The introduction of the first US postage stamps in 1847 was a major reform but not an instant mandate. For several years, Americans could still pay for postage in cash, and stamp use was optional. This transitional phase allowed the public to adapt. The stamps themselves, printed by the private New York firm Rawdon, Wright, Hatch, and Edson, were delivered in un-gummed, non-perforated sheets. Postmasters had to apply their own adhesive and then painstakingly cut each individual stamp out with sc