In 1885, when the standard
postage weight changed to the ounce
from the half-ounce, the price of a stamp was 2¢. It remained at that level for 32 years until
moving to 3¢ in 1917, only to drop back to 2¢
in 1919 for another 13 years. The 1932 reinstatement of the 3¢ rate
was steady for 26 years until a bump to 4¢ in 1958.
Things
started deteriorating after that, with increases exceeding a penny at a time and
even going up twice in one year (during 1981 in March and November).
On the bright side, all these increases result in a
much wider variety for the budding collector. There's no need to go to
any great expense, the younger set can get started by collecting used
stamps from the household mail as well as from relatives and
neighbors.
More
serious collectors may be interested in pursuing the various theme
stamps as they're released or by purchasing special presentations,
such as the framed and mounted sets below:
