Each frame uses authentic US Postal stamps surrounded by a brief write-up and printed art, which embrace the subject or occupation.

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Unique Framed Gifts uses real United States Postal Service stamps surrounded by printed words that embrace the subject and enhance the work while surrounded by a hunter green top mat and a hint of burgundy for the bottom mat. The mahogany colored polystyrene frame comes ready to hang for all to view in an office, den, school or nearly anywhere. A truly unique and perfect gift created for the person, company or organization passionate about the story they closely relate to, while appreciating quality work by dedicated American art framers. Each stamp is pulled by hand and mounted onto the print with a spray glue mount, since most stamps are canceled no two stamps are exactly the same and the product you receive may vary slightly from the product image.

A Glimpse Of The Past Through The Banking Collection - BANKING is the backbone of our modern world. Commerce is viable because banks, savings and loans, credit bureaus, stock markets, and other financial institutions supply the capital formation framework necessary for businesses to operate in a capitalistic system. Sumerian and Babylonian priests were receiving deposits and making loans as long as 5,000 years ago. The fall of the Rome Empire saw the virtual disappearance of banking as trading declined, but financial dealings thrived in the Arabic countries and in China, where paper money and even checks were being used. It was not until the 11th century that banking on an organized scale was a reality in Europe, after again being re-introduced from the Middle East countries and China. By the 10th century monasteries and religious orders had accumulated vast wealth and were making loans at very high interest rates. However, these violated the church’s rules against usury. This was a golden opportunity for the Jewish community which was not bound by the Church’s ban on interest-bearing loans. By the 12th century the Jewish community was well established as the leading money changers and lenders, but by the middle of the 13th century Italians from Lombardy had taken the lead, having gotten around the Church’s ban on interest bearing loans, even becoming the Church’s official bankers in 1233. The major players were mostly families, of which the Bardi, Peruzzi, Acciaiuoli, and the Medici stand out, but the Fugger family from Germany was probably the most successful. Ironically, many early banks failed due to uncollectible loans to Kings and noblemen who had grandiose schemes but no systematic financing apparatus to repay the loans. Banking as we know it finally arrived in the 17th century after some very important innovations and changes: • public banks of issue, • stock exchanges,• systematic government taxation, and • the modern merchant banker who discounted bills and dealt in government securities. Following a very successful Dutch banking system model, the Bank of England was created in 1694 making credit available at low interest rates, and modern banking was finally a reality that spread quickly across Europe. In the U.S., the Bank of North America in Philadelphia was chartered by the Continental Congress in 1781, primarily to finance the Revolutionary War, and in 1791 the Congress, at the urging of Alexander Hamilton, chartered the First Bank of the United States, with Hamilton as the First Secretary of the Treasury. Andrew Mellon was Secretary of the Treasury under Presidents Harding, Coolidge and Hoover. Today there are many and varied institutions that work together to provide the financial reserves for the nation’s commerce. Whether they are banks, savings and loans, credit unions or the stock markets, they each hold an important place in the overall financial picture. Banking!