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U.S stamps Trivia Quiz

Stamp collecting for the best.

A multiple-choice quiz by Dr_Evil_. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Dr_Evil_

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
254,475

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
759

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. Who is pictured on one of the two first U.S. stamps? Hint

Queen Elizabeth I

Ben Franklin

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

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2. What year did the US Pictorial Issues come out? Hint

1869

1874

1901

1868

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3. Which of these is the rarest U.S. stamp? Hint

2 cent Black Jack

inverted Jenny

1 cent Z grill

$5 Columbian

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4. What year was America's First Commemorative stamp? Hint

1875

1901

1921

1893

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5. What is an imperforate stamp? Hint

a cancelled stamp

a stamp without perforations

a mint stamp

a stamp with flaws

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6. It is possible to complete your U.S. collection, owning one of every U.S. stamp ever released.

True

False

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7. Which President of the U.S. had a very impressive stamp collection? Hint

William Taft

Bill Clinton

Abe Lincoln

Dwight Eisenhower

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8. On the Legends of the West error sheet, who is pictured on the stamp that was supposed to be Bill Pickett? Hint

Ben Pickett

Dan Pickett

Charles Pickett

George Pickett

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9. All stamps are numbered, roughly in the order they were approved by the Post Master General. What is this numbering system? Hint

Scott catalog number

BEP number

alphabetical order

coil number

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10. You still needed to buy postage stamps to mail a letter by Pony Express.

True

False

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who is pictured on one of the two first U.S. stamps?

Answer: Ben Franklin

Ben Franklin was appointed by the Continental Congress as the first Postmaster General of the Confederation on July 26, 1775. The other stamp issued on the same day showed George Washington.

2. What year did the US Pictorial Issues come out?

Answer: 1869

In 1869 Pictorial Stamps were the first U.S stamps to feature something other than the bust or head of a famous American leader.

3. Which of these is the rarest U.S. stamp?

Answer: 1 cent Z grill

Only two of the 1 cent Z grill stamps are known to be left in existence, it is worth $2.5 million.

4. What year was America's First Commemorative stamp?

Answer: 1893

The Columbian Series was issued in conjunction with the spectacular Columbian Exposition of 1893, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus discovering the New World.

5. What is an imperforate stamp?

Answer: a stamp without perforations

Perforations were added to stamps in 1857 to make them easier to separate.

6. It is possible to complete your U.S. collection, owning one of every U.S. stamp ever released.

Answer: true

Mystic Stamp Co. has one of the most impressive complete U.S. stamp collections. The key to a complete collection is the 1 cent z grill stamp of which there are only two known copies, so it will however be extremely hard to do so.

7. Which President of the U.S. had a very impressive stamp collection?

Answer: Dwight Eisenhower

Eisenhower had a very nice worldwide stamp collection.

8. On the Legends of the West error sheet, who is pictured on the stamp that was supposed to be Bill Pickett?

Answer: Ben Pickett

Ben is Bill Pickett's brother, and was accidentally pictured on this stamp in place of his brother Bill, although the stamp said it was Bill Pickett.

9. All stamps are numbered, roughly in the order they were approved by the Post Master General. What is this numbering system?

Answer: Scott catalog number

Stamps were issued since July 1, 1847. Thousands of different stamps have been issued over the years, so they have been numbered in the order they were issued (with some exceptions to keep series of stamps together - any series designed to be issued over a longer term and possibly receive additions or face value changes will have reserved numbers for such additions).

This is called the Scott Catalog Number.

10. You still needed to buy postage stamps to mail a letter by Pony Express.

Answer: True

Two stamps were issued in 1847. Letters mailed a distance of 300 miles or less were 5 cents per half ounce, while those mailed over 300 miles were 10 cents per half ounce.

Source: Author Dr_Evil_

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
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