The proofs from the nation's two earliest stamps are included in the exhibition.

Munk left Germany before the outbreak of war and continued his philatelic work in Switzerland were he did important research on early Swiss stamps.

A number of early stamps were printed in black on differently-colored papers; the most famous example is the British Guiana 1c magenta.

Many of the early stamps were of quite ordinary design, but later issues honoring Schopenhauer, Mendel and others are handsome portraits with a modern look.

Because overseas rates were higher than those for domestic mail, trans-Atlantic covers may show multiples of early stamps or high value 19th century issues.

All of these early stamps were imperforate issues.

Many countries using non-Latin alphabets used only those on their early stamps, and they remain difficult for most collectors to identify today.

Virtually all the early stamps of Mexico have district overprints, which were added as an anti-theft device.

The early stamps of Mauritius have been reproduced several times on commemorative issues.

Some earlier stamps, especially high values, have not found any customers using them on the day of issue, or those uses have been lost.