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Oldest Stamps Still Valid for Postage |
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The oldest stamps still valid for postage are the United States definitive series issued on 17 August 1861. The issues of 1847 and 1851, valid until that time, were demonetised following the outbreak of the Civil War, to render worthless stocks held by the Confederacy. The acceptance of prepayment in postage was ordered to be discontinued in the north-eastern states on 1 November 1861 and in the remoter states and federal territories by 1 January 1862. All US stamps since August 1861 are still valid for postage. Anyone using the original 1861 series for postage would be most unwise; it has a face value of less than one pound but a catalogue value of four figures.
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