Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
UNITED STATES across the top and a steam locomotive.
- 1UNITED STATES
- 2POSTAGE
- Inscription
- UNITED STATES · POSTAGE · THREE CENTS
- Meaning
- The country name is written right across the top.
- Issued by
- United States
- Today
- the United States Flag of United States
- Year
- 1869. 1869 Pictorial Issue.
- Made by
- National Bank Note Company (printing)
One fact
The 1869 pictorial stamps broke with the habit of showing only portraits; this locomotive replaced Washington on the ordinary letter stamp and the series lasted barely a year.
Source and public-domain rule
United States, published before 1931. Published in the US in 1869. Works published in the United States in 1930 or earlier are out of copyright there (the longest term, 95 years from publication, ended on 1 January 2026 for 1930 works), and stamps made by the federal government itself are not protected at all. Under the EU comparison of terms a work from outside the EU is protected no longer than in its country of origin. Legal sources: Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 17 U.S.C. § 105.
Scan: US stamp 1869 3c Locomotive.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 1287846520), licence templates {{PD-USGov}}. Downloaded 2026-10-19, sha256 431f9cc347b0…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-19 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a human rights review is pending. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
