Three Generations of Letter Carriers

Front:
ES POSTA 25 U.S.MA SHINGTON SOR USMAL NOV 19 FIRST MAN ON HE MOON 1989 16 20 Universal Postal Congress 20066 REGISTER VOTE 50 Three Generations of Letter Carriers PARCEL POST STATES MAIL Fasr Linen (oaNER Chus Calle DC

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CLASSIC MAIL TRANSPORTATION First Day of Issue: November 19, 1989 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. When the U.S. Postal Service proudly announced in 1895 that it had commissioned a newfangled auto truck for mail delivery, more than a few eyebrows were raised. Never- theless, in December of 1899 a shiny Winton motor wagon with a “U.S. Mail” sign completed a rattling test drive through the snow-covered streets of Cleveland, Ohio. Even following the success of this run, the Postal Service was hesitant to invest money in a delivery service it wasn't sure would succeed on a mass scale. Finally, after two trucks were successfully used to collect mail from street letter boxes in Baltimore in 1906, the Postal Service expanded use of the automobile, and by the mid- 1950's the automobile and motor truck had become America's main form of mail transport. The cachet on this Maximum Card traces three generations of letter carriers, from a mailman of the 1890's, through a group with their trusty mail wagon of the 1920's, to the reflective contem- porary postal carrier who remembers them all. No. 89-38 ©1989 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 Original painting by Chris Calle