I came upon a photo of an old stamp vending machine in my feed. The photographer openly wondered why it is that vintage stamp booklets and machines advertised their stamps as "sanitary." That's weird, right? My friend Carolee mentioned that we should look into "stamp tongue." EVEN MORE WEIRD! Here we go, in selected sections from an article by Allison Marsh from the Smithsonian Postal Museum:
“THE DEADLY STAMP,” warned The Washington Post headline and announced that “Postage Stamp Tongue is a new disease.” The ailment was characterized by a sore tongue covered with red spots. Without treatment, it would likely develop into a bad sore throat. The short article concluded with simple advice for its readers: “Never lick a postage stamp with your tongue…It shows a great lack of cleanliness and hygienic knowledge.”
The Washington Post article, which ran November 22, 1896, was similar to stories in The Los Angeles Times, The Atlanta Constitution, the New York Times, The Boston Budget, and the (London) Daily Mirror at the turn of the twentieth century. These articles warned that the lowly postage stamp was threatening the nation’s public health because it was the breeding ground for virulent germs.
Newspaper articles ran images of the microscopic bacteria that were found on the backs of stamps and reported on the varying levels of germs depending on where the stamps were bought. Stamps bought at the corner drug store fared the worst because they were often kept in drawers with loose change, another terrible harbor for germs. Stamps bought directly from postal clerks might be a little safer, but they still “boasted whole colonies of such deadly germs as tuberculosis, diphtheria and typhoid.” The best option was to buy “sanitary stamps” that were sealed in packets and had minimal contact with human hands.
Joseph Schermack is generally credited with producing the first practical stamp vending machine. In 1910 he introduced a “profit-sharing” model where he sold two two-cent stamps or four one-cent stamps for a nickel, and in 1926 he formed the Sanitary Postage Service Corporation. Labeling the machine as a vendor of “sanitary stamps” differentiated the machine from competitors while attracting a clientele that feared the spread of germs.
Of course as scientists and doctors continued their research and refined their understanding of germs and the transmission of disease, the link to postage stamps as a threat to public health lessened. Doctors continued to recommend using a stamp moistener rather than the tongue, but assured people that there was little risk in handling stamps themselves."
So there you have it. That's why old stamp machines tout "sanitary stamps." Fascinating! It's all down to science and marketing. Heh, I suppose it's "viral" marketing, but for a different definition of the word. 
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