Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company
By A Mystery Man Writer
Last updated 16 Aug 2024
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://www.mysticstamp.com/content/product_images/USA-Q11.jpg)
Buying and Selling U.S. and worldwide postage stamps for stamp collectors.
U.S.%20%23Q1%201912%201%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B%20Post%20Office%20Clerk%20Parcel%20Post%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20Issue%20Date%3A%201913%20City%3A%20Washington%2C%20DC%20Quantity%3A%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B209%2C691%2C094%20%20Printed%20By%3A%20Bureau%20of%20Engraving%20and%20Printing%20Printing%20Method%3A%20Engraved%20Perforations%3A%2012%20Color%3A%20Carmine%20rose%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%20Parcel%20Post%20Service%20Begins%20%20On%20January%201%2C%201913%2C%20the%20US%20Post%20Office%20Department%20initiated%20its%20Parcel%20Post%20Service%20for%20fourth-class%20mail.%20%20Before%201912%2C%20private%20companies%20controlled%20package%20deliveries%20throughout%20the%20United%20States.%20Because%20delivering%20packages%20in%20larger%20cities%20could%20make%20more%20money%2C%20these%20companies%20often%20overlooked%20small%20towns.%20That%20changed%20when%20Congress%20passed%20a%20law%20on%20August%2024%2C%201912%20creating%20a%20parcel%20post%20service%20for%20fourth-class%20mail.%20Instead%20of%20private%20companies%2C%20the%20Postal%20Department%20would%20now%20deliver%20packages%20to%20all%20parts%20of%20the%20country.%20Rural%20Americans%20would%20now%20have%20access%20to%20goods%20and%20merchandise%20they%20could%20not%20have%20gotten%20before.%20This%20gave%20rise%20to%20mail%20order%20giants%20like%20Sears%2C%20Roebuck%20and%20Co.%2C%20and%20Montgomery%20Ward%20and%20Co.%20Parcel%20Post%20service%20could%20be%20used%20for%20sending%20items%20weighing%2016%20ounces%20or%20more%20through%20the%20mail.%20The%20mail%20is%20divided%20into%20four%20classes%2C%20with%20Parcel%20Post%20making%20up%20the%20fourth%20class.%20Almost%20any%20type%20of%20merchandise%20can%20be%20mailed%20parcel%20post%2C%20including%20day-old%20chicks%2C%20baby%20alligators%2C%20and%20honeybees.%20Only%20items%20that%20could%20be%20dangerous%20to%20handle%20cannot%20be%20sent%20through%20Parcel%20Post.%20%20Special%20Parcel%20Post%20and%20Parcel%20Post%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%20were%20produced%20for%20the%20new%20service.%20Like%20other%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%2C%20these%20showed%20that%20amount%20of%20postage%20due%20on%20packages%20that%20were%20insufficiently%20prepaid.%20The%20recipient%20of%20the%20package%20rather%20than%20the%20sender%20paid%20this%20amount.%20The%20Parcel%20Post%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%20were%20all%20dark%20green%20with%20a%20large%20numeral%20indicating%20the%20amount%20to%20be%20paid.%20%20The%20Parcel%20Post%20service%20began%20on%20January%201%2C%201913.%20The%20special%20Parcel%20Post%20stamp%20were%20required%20on%20all%20fourth%20class%20packages.%20The%20stamps%20were%20an%20instant%20success.%20During%20the%20first%20five%20days%2C%20post%20offices%20reported%20that%20they%20handled%20over%20four%20million%20packages.%20However%2C%20despite%20this%20early%20surge%20in%20popularity%2C%20the%20stamps%20would%20quickly%20lose%20favor.%20Philatelic%20author%20Henry%20M.%20Gobie%20later%20dubbed%20these%20stamps%20the%20%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23156%3BFourth%20Class%20Follies%20of%201913.%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23157%3B%20%20Postal%20employees%20objected%20to%20the%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20for%20several%20reasons.%20They%20stated%20the%20large%20stamps%20just%20didn%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bt%20fit%20where%20they%20needed%20to%20be%20applied.%20They%20also%20complained%20that%20they%20were%20all%20the%20same%20carmine%20color%2C%20making%20them%20difficult%20to%20distinguish%20one%20from%20the%20other.%20And%20they%20also%20disliked%20the%20odd%20number%20of%20stamps%20(45)%20per%20sheet.%20%20As%20a%20result%2C%20the%20use%20of%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20for%20this%20designated%20purpose%20ended%20in%20June%201913.%20But%20the%20rural%20delivery%20of%20parcels%20by%20the%20US%20Postal%20Service%20continued.%20The%20only%20difference%20was%20that%20regular%20stamps%20could%20be%20used%20on%20parcels%2C%20and%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20could%20be%20used%20on%20regular%20mail.%20The%20stock%20of%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20was%20allowed%20to%20run%20out.%20In%20use%20for%20just%20six%20months%2C%20the%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20were%20one%20of%20the%20shortest-lived%20US%20series.%20%20Though%20these%20stamps%20had%20caused%20confusion%2C%20no%20one%20complained%20about%20their%20beauty%2C%20as%20the%20pictorial%20centers%20(vignettes)%20were%20some%20of%20the%20most%20interesting%20yet%20produced.%20The%20lower%20denomination%20stamps%20paid%20tribute%20to%20the%20postal%20service%2C%20showing%20mail%20carriers%2C%20clerks%2C%20and%20other%20vehicles%20that%20carried%20the%20mail.%20One%20Parcel%20Post%20stamp%20featured%20the%20first%20airplane%20ever%20shown%20on%20a%20government%20issued%20stamp.%20The%20four%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20with%20the%20highest%20denomination%20featured%20manufacturing%20and%20agriculture.%20The%2075%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B%20stamp%20features%20a%20grain-harvesting%20scene.%20The%20threshing%20machine%20and%20team%20of%20horses%20stand%20in%20front%20of%20a%20large%20pile%20of%20grain.%20The%20design%20honored%20the%20farms%20of%20the%20Midwest.%20This%20stamp%20was%20the%20last%20of%20the%20series%20to%20be%20retired%2C%20and%20was%20still%20delivered%20to%20some%20post%20offices%20until%201922.%20%20%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20may%20have%20been%20short%20lived%2C%20but%20the%20stories%20surrounding%20the%20US%20parcel%20post%20are%20not.%20One%20such%20story%20tells%20of%20a%2048%26Acirc%3B%26frac12%3B-pound%20package%20(just%20under%20the%2050-pound%20limit)%20sent%20from%20Grangeville%20to%20Lewiston%2C%20Idaho.%20The%20package%20contained%20four-year-old%20May%20Pierstorff!%20May%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20parents%20wanted%20to%20send%20her%20to%20visit%20her%20grandparents%2C%20but%20found%20the%20train%20fare%20a%20bit%20steep.%20They%20decided%20to%20mail%20her%20for%20just%2053%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B.%20They%20attached%20the%20stamps%20to%20May%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20coat%2C%20and%20she%20rode%20the%20entire%20way%20in%20the%20mail%20car.%20The%20mail%20clerk%20on%20duty%2C%20Leonard%20Mochel%2C%20delivered%20the%20girl%20to%20her%20grandmother%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20door!%20%20%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%20%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B
U.S.%20%23Q1%201912%201%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B%20Post%20Office%20Clerk%20Parcel%20Post%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20Issue%20Date%3A%201913%20City%3A%20Washington%2C%20DC%20Quantity%3A%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B209%2C691%2C094%20%20Printed%20By%3A%20Bureau%20of%20Engraving%20and%20Printing%20Printing%20Method%3A%20Engraved%20Perforations%3A%2012%20Color%3A%20Carmine%20rose%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%20Parcel%20Post%20Service%20Begins%20%20On%20January%201%2C%201913%2C%20the%20US%20Post%20Office%20Department%20initiated%20its%20Parcel%20Post%20Service%20for%20fourth-class%20mail.%20%20Before%201912%2C%20private%20companies%20controlled%20package%20deliveries%20throughout%20the%20United%20States.%20Because%20delivering%20packages%20in%20larger%20cities%20could%20make%20more%20money%2C%20these%20companies%20often%20overlooked%20small%20towns.%20That%20changed%20when%20Congress%20passed%20a%20law%20on%20August%2024%2C%201912%20creating%20a%20parcel%20post%20service%20for%20fourth-class%20mail.%20Instead%20of%20private%20companies%2C%20the%20Postal%20Department%20would%20now%20deliver%20packages%20to%20all%20parts%20of%20the%20country.%20Rural%20Americans%20would%20now%20have%20access%20to%20goods%20and%20merchandise%20they%20could%20not%20have%20gotten%20before.%20This%20gave%20rise%20to%20mail%20order%20giants%20like%20Sears%2C%20Roebuck%20and%20Co.%2C%20and%20Montgomery%20Ward%20and%20Co.%20Parcel%20Post%20service%20could%20be%20used%20for%20sending%20items%20weighing%2016%20ounces%20or%20more%20through%20the%20mail.%20The%20mail%20is%20divided%20into%20four%20classes%2C%20with%20Parcel%20Post%20making%20up%20the%20fourth%20class.%20Almost%20any%20type%20of%20merchandise%20can%20be%20mailed%20parcel%20post%2C%20including%20day-old%20chicks%2C%20baby%20alligators%2C%20and%20honeybees.%20Only%20items%20that%20could%20be%20dangerous%20to%20handle%20cannot%20be%20sent%20through%20Parcel%20Post.%20%20Special%20Parcel%20Post%20and%20Parcel%20Post%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%20were%20produced%20for%20the%20new%20service.%20Like%20other%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%2C%20these%20showed%20that%20amount%20of%20postage%20due%20on%20packages%20that%20were%20insufficiently%20prepaid.%20The%20recipient%20of%20the%20package%20rather%20than%20the%20sender%20paid%20this%20amount.%20The%20Parcel%20Post%20Postage%20Due%20stamps%20were%20all%20dark%20green%20with%20a%20large%20numeral%20indicating%20the%20amount%20to%20be%20paid.%20%20The%20Parcel%20Post%20service%20began%20on%20January%201%2C%201913.%20The%20special%20Parcel%20Post%20stamp%20were%20required%20on%20all%20fourth%20class%20packages.%20The%20stamps%20were%20an%20instant%20success.%20During%20the%20first%20five%20days%2C%20post%20offices%20reported%20that%20they%20handled%20over%20four%20million%20packages.%20However%2C%20despite%20this%20early%20surge%20in%20popularity%2C%20the%20stamps%20would%20quickly%20lose%20favor.%20Philatelic%20author%20Henry%20M.%20Gobie%20later%20dubbed%20these%20stamps%20the%20%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23156%3BFourth%20Class%20Follies%20of%201913.%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23157%3B%20%20Postal%20employees%20objected%20to%20the%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20for%20several%20reasons.%20They%20stated%20the%20large%20stamps%20just%20didn%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bt%20fit%20where%20they%20needed%20to%20be%20applied.%20They%20also%20complained%20that%20they%20were%20all%20the%20same%20carmine%20color%2C%20making%20them%20difficult%20to%20distinguish%20one%20from%20the%20other.%20And%20they%20also%20disliked%20the%20odd%20number%20of%20stamps%20(45)%20per%20sheet.%20%20As%20a%20result%2C%20the%20use%20of%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20for%20this%20designated%20purpose%20ended%20in%20June%201913.%20But%20the%20rural%20delivery%20of%20parcels%20by%20the%20US%20Postal%20Service%20continued.%20The%20only%20difference%20was%20that%20regular%20stamps%20could%20be%20used%20on%20parcels%2C%20and%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20could%20be%20used%20on%20regular%20mail.%20The%20stock%20of%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20was%20allowed%20to%20run%20out.%20In%20use%20for%20just%20six%20months%2C%20the%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20were%20one%20of%20the%20shortest-lived%20US%20series.%20%20Though%20these%20stamps%20had%20caused%20confusion%2C%20no%20one%20complained%20about%20their%20beauty%2C%20as%20the%20pictorial%20centers%20(vignettes)%20were%20some%20of%20the%20most%20interesting%20yet%20produced.%20The%20lower%20denomination%20stamps%20paid%20tribute%20to%20the%20postal%20service%2C%20showing%20mail%20carriers%2C%20clerks%2C%20and%20other%20vehicles%20that%20carried%20the%20mail.%20One%20Parcel%20Post%20stamp%20featured%20the%20first%20airplane%20ever%20shown%20on%20a%20government%20issued%20stamp.%20The%20four%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20with%20the%20highest%20denomination%20featured%20manufacturing%20and%20agriculture.%20The%2075%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B%20stamp%20features%20a%20grain-harvesting%20scene.%20The%20threshing%20machine%20and%20team%20of%20horses%20stand%20in%20front%20of%20a%20large%20pile%20of%20grain.%20The%20design%20honored%20the%20farms%20of%20the%20Midwest.%20This%20stamp%20was%20the%20last%20of%20the%20series%20to%20be%20retired%2C%20and%20was%20still%20delivered%20to%20some%20post%20offices%20until%201922.%20%20%20Parcel%20Post%20stamps%20may%20have%20been%20short%20lived%2C%20but%20the%20stories%20surrounding%20the%20US%20parcel%20post%20are%20not.%20One%20such%20story%20tells%20of%20a%2048%26Acirc%3B%26frac12%3B-pound%20package%20(just%20under%20the%2050-pound%20limit)%20sent%20from%20Grangeville%20to%20Lewiston%2C%20Idaho.%20The%20package%20contained%20four-year-old%20May%20Pierstorff!%20May%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20parents%20wanted%20to%20send%20her%20to%20visit%20her%20grandparents%2C%20but%20found%20the%20train%20fare%20a%20bit%20steep.%20They%20decided%20to%20mail%20her%20for%20just%2053%26Acirc%3B%26cent%3B.%20They%20attached%20the%20stamps%20to%20May%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20coat%2C%20and%20she%20rode%20the%20entire%20way%20in%20the%20mail%20car.%20The%20mail%20clerk%20on%20duty%2C%20Leonard%20Mochel%2C%20delivered%20the%20girl%20to%20her%20grandmother%26acirc%3B%26%23128%3B%26%23153%3Bs%20door!%20%20%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%20%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B%20%26Acirc%3B%26nbsp%3B
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://www.mysticstamp.com/content/product_images/USA-Q8.jpg)
Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-9xwo1raw7u/products/75106/images/56694/USA-O162__80352.1677496670.220.290.jpg?c=1)
Rewards - Page 71 - Mystic Stamp Company
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Q2 - 1913 2c Parcel Post Stamp - City Carrier - Mystic Stamp Company
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Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-9xwo1raw7u/products/69247/images/51743/USA-O121__01840.1677492539.220.290.jpg?c=1)
US Stamps - US Stamps By Year - 1894-1919 - Page 6 - Mystic Stamp Company
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US Revenue Stamps #Q1 1912 1c Parcel Post Stamp Post Office Clerk used - #6143
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US Stamps - All Other US Stamps - Page 51 - Mystic Stamp Company
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://info.mysticstamp.com/wp-content/uploads/01-01-1913-Parcel-Post.jpg)
Parcel Post Service Begins Mystic Stamp Discovery Center
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ed/Parcel_Post_Postage_Due_1912_issues.jpg/564px-Parcel_Post_Postage_Due_1912_issues.jpg)
U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13 - Wikipedia
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://postalmuseum.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/grid/public/exhibitions/teaser/2005_2001_289_1.jpg?itok=Bg74OdM1&c=f97a926d000beac8b8adaea9a342e1c1)
Parcel Post Stamps National Postal Museum
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/jNMAAOSwnZxkQ7RI/s-l225.jpg)
Las mejores ofertas en Estampillas de Estados Unidos usadas de comunicación
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Parcel_Post_1912_5-8.jpg/800px-Parcel_Post_1912_5-8.jpg)
U.S. Parcel Post stamps of 1912–13 - Wikipedia
![Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company](https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-9xwo1raw7u/images/stencil/original/attribute_rule_images/111954_source_1677495322.jpg)
Q1 - 1912-13 1c Parcel Post Stamp - Post Office Clerk - Mystic Stamp Company
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US Stamps - US Stamps By Year - 1894-1919 - Page 6 - Mystic Stamp Company
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