![To pay or not to pay – for a long time, that was the question that dogged the writers of letters. Illustration by Marco Heer](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/illu-3-300x225.jpg)
The battle over postage stamps
In 1850, Switzerland got its first national postage stamp. But it took a long time to persuade everyone to use it. The reason for this was, as usual, money…
![Switzerland’s first postage stamps were issued in Zurich in 1843.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/zurcher-marken-300x183.jpg)
![Local postage stamp from 1850 with a value of two and a half centimes. This stamp allowed a letter to be mailed within the local area.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/bundesmarke-ortspost-245x300.jpg)
![Directive for the introduction of pre-paid postage, September 1850.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/weisung-frankierung-227x300.jpg)
![Excerpt from the 1862 Post Office Annual Report.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/geschaftsbericht-post-1862-300x102.jpg)
![Postman, c. 1900.](https://blog.nationalmuseum.ch/app/uploads/brieftrager-178x300.jpg)
The first time…
There’s always a first time. In this series, we will be looking at historic Swiss firsts. The topics covered are very diverse: from the first zebra crossing to the first ever popular initiative. The articles have been produced in cooperation with the Schweizerisches Bundesarchiv (Swiss Federal Archives).