During the final months of 1902, a new series of stamps—the Second Bureau Issue—was introduced. It was the first definitive issue completely designed and produced for the Post Office Department by the craftsmen of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Stamps of the series were released in sheet, booklet pane, and experimental coil formats. They were printed on double-line watermarked paper with gauge 12 perforations.
The series contained sixteen designs in denominations from 1-cent to 5-dollar, including a 10-cent Special Delivery design and a replacement for the original 2-cent design. The stamps were in general use until 1909. However, the 2-dollar and 5-dollar designs, reprinted in 1917 on unwatermarked paper, perforation 10, were produced until 1918. The Special Delivery 'Messenger on Bicycle' design continued in use until 1922 and was also produced on single-line and unwatermarked paper with 10 and 11 gauge perforations.
Only three stamps of the series were actually released during 1902. The 13-cent stamp honoring recently-deceased President Benjamin Harrison was issued in November. It was the first U.S. 13-cent stamp and was intended to pay the 8-cent registry fee plus 5-cent foreign letter rate. The 8-cent Martha Washington, the first to honor an American woman, and 10-cent Special Delivery were issued in December. The remaining stamps of the series were released during the first few months of 1903.
The Second Bureau Issue marks the first time that a U.S. stamp’s design included the name and dates of birth and death of the person portrayed. Each stamp of the series includes the words "Series 1902.” This 'year date' feature, first applied to postage stamps with the 1901 commemorative Pan-American issue, was discontinued with the 1908 introduction of the Washington-Franklin Series (Third Bureau Issue).
Encyclopedia of United States Stamps and Stamp Collecting
May 16, 2006
1-cent Franklin single
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), publisher, scientist, diplomat, and first postmaster general of the American colonies, is honored on the 1-cent stamp. Franklin’s image was inspired by an engraving after a painting by J.B. Longacre that resides in the State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The green stamp was initially issued on Feb. 3, 1903, as a sheet stamp, and in 1907 it became the first 1-cent stamp issued in booklet format. In February 1908 the Franklin stamp was one of three experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the Post Office Department. The sheet stamps were printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. In October 1906 the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of four hundred for use by private manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied their own designed perforations. The 1-cent Franklin stamp was also issued as experimental sidewise perforated coils and imperforate endwise and sidewise coils in limited quantities.
R. Ostrander Smith designed the 1-cent Franklin. He incorporated into the frame design symbols of Franklin’s scientific experimentations with electricity. The engravers of the 1-cent stamp were George F. C. Smillie (vignette and frame), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (Lettering and numerals).
The Franklin stamp was primarily used to pay the one-cent first class domestic postcard rate, the third-class (printed matter), and fourth-class (merchandise/samples rate) rates of one-cent per two-ounces and one ounce, respectively.
After George Washington, Benjamin Franklin has been the most honored American on U.S. postage stamps.
George Washington’s image (1732-1799) has appeared on more U.S. stamps than has that of any other individual. The denomination in a series that paid the first-class domestic letter rate typically featured his image. This was the case with the Second Bureau Issue's 2-cent issue.
The nation's reverence for the Revolutionary War general and first president was captured the eulogy delivered Henry Lee at Washington's funeral, “First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his countrymen.” Lee was Washington's fellow Virginian and patriot and the father of General Robert E. Lee.
The stamp was issued January 17, 1903, as a sheet stamp and was also produced as booklets of twenty-four, forty-eight, and ninety-six stamps in multiple panes of six stamps.
A painting by Gilbert Stuart which features a one quarter left image of Washington inspired the 2-cent carmine issue. R. Ostrander Smith designed the stamp. The vignette, framed by two American flags, is often referred to as the Washington 'Flag' stamp. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
Besides paying the domestic first-class letter rate, the 2-cent Washington paid the domestic two-cent drop letter fee (carrier office), the international postcard rate, and the unsealed samples/merchandise rate per four-ounce.
Though the original engraved die produced one of the most attractive stamps ever printed, production stamps often imparted a red-faced and unattractive appearance to Washington’s portrait. Criticism of the stamp led to its replacement in November 1903 by the 2-cent Washington 'Shield' stamp.
Because of considerable dissatisfaction with the original 2-cent Washington 'Flag' stamp, the Bureau produced a new 2-cent stamp featuring Washington’s portrait within a shield of stars and stripes. The new design, referred to as the 2-cent Washington 'Shield' stamp, was issued Nov. 12, 1903. In addition to the bold shield background, the left numeral was enclosed with laurel leaves and the right with oak leaves, symbolizing Washington’s role as president in peace time and as general in war time.
The stamp was issued January 17, 1903, as a sheet stamp and was produced in booklets of twenty-four, forty-eight, and ninety-six stamps in multiple panes of six stamps. In October 1906 the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of four hundred for use by private manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied their own designed perforations. The Washington stamp was one of three experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the Post Office Department in February 1908. It was later issued as experimental sidewise perforated coils and imperforate endwise and sidewise coils. These experimental coils were issued in limited quantities and are today highly prized twentieth-century rarities.
The 2-cent carmine stamp was designed by Clair Aubrey Huston from a painting by Gilbert Stuart. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
Because the original engraved die had been damaged, a new die exhibiting slight changes was made in mid-1908 to create new transfer rolls for needed plates. The two 'Shield' stamp varieties are referred to as die Type I and Type II. The Washington 'Shield' stamp is recognized for its many shade varieties. Initially issued as a carmine stamp, it has also been cataloged in shades of scarlet, carmine rose, red, and lake.
In addition to paying the domestic first-class letter rate, the 2-cent Washington paid the domestic two-cent drop letter fee (carrier office), the international postcard rate, and the unsealed samples/merchandise rate per four ounces.
The 3-cent Andrew Jackson (1767–1845) stamp honors the seventh president of the United States. Jackson won fame for his military victory at the battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. Jackson, popular with the masses because of his 'log cabin' beginnings and democratic ideology, was a deft politician who created the Democratic Party, the nation's first modern political party. He is blamed for the Panic of 1837, one of the nation's deepest depressions.
The stamp was issued February 11, 1903, in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The 2-cent purple stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith, was based on a portrait by Thomas Sully that hangs in the National Gallery of Art. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait and decorative figures), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr., E. M. Weeks, and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 3-cent stamp did not pay a specific rate and was used in multiple formats or with other stamps to cover existing rates. In spite of its limited use, the stamp, like many of the Series 1902, exists in a surprising variety of color shades.
Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) is portrayed on the 4-cent stamp of the series. Grant first achieved national attention when President Lincoln appointed him commander of the Union armies during the Civil War. Grant had achieved notable victories against southern forces in the Mississippi campaign, and his military strategies led to the defeat of Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and to the Union’s victory over the Confederacy.
A national hero, Grant was elected president in 1868, the youngest man theretofore elected president. He was re-elected in 1872. Though his administration was criticized for mismanagement, Grant held himself above the scandals, was a hard working president, was credited with with a strong foreign policy and a sincere interest in enforcing the rights of freed slaves in the South.
The stamp was issued February 10, 1903, in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The 4-cent brown stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith, was based on a ferrotype or tintype by Kurtz. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr., and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
It is notable that Grant had been depicted on the 5-cent denomination of the First Bureau Issue and Abraham Lincoln on the 4-cent stamp of that series. Their denominations were swapped for the Second Bureau Issue, with Lincoln on the 5-cent stamp.
The Grant 4-cent stamp did not pay a specific rate and was used in multiple formats or with other stamps to cover existing rates. Two 4-cent stamps could pay the eight-cent registry fee and three 4-cent stamps could pay the ten-cent special delivery fee plus the two-cent domestic first-class letter rate.
Like many of the Series 1902 stamps, the 4-cent stamp exists in a vaiety of color shades.
The nation’s sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), is portrayed on the 5-cent stamp. Lincoln’s fame as a magnanimous leader is unequalled in American history. No other American except Washington and Franklin has been honored more frequently on U.S. stamps than Abraham Lincoln. The international (U.P.U.) letter postage rate was five cents when the Series 1902 was in use. It was decided that Lincoln’s image would best represent the nation on mail sent around the world. He had appeared on the 4-cent stamp of the First Bureau Issue.
The 5-cent Lincoln stamp was issued January 20, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. In late 1906 the stamps were also made available in imperforate full sheets of four hundred for use by private manufacturers of vending and affixing machines, who applied their own designed perforations. The Lincoln stamp was one of three experimental endwise coil stamps introduced by the Post Office Department in February 1908. These experimental coils were issued in limited quantities and are today highly prized twentieth-century rarities.
The 5-cent blue stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith after a photograph by Matthew Brady. The Lincoln vignette is shown between two robed female figures holding flags to symbolize the reunited nation. The stamp was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait and decorative figures), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and John U. Rose, Jr., and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The primary use of the 5-cent Lincoln stamp was to pay the U.P.U. letter rate. It was also used in multiple formats or with other stamps to cover existing rates. Two 5-cent stamps could pay the ten-cent special delivery fee and the registry fee when that was increased to ten cents November 1, 1909.
The 6-cent James A. Garfield (1833–1881) stamp honors the twentieth president of the United States. Garfield, an Ohio lawyer and legislator, fought at Shiloh and Chickamauga during the Civil War and rose to the rank of major general. Elected to Congress in 1862, he served in the House of Representatives for seventeen years. He was elected by the Ohio legislature to the U.S. Senate in 1880 and selected as a compromise presidential candidate for the Republican Party. Garfield won the Electoral College vote 214 to 155, though his plurality in the popular vote was under 7,500.
Garfield’s presidency was cut short by an assassin’s bullet on July 2, 1881, at Washington's railroad station. Garfield died eleven weeks later in Elberon, New Jersey, on Sept. 19, 1881.
The 6-cent claret stamp was issued February 20, 1903, only in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a photograph, was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 6-cent stamp did not pay a specific rate and was used in multiple rate formats or with other stamps to cover existing rates. Two 6-cent stamps were often used to pay the ten-cent special delivery fee plus two-cent domestic letter rate.
This stamp had the smallest sale of any of those below the ten-cent value, and like many of the Series 1902, it exists in a variety of color shades.
The first stamp to honor an American woman was the 8-cent Martha Washington (1732–1802). She was selected from a list of prominent females submitted to Third Assistant Postmaster General Edwin C. Madden. Martha Washington, wife of George Washington, was the only person depicted on a stamp of the series with a first and last name.
Born Martha Dandridge, she married Daniel Parke Custis as a young woman of eighteen. Custis died in 1757, leaving her with two children, an immense fortune, and a 17,000 acre estate. She married George Washington in 1759. She devoted her life to supporting and comforting him, and together they raised her two children by Custis. Her son John Custis died in young adulthood and her daughter Martha died at sixteen. George and Martha Washington also raised her grandchildren, George Washington Parke Custis and Eleanor Parke Custis. Martha Washington's great-granddaughter, Mary Anna Randolph Custis, married General Robert E. Lee.
The 8-cent violet black stamp was issued December 6, 1902, only in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. R. Ostrander Smith designed the stamp from an unfinished portrait by Gilbert Stuart. The portrait captured Mrs. Washington as a "stout 65-year-old, with a twinkle in her eyes and a faint grin." (Boston Globe, May 3, 2006)
The engravers were George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
The 8-cent Martha Washington stamp was primarily used to pay the eight-cent registry fee for both domestic and foreign mail. A single 8-cent stamp could also pay the two times foreign five-cents-per-ounce plus three-cents-per-additional-ounce letter rate initiated October 1, 1907.
The Second Bureau Issue's 10-cent stamp pays tribute to lawyer, orator, and statesman Daniel Webster (1782–1852). An ardent Federalist, Webster was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1812 and served three terms. A practicing Massachusetts lawyer, he won major constitutional cases before the Supreme Court. He returned to Congress in 1823 as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts. Webster, a champion of American nationalism, made an unsuccessful bid for the presidency on the Whig ticket in 1836.
President William Henry Harrison named Webster secretary of state in 1841. He is credited with settling a dispute with Great Britain over the Maine-Canada boundary. When Harrison suddenly died in office, Webster continued as secretary of state under John Tyler but retired in 1843 and returned to the Senate. Webster served as secretary of state once again, being appointed by President Millard Fillmore in 1850.
Over the course of his long political career, Webster debated some of the most important legislation of the nineteenth century. He ardently attempted to prevent the Civil War by urging the North and South to compromise over the issue of slavery. Opposed to slavery himself, he nonetheless supported the 'Fugitive Slave' law.
The 10-cent pale red brown stamp was issued February 5, 1903, only in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith after a daguerreotype by John Adams Whipple, was engraved by Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame) and George U. Rose Jr. and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals). On either side of the portrait are fasces, the ancient symbol of authority in the Roman Republic. A bundle of sticks bound together represents the idea that, while one stick breaks easily, a bundle will not, and the axe in the center represents military strength.
The single 10-cent stamp could be used to pay the eight-cent registry fee plus the two-cent domestic first-class letter rate. A single stamp could also pay a two time U.P.U. foreign five-cents-per-half-ounce letter rate. When special delivery stamps were no longer required to secure that service on Mar. 2, 1907, the Webster stamp was used to pay the ten-cent special delivery fee. A 10-cent stamp also paid the domestic and foreign registry fee when that fee increased to ten cents, November 1, 1909.
The 13-cent stamp of the Second Bureau Issue, which features an image of Benjamin Harrison (1833–1901), was the first stamp of the series issued. The stamp memorialized the twenty-third president, who had died the previous year. Harrison, a lawyer and grandson of William Henry Harrison, the nation's ninth president, became active in Republican politics as a young man. He rose to the rank of brigadier general during the Civil War, and he was elected a U.S. senator from Ohio in 1880. Though he did not win the popular vote, he won the electoral vote and therefore triumphed over Democrat Grover Cleveland to become president in 1888. He lost his bid for re-election in 1892 to Cleveland.
The 13-cent purple black stamp was issued Nov 18, 1902, only in sheet format printed from plates of four hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a photograph supplied by Mrs. Harrison, was engraved by Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait and frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The Harrison stamp was the first 13-cent denomination issued by the Post Office Department. A single 13-cent stamp could be used to pay the eight-cent registry fee plus the five-cents-per-half-ounce foreign letter rate. The stamp remained as one of the regular denominations as long as the registry fee remained at eight cents, though sales of the Harrison stamp were the lowest of any value below the 50-cent stamp.
The 15-cent stamp is a tribute to a leading American statesman and orator, Henry Clay (1777–1852). Clay studied law in Virginia, and after passing the bar in 1797, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky. He eventually represented that state in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.
While serving in the House, Clay was chosen as one of the commissioners to negotiate the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812. A devote Federalist, he advocated programs that expanded commerce and industry, especially canals, railroads, and banks. He was known as the 'Great Pacifier' because of his success in brokering compromises on the slavery issue in 1820 and 1850. Clay put together legislation that would eventually be known as the 'Compromise of 1850'. The Compromise, a response to sectional demands for and against slavery, forestalled the Civil War for ten years. That decade gave the North time to prepare economically and politically for the inevitable. In 1957 a Senate committee chaired by John F. Kennedy named Clay as one of the five greatest senators in American history.
The 15-cent olive green stamp was issued May 24, 1903, only in sheet format printed from plates of two hundred and four hundred stamps and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from an engraving by Alfred Sealey. The engravers were Marcus W. Baldwin (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose Jr. and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 15-cent stamp was primarily used to pay multiples of the foreign five-cents-per-half-ounce letter rate in effect until Oct 1, 1907. The stamps were also used on larger domestic fourth-class parcels. A single 15-cent stamp paid the foreign five-cents-per-half-ounce plus the ten-cent registry fee. Multiples are also found paying the foreign samples and merchandise rates.
Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), the nation’s third president, is portrayed on the 50-cent stamp. Jefferson studied law at the College of William and Mary and served in the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress. At age of thirty-three, Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence. He succeeded Benjamin Franklin as minister to France in 1785 and served as secretary of state in President Washington’s cabinet.
Breaking with the Hamilton’s Federalists, Jefferson assumed leadership of the Republicans, who opposed a strong central government. In 1796 he became vice president under John Adams and was elected president in 1800. Jefferson’s notable successes include reducing the national debt and fighting the Barbary Coast pirates, but he is most celebrated for writing the Declaration of Independence and the acquisition of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803. His brilliance encompassed a vast range of topics and skills, not the least of which were architecture and botany.
No other American except Washington, Franklin, and Lincoln has been honored more frequently on U.S. stamps than Thomas Jefferson.
The 50-cent orange stamp was issued March 23, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from the 1805 Edgehill Portrait by Gilbert Stuart. It was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
The 50-cent Jefferson stamp was frequently used to pay multiples for first-class shipments of domestic inter-bank currency and coin. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels.
Admiral David G. Farragut (1801–1870) appears on the Second Bureau Issue's 1-dollar denomination. When Virginia seceded from the Union in April 1861, Navy Capt. David G. Farragut moved his family north to Hastings-on-Hudson, New York. In January 1862 he was chosen to command a fifty-ship expedition to capture New Orleans. Farragut battled past the forts protecting the city, sailed up the Mississippi River to New Orleans, and forced the city’s surrender. In doing so, he became a hero. He received the thanks of Congress and was promoted to the navy's first rear admiral.
In addition to successful blockades of Confederate ports, Farragut forced the surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson in July 1863. In 1864 he fought the fiercest of his battles, blasting his way into Mobile Bay. Congress then created and bestowed the rank of vice admiral upon him. The following year, Congress promoted Farragut to the rank of admiral.
The 1-dollar black stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith from an engraving by Charles Schlecht, was engraved by George F.C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau and Marcus W. Baldwin (frame), and George U. Rose Jr. (lettering and numerals). Farragut's portrait replaced that of Commodore Matthew C. Perry, which had appeared on the 1-dollar denomination in the First Bureau Issue.
The Farragut stamp was frequently used to pay multiples for first-class shipments of domestic inter-bank currency and coin. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels.
James Madison (1751–1836), the nation’s fourth president, is pictured on the 2-dollar stamp. Madison was born in Virginia and attended the College of New Jersey (Princeton University). A leader in the Virginia Assembly, he participated in the framing of the Virginia Constitution in 1776. At age thirty-six, he was a Virginia delegate to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, where he helped frame the Bill of Rights and enact the nation’s first revenue legislation.
As secretary of state under President Jefferson, Madison protested the seizure of American ships by warring France and Britain as contrary to international law, and he supported the unpopular Embargo Act of 1807. Madison was elected president in 1808. The British impressments of American seamen and the seizure of cargoes impelled Madison to ask Congress to declare war on Great Britain on June 1, 1812.
The young nation was not prepared to fight England’s army, fresh from victories against Napoleon on the continent. The British entered Washington and set fire to the White House and the Capitol, and battles raged both along the Canadian border and in the South. Gen. Andrew Jackson's triumph at New Orleans brought the War of 1812 to a conclusion in 1814.
The dark blue 2-dollar stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp was designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a painting by an unknown artist. It was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau (frame), and George U. Rose, Jr. (lettering and numerals).
The 2-dollar Madison stamp was frequently used to pay intra-Post Office Department funds transfers. The stamp also franked large, foreign, letter rate parcels. In 1917 the 2-dollar Madison stamp was reprinted in a lighter blue with the then-used gauge 10 perforations. These stamps met a sudden demand for high-value postage to mail machine parts to Russia by parcel post as well as valuable shipments of Liberty Bonds in connection with World War I hostilities.
John Marshall (1755–1835) appears on the 5-dollar denomination of the Second Bureau Issue. Marshall, an American statesman and jurist, was the fourth chief justice of the United States. He had previously served in a variety of political offices, including in the U.S. House of Representatives and as secretary of state in the Adams cabinet and very briefly in the Jefferson cabinet.
President John Adams appointed Marshall to the Supreme Court understanding that Marshall would perpetuate his federalist opinions long after he left the presidency. Marshall served for thirty-four years, the longest serving chief justice in Supreme Court history, playing a significant role in the development of the American political system. His decisions went a long way toward establishing the Supreme Court as the final authority on the meaning of the Constitution. They established the Supreme Court's right to exercise judicial review and to strike down laws that violated the Constitution. Marshall is credited with raising the judiciary to its full potential as an independent and powerful branch of government. He is also credited with shaping the balance of power between the federal government and the states.
The 5-dollar dark green stamp was issued June 5, 1903, as a sheet stamp printed from plates of two hundred and sold in panes of one hundred stamps with gauge 12 perforations. The stamp, designed by R. Ostrander Smith from a painting by William James Hubard, was engraved by George F. C. Smillie (portrait), Robert F. Ponickau and Marcus W. Baldwin (frame), and Lyman F. Ellis (lettering and numerals).
The 5-dollar Marshall stamp was frequently used to pay intra-Post Office Department funds transfers. The stamp also franked large foreign letter rate parcels. In 1917 the 5-dollar Marshall stamp was reprinted in light green with the then-used gauge 10 perforations. These stamps met a sudden demand for high value postage to mail machine parts to Russia by parcel post as well as valuable shipments of Liberty Bonds during World War I.
