US Stamps - The Presidential Issue Series Quiz

Answer: 3 cents

A first class, one ounce letter cost 3 cents to mail from 1932-1958. Relatively low inflation, high usage, and virtually no competition kept the price stable for over 25 years. Since the 1990's, first class postage rates have continually increased as the US Postal Service struggles to maintain service with decreased usage and inflationary expenses. The internet, cell phones, and other technologies have decreased demand for so-called "snail- mail."

The denominations of the series generally corresponded to the sequence in which the president served. Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States.

Answer: Purple

Each stamp was a distinctively different color. Jefferson was on the 3 cent stamp. The one-cent George Washington stamp was green.

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was honored on the 1/2-cent stamp. Martha Washington, another non-president, was honored on the 1 1/2-cent stamp. The only other stamp in the series not depicting a president was the 4 1/2-cent stamp with the White House. Davis did not feature in the series.

Answer: Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president from 1861-1865. Postage rates in 1938 were 3 cents per ounce for letters and packages and 2 cents for a postcard. So a 16-cent was not really needed. But denominations were produced in order to correspond to the sequence of a president.

Answer: False

As most Fun Trivia players know, Grover Cleveland was both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States. He served two non-successive terms. But he was only depicted on the 22-cent stamp. No 23-cent stamp was produced which ended the consistent sequencing of presidents and stamp denominations.

The twenty-third president, Benjamin Harrison, was depicted on the 24-cent stamp.

Answer: Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge was the thirtieth president. He died in 1933 and was therefore the last president to die before the stamps were issued in 1938. All presidents before Coolidge were also deceased which made for 29 stamps in the series with depictions of presidents. (Remember Cleveland was only counted once.) There were 32 total stamps in the series including the three half-cent denominations with the White House, Martha Washington, and Benjamin Franklin.

Answer: Prexies

Like all hobbies, collectors adopt nicknames for certain items. In stamp collecting most printing errors have nicknames. One of the most valuable stamps was the "inverted Jenny" where an airplane was printed upside down. The first postage stamp is known as the "penny black." This stamp was issued by Britain for 1 penny on a dark background in 1840.

Answer: National competition sponsored by the Treasury Department

A competition was announced in 1937 with a grand prize of $500. Elaine Rawlinson of New York won first prize.

Answer: A bust in profile

The winning design showed the presidents head in profile on the left side of the stamp. In the upper right hand corner was printed UNITED STATED POSTAGE. In the middle of the stamp was the president's name and years of service. At the bottom was the denomination followed by the word 'cents' and the denomination again.

Answer: Martha Washington

Martha Washington was the wife of George Washington and the first First Lady of the United States. Lady Liberty, also know as the Statue of Liberty, has been featured on many other stamps, but not in the 1938 Presidential Issue Series.