The first US Postage Stamps were issued in New York City in 1842 for the US City Despatch Post. Operated Aug 16, 1842 – Nov 28, 1846. Scott Catalog 6LB1- 6LB7. Extensive research previously done by Larry Lyons and Scott Trepel. Original census of 6LB1 on cover by Larry Lyons published in The Penny Post, the official journal of the Carriers and Locals Society, affiliate 211 of the Am. Phil. Soc.
Developed & Supported by Mark Scheuer. Additions and corrections are encouraged. Please send to: markscensus@uspcs.org
√ Click here for the census user’s guide as a PDF
Getting Started
WyzVault organizes philatelic records into catalogs. Each catalog contains categories, and each category contains individual records with images, dates, locations, and other details.
How Records Are Organized
| Level | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Catalog | A group of related records maintained by the society. | Censuses, Cover Catalogs |
| Category | A subdivision within a catalog. | 1847 Issue Covers, Postmaster Provisionals |
| Record | A single item with images, field data, and tags. | Record #1234 — a specific cover or stamp |
Some catalogs are organized without categories — their card leads straight to the records list instead of a list of categories.
Navigation
A breadcrumb trail appears on every page showing your location in the hierarchy:
Catalogs › Catalog Name › Category Name › Record Title
Click any breadcrumb level to navigate back. Catalogs and categories with images display them in the upper-right corner of the page.
If you are an SME or administrator, you will also see an "Add Record" button in the breadcrumb bar when viewing a category page. This provides quick access to the submission form without needing to scroll down to the contribute link.
Bookmarkable URLs
WyzVault pages have stable, plugin-owned URLs you can bookmark and share. These do not depend on any particular host page existing:
/wyzvault/collections/— all collections/wyzvault/collection/{id}/— one collection landing page/wyzvault/catalogs/— all catalogs/wyzvault/catalog/{id}/— one catalog
If an existing bookmark stops working after a site update, try the equivalent URL above using the ID shown on the page.
Sharing a search
A search is part of the address too, so you can bookmark or send someone a filtered list — not just a page. Run the search, then copy the URL from your browser: whoever opens it lands on the same filtered results, with the same fields filled in.
Your filters also survive moving around: turning to the next page of results keeps them, and so does switching between grid and table view. If you want to start over, use Clear filters rather than editing the address by hand.
Browsing
Catalogs Landing Page
The main page shows all available catalogs as cards. Each card displays the catalog name, type, and record/category counts. Click a card to view its categories.
Depending on how the collection is configured, the landing page may include a search bar for searching across all catalogs at once, quick-search cards for jumping directly into a specific catalog, or both.
Catalog Page Search
Each catalog page shows its categories as cards. You can also search across all categories in that catalog by using the Search or Advanced Search buttons. This switches to a table view with full search capabilities. Click "Back to Categories" to return to the card view. If you opened the Advanced Search panel without searching, closing it will also return you to the card view.
Grid vs. Table View
Category pages offer two viewing modes, toggled via the icons in the upper right:
- Table view — Compact rows with sortable columns and small thumbnails. Best for scanning or comparing many records at once.
- Grid view — Card layout with larger images. Better when the image matters more than the details.
Both views have the same Advanced Search — the same fields, the same controls, and the same NOT and "Has value" options. Choose a view for how you want results presented, not for what you can search.
Switching views keeps your search. Whichever view loads first is controlled by the site admin, but you can switch at any time.
Opening a Record
Click a record — a card, a table row, or a thumbnail — to see its full detail. Depending on how the administrator configured the catalog, it opens one of two ways:
- Full page — The record opens on its own page. Use your browser Back button to return to the list.
- Overlay (pop-up) — The record opens in a pop-up over the list without leaving the page. Close it with the × button, the Esc key, by tapping the dimmed area outside it, or with your browser Back button — and you return to exactly where you were, with your search, sort, and scroll position intact. If you are an SME or administrator, an "Edit" link appears in the pop-up header; editing happens right inside the overlay, and Save or Cancel returns you to the detail view without leaving the page.
Sorting
In table view, click any column header to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the sort direction. Use the "Reset Sort" button to return to the default sort order.
Page Length & Navigation
In table view, the "Show 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 entries" menu sets how many rows appear per page. Your choice is remembered the next time you visit, so you can default to longer pages if you prefer scrolling over paging.
Page controls appear below the table: use the Previous / Next arrows or the page numbers to move between pages, or type a page number into the jump-to-page box and press Enter to go straight there.
When you scroll down a long table, the column header row stays pinned to the top of the screen so the column labels remain visible.
Searching
WyzVault provides powerful search capabilities at every level, from quick global search to detailed per-field filtering.
Global Search
The "Search catalogs" box on the landing page searches across every record in every catalog. It supports boolean operators:
| What you type | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
word1 word2 | All words must be present (AND) | Mobile AL |
"exact phrase" | Match the exact phrase | "New Haven" |
word1 OR word2 | Either word matches | Mobile OR Boston |
NOT word | Exclude records containing this word (see also: per-field NOT checkbox) | Mobile NOT Alabama |
-word | Exclude (shorthand for NOT) | Mobile -AL |
+word | Require (rarely needed — words are AND by default) | Mobile +AL |
word* | Explicit prefix wildcard. Usually optional — plain words already match by prefix (see note below); use it only to be explicit. | Bost* |
Partial words match automatically. Typing part of a word finds every word that begins with it — "alban" finds Albany and Albania, "bost" finds Boston. You do not need to add an asterisk yourself. To match a whole word exactly (and exclude longer words that start the same way), wrap it in double quotes: "cat" matches only "cat", not "category".
Tip: Short abbreviations like state codes (AL, TX, NY) work in search — the system automatically handles them.
Results are ranked by relevance — records that best match your query appear first.
The global box also finds a record by its number — type the record number shown on the item (for example, 23645) to jump straight to it.
Proximity Search (NEAR/N)
When the collection uses Hybrid search mode, you can find records where two words appear close together using the NEAR/N operator:
| What you type | What it finds |
|---|---|
mobile NEAR/5 alabama | The words "mobile" and "alabama" within 5 word-positions of each other |
cover NEAR/3 fancy | "cover" and "fancy" within 3 positions (tighter match) |
"new haven" NEAR/10 "postmaster" | Two phrases within 10 positions — combines phrase quotes with proximity |
Tip: Smaller N values find tighter, more relevant matches. Start with NEAR/3 or NEAR/5 and widen to NEAR/10 or NEAR/20 if you get no results.
The NEAR/N operator only works in collections where the administrator has enabled Hybrid search mode. If you see no results for a proximity query, the collection may not have proximity search available — try the words without NEAR/N to confirm.
Advanced Search
Click the "Advanced Search" button to expand the field-by-field search panel. Each field in the catalog has its own search input. The search runs as soon as you move out of a field (press Tab or Enter) — you do not have to click a button first. The "Search" button re-applies all field filters at once if you want to trigger it manually.
- Search — Applies all field filters and shows matching records.
- Clear Search — Removes all filters and shows all records.
- Reset Sort — Returns to the default sort order.
Text fields search for partial matches — type part of a word and it will find records containing that text anywhere in the field. The search runs when you Tab or Enter out of the field, matching the familiar type-and-tab census-form flow.
Yes / No fields
A Yes/No field searches with a small dropdown offering Any, Yes, or No. Leave it on Any to ignore the field. In the results it reads as "Yes" or "No" rather than a number. A field left blank means it was never recorded for that record — not that the answer is No — so those records appear under neither Yes nor No.
Has value
Some fields show a "Has value" checkbox beneath their search box. Tick it to find every record where that field has been filled in, whatever it contains — useful for questions like "which covers have a certificate number at all?". It overrides anything typed in the box above it, and it is available in both grid and table view.
NOT (exclude matches)
Each field row in the Advanced Search panel has a small NOT checkbox next to its input. Tick the NOT checkbox to invert the match — the field will return records where the value does NOT match what you typed. Records that have no value at all for the field are also returned, so "NOT Pennsylvania" on a State field shows every record that is not from Pennsylvania, including records with no recorded state.
| Field | Value | NOT | What it finds |
|---|---|---|---|
| From State | Pennsylvania | ☐ off | Only records from Pennsylvania |
| From State | Pennsylvania | ☑ on | All records NOT from Pennsylvania, including records with no state recorded |
| Date (year) | 1851 | ☑ on | All records NOT from 1851, including undated records |
A negated field is easy to spot: its value turns red with a line through it, everywhere that value appears — in the Advanced Search panel, in the column filter box at the top of the table, and on the grid-view search row. If you see a struck-through value, that filter is excluding matches rather than finding them.
Tip: leaving a NOT checkbox ticked but with an empty input is a no-op — NOT only applies when you also type a value.
You can also use NOT operators directly in the global search box: type "Mobile NOT Alabama" or "Mobile -AL" — the global search supports the same exclusion syntax shown in the Global Search table above.
Tag Search
If catalogs in this collection use tags, a Tag dropdown appears in the search bar. Select a tag to filter records by that tag. Tags are hierarchical — selecting a parent tag automatically includes all its child tags.
On the record detail page, tags are displayed as clickable breadcrumb paths (e.g., Parent › Child › Grandchild). Click any tag in the path to jump to a filtered view showing all records with that tag.
Tip: When you select a category from the dropdown, the Tag dropdown automatically updates to show only tags relevant to that category.
Text Wildcards
Any text field in Advanced Search (and any column filter) matches as you type — records containing what you typed anywhere in that field are returned. Two wildcards give you finer control:
| What you type | What it finds |
|---|---|
395206 | Contains 395206 anywhere in the field |
39?206 | ? stands for exactly one character — finds 395206, 397206, 39A206 |
Alban* | * stands for any number of characters — finds Albany, Albans, Alban |
A?2* | Wildcards can be combined — A, any one character, 2, then anything |
\? | A literal question mark (put a backslash before ? or * to search for the character itself) |
The same ? wildcard works in date fields (18?? finds any year in the 1800s). In number fields, ? keeps its own meaning — "has any value" — alongside the >, <, >=, <= operators.
Date Searches
Date fields have three separate inputs for Month, Day, and Year. When you finish typing a month (2 digits), the cursor automatically advances to the day field, then to the year field. You can fill in any combination:
| What you enter | What it finds |
|---|---|
| Year only: 1847 | All records from 1847, any month/day |
| Month + Year: 03 / 1851 | All records from March 1851 |
| Full date: 01 / 14 / 1847 | Records from exactly January 14, 1847 |
Date Wildcards
Use ? or x for unknown digits in any date component:
| Pattern | Matches |
|---|---|
18?? | Any year in the 1800s (1800-1899) |
185? | Any year in the 1850s (1850-1859) |
0? (in month) | January through September |
Date Ranges
Click "Date Range" below the date inputs to switch to FROM/TO mode. Enter two dates in MM/DD/YYYY format to find records within that time period. Leave either date blank for open-ended ranges.
Number Searches
Number fields (like quantities) support comparison operators:
| What you type | What it finds |
|---|---|
5 | Exactly 5 |
>5 | Greater than 5 |
<10 | Less than 10 |
>=3 | 3 or more |
5-10 | Between 5 and 10 (inclusive) |
0.5 | Exactly 0.5 — decimal values (e.g. bisect quantities) work with every operator |
? | Any record that has a value in this field (not empty) |
Tip: The ? operator works in any number field to find records where the field is not blank.
Search Features
Filter Chips
When you apply search filters, small chips appear below the search bar showing each active filter. Each chip displays the field name and value, with an X button to remove that individual filter. This makes it easy to see what filters are currently active and selectively clear them.
Search Highlighting
When you search, matching terms are highlighted in the results table with a gold background. This works with global search, advanced field search, and column filters — any search will highlight matching terms, helping you quickly see why each record appeared in your results.
Site-Wide Search
WyzVault records also appear in the main WordPress site search bar. When you search the site, matching records are displayed with their thumbnail image, catalog and category names, and key field values. Click the title or image to go directly to the record detail page.
Submitting Records
Logged-in members can contribute new records when the catalog administrator has enabled public submissions. Look for the "Submit new record" link below the search area on a category page. If you don't see the link, submissions may not be open for that catalog.
How to Submit
- Navigate to the category where the record belongs.
- Click "Submit new record".
- Fill in the field values. Required fields are marked with an asterisk.
- Upload images (optional) — you can add multiple images. Drag an image (or use the arrow buttons under it) to reorder; the first image is the one shown in lists. Front/back designation applies only when the catalog uses front/back pair mode.
- Click "Submit". Your record will be reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert (SME) before publication. If you are an SME for this category, your record is published immediately.
SMEs see one extra field at the top of the form: "Record ID", the permanent reference number for this record. Leave it blank on a new record and the next number in the catalog is assigned automatically. It must be unique, and once assigned it cannot be cleared.
Field Formatting
Some text fields accept formatting; others are plain text only. The form editor reflects this:
- Plain — A simple multi-line box. No formatting; whatever you type is what gets saved.
- Formatted — A small editor with toolbar buttons for bold, italic, paragraph breaks, and a few other common options. Keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl/Cmd+B for bold, Ctrl/Cmd+I for italic) also work.
The editor type is set by the catalog administrator on each field. If you paste formatted text into a plain-text field, the formatting will be stripped silently.
Editing Records
If you are assigned as an SME for a category, you can edit records directly. Open the record and use the "Edit" link: on records that open as full pages the edit form loads on its own page; on records that open as overlays the edit form loads right inside the pop-up, saving without leaving the list.
The edit form is also where you reorder images. Drag a picture, use the arrow buttons beneath it, or focus it and press Alt with an arrow key. The first image is the one shown in lists and as the grid card, so put your best scan first. In front/back pair mode there is no ordering — use the "Swap front/back" button instead.
SME & Moderation
Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are trusted members assigned to specific categories. They review and approve records submitted by other members.
How Moderation Works
- A member submits a new record in a category. The record is saved with "Pending" status.
- The site administrator and all SMEs assigned to that category receive an email notification.
- An SME reviews the record and either approves it (changes status to Published) or edits it first.
- Once published, the record becomes visible to all visitors.
What SMEs Can Do
- See pending records (highlighted in yellow) that are invisible to other visitors.
- Edit any record in their assigned categories — click the record and use the "Edit record" link. When the record opens as an overlay, the edit form loads right inside the pop-up.
- Upload new images, or attach any image already in the site's media library — useful when an administrator has pre-loaded a batch of scans for you to catalog.
- Reorder a record's images, and set its permanent "Record ID" reference number.
- Change a record's status between Published and Pending.
- Delete records from their assigned categories.
- Create new categories in their assigned catalogs.
- Submit new records that are automatically published (no review needed).
Tip: After saving a record, the list automatically sorts by recently modified so your saved record appears at the top with a brief highlight animation.
Pending Records
If you are an SME, pending records appear with a yellow "Pending" badge in both grid and table views. Category cards also show the number of pending records awaiting review.
Images & Gallery
Records can have images in two display modes, depending on the catalog settings:
Gallery Mode (Multiple Images)
Records with multiple images show a thumbnail strip below the main image:
- Click any thumbnail to view that image in the main area.
- Thumbnails display at their natural aspect ratio (uncropped), so tall or wide images appear in full rather than being squared off.
- Click the main image to open it in a full-size lightbox viewer.
- Use the arrow keys or navigation arrows in the lightbox to move between images.
- Where images are tagged by side (chiefly front/back pair mode and legacy data), the lightbox caption shows "Front" or "Back." Plain gallery images are shown in their saved order (reorderable on the edit form) without a forced front/back label.
Pair Mode (Front & Back, 3D Flip)
Some catalogs display records as front/back pairs with a 3D flip animation:
- The front image is shown by default.
- Below the image, Front and Back thumbnail buttons show a preview of each side. Click either thumbnail to switch to that side.
- A "Flip" overlay button also appears when you hover over the image — click it to toggle sides.
- Click the main image to open the full-size lightbox viewer.
- If you are an SME, the edit form shows a "Swap front/back" button. The two slots have no ordering, so swapping is the only rearrangement pair mode offers.
Reordering Images (SMEs)
The order of a gallery is the order you set on the record edit form, and it matters: the first image is used as the thumbnail in table rows and as the background of the grid card. Three ways to reorder, all equivalent:
- Drag a picture into place. This works with a mouse and with touch, so reordering on a tablet behaves the same as on a desktop.
- Use the left and right arrow buttons beneath each picture to nudge it one position.
- Click a picture to focus it, then hold Alt and press an arrow key. This is the keyboard-only path.
Reordering counts as an unsaved change, so remember to save the form.
Table & Card Views
- In table view, a small thumbnail of the first image appears in each row. Click the row to see the full record.
- In grid view, the first image appears as the card background. Click the card to view the record detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my search return no results?
Check that you are searching in the correct catalog and category. Try broadening your search by removing some filters or using fewer search terms. Remember that all words in a global search are required (AND logic) — use OR between words if you want either to match. Partial words match automatically (typing "alban" finds Albany), so you do not need the exact full spelling — but anything you wrap in double quotes must match exactly.
What does the ? symbol do in a search field?
In text fields and date fields, ? is a wildcard standing for exactly one character — 39?206 finds 395206 and 397206, and 18?? matches any year from 1800-1899. Text fields also accept * for any number of characters (Alban* finds Albany). In number fields, ? keeps its own meaning: it finds all records that have any value in that field (not empty).
How do I search for an exact phrase?
Wrap the phrase in double quotes: "New Haven" will only match records containing that exact phrase, not records with just "New" or just "Haven".
What does NEAR/N mean?
NEAR/N is a proximity operator — word1 NEAR/5 word2 finds records where those two words appear within 5 positions of each other. It only works in collections where the administrator has enabled Hybrid search mode. If your query returns no results, try dropping NEAR/N first to confirm the words exist at all.
Why do URLs look like /wyzvault/catalog/97/?
WyzVault uses plugin-owned pretty URLs so catalogs can be bookmarked and shared reliably, regardless of what pages exist on the site. These URLs are stable across site updates and content reorganizations. You can safely bookmark any page you visit.
Can I search across all categories at once?
Yes. On the catalog page, switch to table view. The Category dropdown in the search bar lets you choose "All Categories" to search across the entire catalog.
How do I submit a new record?
You must be logged in. Navigate to the category where the record belongs and click "Submit new record". Fill in the form and click Submit. Your record will be reviewed before publication.
How do I switch between grid and table view?
Look for the two small icons (table and grid) in the upper right corner of the category page. Click the one you prefer.
How do I filter by tag?
Use the "Tag" dropdown in the search bar. Select a tag to show only records with that tag. Selecting a parent tag automatically includes all child tags. Set it back to "Tag: Any" to remove the filter.
What are the colored chips below the search bar?
Those are active filter chips. Each one shows a filter you have applied. Click the X on any chip to remove just that filter, or use "Clear Search" to remove all filters at once.
Can I find records using the site search bar?
Yes! WyzVault records are included in the main site search. Search results show the record image, location, and key field values. Click to go directly to the record detail page.
Why did I see a "Too Many Requests" error?
Public search and submit endpoints are rate-limited to 60 requests per minute per IP address to protect the server. If you see "Too Many Requests" (HTTP 429), wait about a minute and try again. Most people never hit this limit; you can trigger it by rapid-fire typing into search boxes or by a misconfigured script.
Troubleshooting
My search returns no results
Try broadening your search: remove some filters, use fewer words, or check your spelling. Remember that global search requires all words by default — use OR between words if either should match. Short terms (1-2 characters like state abbreviations) work but are slower. If you are using NEAR/N, try a wider N value or drop the operator entirely to confirm the words exist.
Images are not loading
Try refreshing the page. If images still don't appear, they may not have been uploaded yet for that record. Contact the site administrator if you believe images should be present.
The page looks wrong or outdated
Clear your browser cache (Ctrl+Shift+Delete on Windows, Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac) and reload the page. If you still see issues, try a different browser to rule out a local cache problem.
I submitted a record but it doesn't appear
Submitted records go through a moderation process and are initially marked as "Pending". An SME or administrator must approve it before it becomes visible to all users. You can see your pending records if you are logged in.
I got a "Too Many Requests" error
Public endpoints are rate-limited to 60 requests per minute per IP address to protect the server. The response includes a Retry-After header telling you how many seconds to wait. Most commonly, this happens when a script or rapid typing hits the limit. Wait about a minute, then try again.
Accessibility
WyzVault is designed to be accessible to all users:
- All interactive elements (buttons, links, form fields) are keyboard-accessible. Use Tab to navigate and Enter/Space to activate.
- Image galleries support keyboard navigation: use arrow keys to browse images and Escape to close the lightbox.
- On the SME edit form, images can be reordered without dragging: each image is focusable, and Alt with an arrow key moves the focused image. Arrow buttons under each image do the same with a pointer.
- Search filters and results are announced to screen readers. Active filter chips can be removed with keyboard.
- Animations are automatically reduced for users who prefer reduced motion (via browser/OS settings).
Browser Support
WyzVault works with all modern browsers:
- Chrome / Edge (latest two versions)
- Firefox (latest two versions)
- Safari 15+
- Mobile: Safari on iOS, Chrome on Android
On phones and tablets, the catalog, search, and record pages adapt to small screens — the search bar, category cards, and result tables reflow into a single-column, touch-friendly layout, so you can browse and search comfortably from a mobile device.
Internet Explorer is not supported. If you experience issues, please ensure your browser is up to date.
The per-widget sidebar card opt-out (see Site Customization below) relies on the CSS :has() selector. It requires Safari 15.4+, Chrome 105+, or Firefox 121+. If you operate this site on an older browser mix, be aware that opt-out will not take effect on legacy clients.
Site Customization
The sections below cover operator-facing controls. If you are a site visitor, you can skip this section; administrators configure these centrally.
Sidebar override (3-tier cascade)
WyzVault can substitute its own sidebar for the theme's Primary sidebar on any WyzVault page. This is how society-specific widgets (links, donation prompts, featured records) appear on plugin-owned routes where the theme's default sidebar would otherwise apply.
The override is resolved at render time through a three-tier cascade. The first non-empty level wins:
- Catalog — set on Edit Catalog → Settings → "Custom Sidebar." Takes precedence over all other levels.
- Collection — set on Edit Collection → "Custom Sidebar." Applies to every catalog in the collection unless the catalog has its own override.
- Plugin-global — set on WyzVault → Settings → "Sidebar Override." Applies to every WyzVault page when neither the catalog nor its collection specifies one.
All three fields list only currently-registered sidebars (registered by the theme or by plugins like Genesis Simple Sidebars). If an override points to a sidebar that no longer exists (theme switched, plugin deactivated), that cascade level is silently skipped and the next one is consulted — no broken sidebar is rendered.
Diagnostic tip for administrators: append ?wv_sb_debug=1 to any WyzVault URL to dump the filter's decisions into an HTML comment at the end of the page source. Admin-only; not visible to anonymous visitors.
Per-widget card opt-out (.wv-no-card)
When the "Widget cards" toggle is on for a collection or catalog, every sidebar widget renders inside a white rounded card. Individual widgets can opt out by adding class="wv-no-card" to any wrapping element inside the widget's HTML content — for example, a centered donation button that should float free of the surrounding card styling.
Example (inside a Custom HTML widget):
<div class="wv-no-card" style="text-align: center">
<a href="...">Donate</a>
</div>No admin toggle — the opt-out is per-widget, authored directly in the widget's content. See the admin Help under WyzVault → Display for the full details.
Landing Page Appearance toggles
Collections and catalogs expose 15 appearance toggles that control landing page tiles, titles, navigation, sidebar behavior, and widget card styling. Each catalog can inherit from its collection or override individually.
Three of the toggles — widget cards and the two widget-card corner-style toggles — use a no-collection-inheritance cascade: the collection's setting applies only on its landing page; each catalog's drill-down pages pick up the hardcoded default unless the catalog has an explicit override. This prevents a single collection-level "on" from styling every catalog under it.
Two of the toggles — landing page tile layout and tile corners — use a landing-only cascade: the collection's value applies only on the collection landing page; drill-down pages always use the hardcoded default unless the catalog has an explicit override.
See the admin Help under WyzVault → Display for the full toggle list, values, and visual effects.
