Topical Stamp Collecting
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The first U.S. stamped enveloped was issued in 1853

• First commemorative stamped enveloped in 1876 to celebrate the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition
• Austria issued the first postal card in 1869
• Bavaria issued the first reply card – two postal cards joined together, one for the original message and the second for reply

An aerogramme is a letter sheet with gummed flaps, imprinted with an indicium, and issued for air mail use. They became popular following World War II, but got their start in 1870 France as a method to get mail out of Paris by balloon during the Franco-Prussian War.

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