On Jan. 9, 1773, George Washington wrote the first letter carried by air in this country. French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard made a 10 mile flight from a Philadelphia prison yard in the presence of the President and other dignitaries. The first trip with an "air mail" letter lasted 46 minutes.

During the Civil War, regular coins were so scarce that postage stamps were placed in small circular metal frames and used as money. In 1862, John Gault of Boston patented the idea of encasing stamps behind a shield of transparent mica for people to use as small change.

He sold the backs of the encased postage stamp to different companies to use for advertising. Many examples of these "money-stamps" exist today and are considered a valued item by collectors. Catalog prices depend on condition of the encased stamp and can range up to $8,000 for a single specimen.

A Japanese artist has developed the specialty of mailing unwrapped objects into an area of collecting that he calls "mail art."

Professor Shozo Shimamoto of Kyoto Education University has gathered more than 20,000 pieces of mail from more than 55 countries. Each item is unique. Each piece was mailed unwrapped with stamps affixed directly on the item, and then sent through the individual country's mail system.

It all started four years ago when an artist friend in the U.S. sent a piece of Styrofoam to Shimamoto with the stamps pasted on the foam along with the name and address. The Japanese educator was so intrigued with his "mail:' that he asked friends all over the world to send him samples of items from their country.

Among the items in his collection are a plastic diaper cover with the message, "I'm struggling to nurse my child." A twenty foot long section of garden hose, with one cent stamps pasted the full length of the hose; and a dried octopus with 180 yen in stamps pasted on its head.

In an interview in the Japan Times, Shimamoto said he believes that "Art is primarily the means to take others by surprise. "He feels that while artists can not make any money from this form of art, it will satisfy their imagination and creativity."

Many foreign post offices will accept items for mailing that are irregular in shape as long as the item mailed does not break or damage other mail while handling.

The U.S. Post Office does not have any firm regulations on unwrapped parcels. While they do accept hotel room keys, magazines and newspapers that are not in envelopes, the manual is vague on other objects. Check with your local postmaster before sending that objet d'art to a friend.

Have you ever wondered if the parlor game "Post Office" had anything to do with stamp collecting? It certainly does and can be traced back to the Civil War.

Troops were not issued the comforts such as soap, stationery and other personal necessities. President Lincoln approved the United States Sanitary Commission on June 13, 1961 with the purpose of dealing with the health and general comfort of Union troops. The work of the Commission was to be supported by public contributions.

"Sanitary Fairs" were organized to raise funds for the Sanitary Commission. These fairs are similar to church sales and bazaars that are held today. One of the booths at a Fair was a Post Office. A personable young lady, known as the "Postmistress," was on duty. A gentleman in the crowd was told that mail was waiting for him at the Post Office. It was the task of the postmistress to get as much money out of the young man as possible. The young lady would deliver a blank envelope for a donation, and then would state that there was also a "postage due" charge. Upon payment of the additional fee, she would kiss the gentleman, to the cheers of the watching crowd.

The Post Office proved so popular, that "Sanitary Fair Stamps" were issued. Although these "stamps" were not valid for postal service, they were sold at the fair "Post Office': with the approval of the local postmaster. Sanitary Fair Stamps were applied to letters along with other stamps that actually paid the postage.

Many of these letters that were postmarked at these Fairs are worth several thousand dollars today.

It was also during the Civil War that another group used stamps to promote good will The newly formed Young Men's Christian Association found that many soldiers did not have stamps to use on their mail. The Post Office Department sent these letters to the dead letter office since most of them did not have a return address.

The YMCA left quantities of postage stamps in various Post Offices with instructions for the postal clerk to use them on soldier's mail if the envelope did not have any stamps or were short the correct amount of postage. They also left a label which was to be applied to the front of the envelope advising the recipient of the letter that the YMCA furnished the stamps and the group could use a donation to help carry on its charitable work.

The postal clerks were happy to put the stamps and the label on the envelopes rather than go through the paper work of sending the letter to the dead letter office.

Why is the mailman's uniform blue?

The uniform is actually gray-blue. Originally the letter carrier's uniform was a dark blue similar to that worn by the Union Army during the Civil War.

There were two reasons why this color was selected: The original indigo blue is a dye that will not run when wet. Since the mailman is out in all kinds of weather, this was the main reason for the choice of color. The other reason is that it was felt that blue has the power of authority about it, and is probably the reason why the policemens' uniforms are also blue.

Incidentally, "madder" red was also selected for the American and British flags and British uniforms for the same reason as the indigo blue; the color will not run when wet.

Our US post office tried camels for mail delivery during the Civil War. They did not work out because the animals stampeded when they came into contact with horses or mules and bit their drivers. Today, letter carriers only have dog bites to worry about.

The Pony Express only lasted 18 months but it captured the imagination of the American people It was April 3, 1860 that the Pony Express made its first run from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA.

Classified ads in newspapers called for "Young skinny wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week."

The young men also had to sign a statement to promise not to use profane language, gamble, or become drunk. The riders pledged that they would do nothing that would be "incompatible with the conduct of a gentleman."

Among the riders who signed up for this hazardous duty was a 15-year old boy named William E Cody, later better known as "Buffalo Bill."

A local legend in Missouri states that the doughnut was invented by the sweetheart of a Pony Express rider. She is said to have put a hole in small cakes so her boyfriend could hook them with his gun barrel as he rode by.

Despite the cost of $5 for each letter carried across the mountains, the Pony Express was never financially successful. When the transcontinental telegraph lines were finished on Oct. 24, 1861, the Pony Express ended.

Many cities had some form of private carrier who issued "stamps" to cover the local post fees. Capt. John R. Floyd established Floyd's Penny Post in Chicago, with a fee of one cent to bring letters to and from the post office. Stamps were printed in three colors, blue, brown and green. Chicago was a growing city and large quantities of the stamps were printed and used.

The U.S. passed an act in 1861 which gave the government a monopoly to carry the mail and effectively put the local independent posts out of business. In conformity with this act, Floyd discontinued his penny-post service on June 20, 1861. The Floyd stamps currently catalog for $50 to $100 each, up to $1,400 if used on an envelope.

The widow of Captain Floyd stated in an interview in a 1900 stamp newspaper that "if it had not been for the great fire of 1871, the stamps would be common." The Great Chicago Fire destroyed many valuable stamps and covers that would be in collectors' hands today.

You may ride a bicycle for pleasure, but during the strike of the American Railway Union in July, 1894, Arthur C. Banta delivered mail by bike between Fresno and San Francisco, California, a distance of more than 200 miles. The "mail had to go through."

During the early 1900's, bicycles were leased and used by the Post Office Department. In July 1944, the Postal Service bought 1,500 Army surplus bikes from the War Department for $28.09 each, attached baskets and distributed them to various post offices.

Through the 1960's postal workers were still using bikes, but with the increase in parcel post deliveries and heavy magazines, Jeeps became more feasible. One Florida letter carrier told reporters that when he retired in 1986, he logged more than 250,000 miles and "used up" numerous bicycles in the process. Some post offices in Arizona and California still use the bicycle.

On Nov. 23, 1896, a race was arranged between New York and Philadelphia by two New York City newspapers to see if a letter sent by special delivery via train and courier, could be delivered faster than a letter carried by a man on a bicycle.

The bicycle rider left New York City at 8:33 a.m. and arrived in Philadelphia at 4:04 p.m. The special delivery letter arrived at the Philadelphia post office at 3:30 p.m.

William Faulkner, the noted author, was fired from his job as a postmaster in 1921. A postal inspector found that Faulkner left the mail sacks while he went to read poetry with friends, and often refused to open the post office window until he read all the magazines that were received by his customers.

After he was discharged from the post office, he told friends that he would "no longer be at the mercy of any s.o.b. who had two centers for a stamp."

The U.S. Postal Service issued a 22 cent stamp honoring the author on August 3, 1987.

Some stamps have Nathan Hale's picture and say "2 pounds potatoes." Can you give me information and what they are worth?

A: The Hale stamp was issued on April 4, 1925 and was of our regular series of stamps at that time. Sorry, so many were printed (one half cent went a long way back then) that they are not worth very much.

The Potato Tax Stamps were in use from Dec. 1, 1935 to Jan. 6, 1936. There were so many potatoes being grown, farmers were given allotments and had to pay 3/4 cent a pound for any excess over their allotment. The Supreme Court declared the law unconstitutional and stopped the Secretary Agriculture from collecting the tax. There were 13 different value stamps issued from 3/4 cent to $1.50. They range in from 15 cents to $8.