidays and nature
• Characters, but not living people
• People, only 5 years after the individual’s death, unless it is a U.S. President (they are traditionally honored on their first birthday in the year after their death)
• Events, persons, themes of national importance (regional themes are not allowed)
• American States