Don't Forget the ZIP

The National Postal Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. offers exhibits, collections, and events. Open daily (except for December 25th), the museum is free and open to the public.
Visit online, or in person:

National Postal Museum
2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: (202) 633-5555

Z = Zip Code • As we design and develop our stamps, the topic and design for some is coming more easily. So rather than follow the alphabet from A-Z, we'll jump around as inspiration strikes. The Z-stamp is all about the zip code. We decided on 20002 because it's the zip code for the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.

In 1963, in an effort to streamline delivery across the United States, the zip code was introduced. A massive campaign was launched to encourage people to add the five-digit code to mailing addresses. Mr. Zip was introduced to build awareness, appearing in advertisements, on products, and in comics.

Easy, fast, and efficient, zip codes are now standard procedure, enabling the postal service to route mail directly to processing centers for faster delivery.

THE ABCs of LETTER WRITING / Z = Zip Code