FIRST UNITED STATES AIR MAIL STAMPS - SCOTT #1-3-- THE FLYING "JENNIES"

The first US Airmail stamps, or US definitive postage stamps issued for use on airmail letters, were issued in early 1918. They are shown above (Sc. #C1-3), arranged in the order of their issue dates.

Note that the stamps are inscribed "U.S. POSTAGE". They were available for use on regular letter mail, as well as on airmail, which was still highly experimental.

The central designs feature a "Curtiss Jenny" Biplane in Flight. The "Jenny" was originally produced as an Army training aircraft during World War I. In the years after the war, the plane became the backbone of US civil aviation.

The carmine and blue 24 Cent denomination stamp (Sc. #C3) was issued on May 13, 1918 for the Inauguration of Airmail Service between Washington, Philadelphia, and New York, on May 15, 1918. The postage rate was 24 Cents per ounce, which included immediate delivery to the addressee.

The green 16 Cent denomination stamp (Sc. #C2) was issued on July 11, 1918, when the airmail postage rate to the tri-city area noted above was reduced to 16 Cents per ounce.

The orange 6 Cent denomination stamp (Sc. #C1) was issued on December 10, 1918, when the airmail postage rate to the tri-city area noted above was again reduced to 6 Cents per ounce.

Aug 28th 2022

THE KANSAS-NEBRASKA OVERPRINTS OF 1929