69 POINTS PLEASE ANSWER The first postage stamp, the "Penny Black," was printed and used in England in 1840. The stamp was called the "Penny Black" because it was printed in black ink and was sold for a penny. Mail was sent and received long before the first stamp, but it was the receiver who had to pay for the mail, not the sender. Since some people were unable to pay to receive their mail, the idea of the postage stamp was born.

In 1845, five years after England's "Penny Black," the first stamp was printed in the United States of America. Two years later, on July 1, 1847 the first official U. S. postage stamps were issued featuring the portraits of our first postmaster and our first President. The five cent value paid for postal service up to a distance of 300 miles. The stamp, printed in blue, has a catalog value of hundreds of dollars today. A used or canceled copy of this stamp is worth at least half as much as an unused stamp. This stamp was issued imperforate (unperforated) and had to be cut apart with scissors. The adoption of adhesive stamps opened up the development of today's extensive postal system.

Since 1845, the United States has printed more than 3,000 different kinds of stamps. Gradually, all of the world's countries began to issue stamps.

Several kinds of postage stamps are printed. Some of the most interesting are the commemoratives. A commemorative stamp honors anniversaries, important people, or special events. It is usually on sale at the post office only for a short time.

A more common stamp is called a regular issue. Regular issue stamps are printed in greater numbers, and can be obtained for a longer period of time. They are sold in stamp machines as well as in the post office.

Other less common stamps are airmail stamps, special delivery stamps, and envelope stamps. If you have ever seen a postage stamp album of the United States, you will know that it has spaces to put all of these stamps.
Submit your persuasive writing about stamp collecting. You may use the excerpt about stamp collecting. Use the graphic organizer to organize your ideas in order to write your essay. Be sure your essay is five paragraphs and includes the following:

State your opinion clearly in a well-formed topic sentence. Introduce the idea of a hobby and explain what is stamp collecting.
Give the first reason why stamp collecting is good hobby. Support this reason by citing evidence from the reading passage on "The Hobby of Stamp Collecting."
Give the second reason why stamp collecting is a good hobby. Support this reason with cited evidence also.
Give the third reason why stamp collecting is a good hobby. Support this reason with cited evidence from the passage.
Concluding paragraph. This paragraph should wrap up the three ideas and restate the topic sentence.