Florida Everglades 8pcs

U.S. Stamp Notes by John M. Hotchner

I don’t use Express Mail (now called Priority Mail Express for domestic service) often, but when I do, I’m grateful the service exists and give hardly a nod to the cost.

However, postal stamps with high denominations still elicit a certain amount of moaning from the collecting community with claims that they are unnecessary. One recent example is the $10 Floral Geometry stamp issued Feb. 24 in San Diego.

Given increases in postal rates — it costs nearly $10 for Priority Mail these days — I’m thinking that a better case can be made today for a $10 stamp than could have been made 130 years when the first $5 stamp (Scott 245) was included with the 1893 Columbian Exposition issue.