Mystery Objects

Thirty years ago, 27 wooden crates were sealed in a Smithsonian storage facility. Their contents were a mystery until a museum technician started opening them this year.

Some of the interesting objects discovered are hand-operated machines once used to cancel mail, badges postal workers would wear on their caps, handstamps, and postal scales.

The National Postal Museum will continue to clean, measure and organize the long-forgotten contents and try to determine what some of the "mystery objects" are. You can learn more about the museum at http://www.postalmuseum.si.edu/.