The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-25
Department Stamp
 Can ''Come Back"
Uncle Sam Has One for Postal Savings Business
A Reminder of the Time When Such Stamps Were
 Many = Description of New Issue by Government

The government department post age stamp has come back. Some of those whose years put them in the class of old-timers, or at least near old-timers, and stamp collectors, young and old, will recall the postage stamps used by Uncle Sam perhaps thirty years ago for the transmission of matter of the several government departments. Each department had a color all it's own and the 1-cent stamp in all departments except one was duplicate of the 1-cent postage stamp which was sold to the public in all particulars except color and the same rule applied to the stamp of other denominations
 F The exception to the rule was the post office department stamp. This department did not deign to do as the others did, but had a stamp which was far from thing of beauty. the prominent feature being black letter ing on a white ground.
 There was no likeness of the Father of His Country, nor yet of an early postmaster general, the, stamp being strictly business in it's appearance, having in the center a big numeral, which showed the denomination. De- partment stamps passed in their checks some time ago, but they now
 
 department is using a series of stamps prepared especially for matter relat- ing to the postal savings bank busi- ness. A number of them have al- ready found their way into the Hart ford office, but, as was the case with the previous department stamps, they are not to be sold to the public, being used simply for departmental pur- poses. The adhesive stamps are of five denominations, as follows: 1-cent purple, 2-cent black, 10-cent red, 50- cent green. $1 blue: Besides having the denomination, the stamp contains the words '9U. S.. Postal Savings. Of f1cial Mail"
 Officially the adhesive stamp is de- scribed as follows: '"This stamp is rectangle on end,, of the same size as the ordinary postage stamp. T In the center is an ellipse containing the words Official MaiI in white let ters, the background within the ehipse being lathe work. Outside of and the words U. S. Postal Savings in white letters. In each lower corner is a numeral expressing the demoni- nation and between these numerals the word Gents appears in white let ters. In the corner at the top are small triangular panels containing re- lief work
 Ino stamped onVeIOpe IS or UuI OIlc denomination, bearing a 2-cent stamp, which is thus described: "The em- bossed stamp is an ellipse on end. The color is red. In the center, in plain Gothic type, appear the words Official Mail in two horizontal lines. In the upper half of the border are the words U. S. Postal Savings and in the lower half Two 2-Cents,' the numeral 2 being prominent.
 It goes without saying that collect ors and dealers will be on the lookout for specimens of these stamps, as they will be scarce compared with the or dinary stamp, as the postal savings stamps will not be used by the public and their circulation will accordingly be limited. Good specimens of some of the government department stamps have brought fancy prices. The new 2-cent adhesive stamp, in black and white, comes the nearest in it's ap- pearance to being a reminder of the old black and white post office de- partment issue, but it is artistically a decided improvement upon the old stamp.
 Postmaster F. A Hagarty has heard nothing further regarding the postal savings bank which is to be installed at the post office next month. Details are promised and an instructor will come here to give necessary directions as to the conduct of the new depart ment, which will be handled here in connection with the money order de- partment.-Hartford COurant.