U.S. Postage Stamps of 1907

Postage Stamps of the United States First Issued in 1907

President: Theodore Roosevelt

Postmasters General: Jan. 1- Jan. 14: George B. Cortelyou · Jan. 15 - Dec. 31: George von L. Meyer

Admitted to the Union: Oklahoma on November 16, 1907

Domestic Letter Rate: 2¢ per oz. · Postcard Rate: 1¢ · Registry Fee: 8¢ · Foreign Rate: 5¢

The Jamestown Exposition Issue
Flat Plate - 200 Subject Plates - Perf 12 - Double-line Watermark


First Day: April 26, 1907 77,728,794 issued	First Day: April 26, 1907 149,497,994 issued	First Day: May 3, 1907 7,980,594 issued

The Jamestown Exposition Stamps of 1907

As with the Columbian, Trans-Mississippi, Pan-American, and Louisiana Purchase stamps that preceded them and as with many of the "commemorative" sets issued in the following decades, the Jamestown stamps were issued to promote an exposition - the Jamestown Exposition of 1907 at what is now the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. For once, the date of commemoration actually represented an event, the 300th anniversary of the Jamestown Settlement in 1607.

To get around the law prohibiting the use of advertisements on U.S. postage stamps, a disclaimer of sorts - "Commemorative Series, 1907" - was placed on each stamp, rather than the name of the Exposition itself. And as with the earlier "commemorative" stamps, this gave rise to a variety of "JAMESTOWN CELEBRATION" and "EXPOSITION STATION" cancellations promoting and providing souvenirs for the event. Many of the cancellations and covers bearing these cancellations are very collectible today.

This Exposition was not nearly as successful commercially as the ones celebrated by the earlier commemoratives and sales of the stamps lagged far behind predicted volume.

As with the Pan American stamps, the design size was so large in comparison to the actual size of the stamp that well-centered copies of these issues bring substantial premiums, sometimes many multiples of catalog.

There is a slight discrepancy between the issue dates listed by various authors. Johl and the USPOD list the date as Thursday April 25, 1907 and Scott lists it as Friday April 26, 1907, the opening day of the exposition. Since the earliest known covers are from April 26, we are listing this as the date of issue.

The 1¢ Captain John Smith

Captain John Smith was an English adventurer and soldier, and led the expedition that founded the Jamestown, Virginia settlement. His account of the Virginia Settlement is quite interesting.

This stamp is exceptionally difficult to find well-centered.

The 2¢ The Founding of Jamestown

Although all of the stamps in this series are inscribed "Founding of Jamestown, 1607" this is the stamp that actually depicts the event itself. The April 26 issue date actually commemorates the 300th anniversary of Captain Smith's landing in Virginia. The settlement in Jamestown occurred nearly a month later, on May 24, 1607.

The 5¢ Pocahontas

Originally overlooked, the addition of Pocahontas to the set adds a romantic touch not seen in previous U.S. issues. The painting from which the engraving was made portrays a much more austere woman. To his credit, C.A. Huston, the designer of the stamp, softened the features somewhat, creating in the opinion of the author, the most mysteriously beautiful woman to have ever been portrayed on a U.S. stamp.

As with the one cent stamp, this stamp is exceptionally difficult to find well-centered. Although the five cent stamp was delivered to post offices on May 3, the earliest known use is May 9, 1907. Perhaps an earlier cover will show up someday.