We continue our year-long celebration of 250 years of postal service in the United States with the release of the 4th postcard in our 12-postcard Commemorative Collection.
Each postcard highlights a pivotal moment in U.S. postal history—complete with fascinating facts and trivia providing historical context.
Our newest postcard celebrates something we all hold dear: postcards, originally called Private Mailing Cards.
The Private Mailing Card Act, enacted by the U.S. Congress in 1898, marked a significant milestone in the history of postcards.
This legislation allowed private companies to produce postcards that could be mailed at the reduced rate of one cent, matching the rate for government-issued postcards and lower than the two-cent rate for letters.
A couple of interesting facts:
- Private printers were required to print the statement Private Mailing Card, Authorized by Act of Congress of May 19, 1898 on their postcards in order to differentiate privately produced postcards from government-issued postal cards.
This requirement wasn't removed until 1901, when the term "Post Card" could be used instead of "Private Mailing Card."
- Initially, private mailing cards could not have messages written on the address side. Instead, messages were limited to the front—if there was space not occupied by an image.
It wasn't until 1907 when postcards could be designed with divided backs, allowing messages on the left side of the address area. This change is often referred to as the beginning of the "Golden Age of Postcards."
When you collect all 12 postcards in the series and align them in the pattern shown above, they reveal a timeline spanning from 1775 to 2025, highlighting the Post Office's amazing history.
With the release of our 4th postcard today, the first row is now complete—revealing the top-half of the hidden image that will appear when all 12 postcards are aligned.
Claim your piece of postal history with our fourth commemorative postcard. Add to your collection today!
ORDER NOW | 250th Anniversary Postcards
* Our 12-postcard Commemorative Collection celebrating 250 years of postal service in the United States is not officially affiliated with or endorsed by the USPS.