Mailbox Color for Your Era
You’re about to add scenic detail to your layout. Perhaps a few lamp posts, fire hydrants and a mailbox on the street corner. But what color should that mailbox be?
If you immediately thought of United States Postal Service blue — the same navy blue color that is used on public mailboxes today — or already have blue mailboxes on your existing layout, chances are you’re incorrect. The answer actually depends on the year you’re modeling.
The Post Office Department and Early Color Schemes
The Postal Service started as the Post Office Department and didn’t become known as the United States Postal Service until 1971. The Department changed the colors of their collection boxes many times over the years. According to the Collection Box Colors PDF from the Postal History section of the USPS Web site, early mailbox colors were not well documented or standardized. Records seem to indicate that prior to World War I, mailbox colors changed frequently including schemes such as solid red, green and aluminum.
I’ve included photographs for various schemes in this article, but note that these are artist renderings and may not be accurate. They’re simply for basic representation.
From World War I to 1955
At the end of World War I, the United States War Department was left with a very large supply of olive drab paint which it shared with the Post Office Department. From that time, the Post Office Department standardized it’s paint schemes nationwide to a solid olive drab. The boxes would have likely been lettered with the words “U.S. Mail”. This scheme was used until 1955.
Olive drab mailbox
1955 to 1971
In 1955, the standardized color for collection boxes changed to a red, white and blue scheme. This new scheme was introduced for the first time on July 4, 1955. Note that the blue used during this time frame was lighter than the darker blue that’s used today.
I do not have accurate specifications for this scheme and I found some conflicting drawings on the Internet — unfortunately, I was not able to find an actual photograph to reference. Some drawings included a white band aound the box and others depicted the mailbox as solid red and blue. Since the USPS historical description includes “white”, I’ve opted to include it in my photo rendition for this scheme. This scheme lasted under the Post Office Department was reorganized as the United States Postal Service in 1971.
Red, white and blue mailbox. NOTE: Per the comments on this article, the 1955-1971 mailbox scheme should NOT include the white stripe as shown in this photo.
1971 to the Present
After the formation of the USPS, mail collection boxes were changed to the dark navy blue color still used today. Since 1971, the only change to the US mailboxes has been a modernization to the eagle logo used on the box sides which was updated in 1993.
Dark blue mailbox
Learn More
Because the majority of N scale modelers are most likely not modeling from the 1970s and forward, don’t dive directly into the dark blue paint. Explore your era. know the details that defined the time period and give your layout a greater sense of realism.
Read more about the history of the United States Portal Service on USPS.com or on Wikipedia.
About the Author
