1861-1862 New Designs #63-72

1861-1862 New Designs #63-72
When the Confederacy proclaimed itself a separate nation at the outbreak of the Civil War, federal officials feared that Southern states would sell their stamp stocks to Northerners to raise money for weapons. All stamps issued before 1861 were therefore demonitized, making the 1861-1862 issues the oldest stamps in the world still valid for postage.