Category Archives: Stamp Issues

Focus on past stamp issues from the U.S. and around the world

Jun 16

Superman on U.S. Stamp

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2006 Superman Stamp (Scotts 4084a), DC Comics Super Heros

2006 Superman Stamp (Scotts 4084a), DC Comics Super Heroes

This weekend, the latest version of the Superman story was released in theaters.    Superman is one of the oldest and most beloved heroes of American comics and has seen numerous incarnations on TV and the big screen.

The U.S. Postal service in 2006 published a sheet of 39-cent stamps and 24-cent postal cards using characters of DC Comics.   The series came in a set of 20 stamps on the sheet – half showing the individual superheroes and other half showing covers of comic books starring them. Superman was the first stamp in that series.

An interesting history of Superman can be read on Wikipedia

The first Superman character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster was not a hero, but rather a villain. Their short story “The Reign of the Super-Man” concerned a bald-headed villain, somewhat reminiscent of Flash Gordon’s Ming the Merciless, bent on dominating the world. The story did not sell very well.

They reworked the character into a hero and were able to sell it to a new upstart company at the time, DC Comics, who took a chance on the story.  The revised Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938 and it was a smashing success.  By the time the United States had entered World War II, Superman had inspired a boom in the comic book industry and had engendered the new genre of the “superheroes.”

First comic book featuring Superman

First comic book featuring Superman

Jun 02

10¢ “Discovery of San Francisco Bay” – Panama-Pacific Exposition Issue #400/400a

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Scott #400 -- lighter orange color

Scott #400 — lighter orange color

Scott #400 and #400A (color variant): 10¢ “Discovery of San Francisco Bay” is the final stamp in our series on the Panama-Pacific Exposition series of stamps published in 1913. Of the 4 stamps in the series, it has the most interesting philatelic history. Scott #400 was the fourth stamp in the series and was issued January 1, 1913. Soon after publication, however, complaints from the public started coming into the Postal Service that the orange color was to light and the fine detail of the illustration was lost.

Plans were made by the Postal Service to reissue the stamp with a darker shade of orange. On August 25, 1913 – 7 months after it went on sale – #400 was removed from sale and all remaining quantities were destroyed. A darker version was issued in its place, and given the number 400A. The alternate color version of the stamp was not considered at the time a separate variety by the Postal Service and many collectors did not acquire as many copies – the darker version (400a), therefore, commands a higher price than the original.

Scott #400a -- darker orange color

Scott #400a — darker orange color

This, however, was not the end of the story for this stamp. The Postal Service also had increasing complaints about a different problem. High-volume mailers were complaining about problems with separating stamp sheets with 12 perforations, like #400/400a. They said that they were too brittle and fell apart too easily. The Postal Service, therefore, made a change and went to 10 perforations per 2-centimeters making the sheets stronger. The Panama-Pacific stamps were the first to be altered to the 10 perforations. In July 1915, the third version of the .10-cent stamp was issued (Scott 404).  Of the 3-variations of this design, this stamp is the highest value.

The design depicts the discovery of San Francisco Bay by Spanish explorer, Gaspar de Portola. Great navigators, such as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, Sir Francis Drake and Sebastián Cermeño explored the coastline near San Francisco Bay, but failed to discover this waterway probably because of the fog. It took an overland explorer to be the first European to see the beautiful San Francisco Bay. On November 4, 1769, de Portola glimpsed the bay from atop Sweeney Ridge near present-day Pacifica. The design is based on a painting by Charles F. Mathews, the image was engraved by M. W. Baldwin.

Sources:

May 21

Five-cent “Golden Gate”, Panama-Pacific Exposition Commemorative Issue, 1913

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1913 Panama-Pacific Stamp - Golden GateContinuing our articles on the 1913 commemorative Panama-Pacific Expo stamp series is the 5-cent stamp showing the “Golden Gate” – the entry way to the San Francisco Bay.  The 3rd stamp in this series was part of a set to commemorate both the discovery of the Pacific Ocean in 1513 and the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914.  It was also to promote the Panama-Pacific Exposition that would take place in 1915.   The 5-cent “Golden Gate” stamp was an appropriate symbol of all of these events.

The 5-cent stamp is a beautiful dark blue, bearing the design of L.C. Schofield.   The Golden Gate Bridge is not seen in the stamp, of course, because construction didn’t start on the bridge until 1933.   A five-cent stamp at the time would have paid for international first class mail.  Statistics show that 29 million stamps were printed of this issue.

Here is an interesting cover – Panama Pacific Expo stamps paying Registered rate to France. #400A 10c has jumbo margins!!! Both stamps tied by black Petaluma, California box cancel. Reverse with NY Foreign Registry css and French receiving marks. Date Oct & Nov 1915.

The Golden Gate is the North American strait that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean.

From Wikipedia:

“The first recorded observation of the strait occurred nearly two hundred years later than the earliest European explorations of the coast. In 1769 Sgt. José Francisco Ortega, the leader of a scouting party sent north along the peninsula of present-day San Francisco, reported that he could proceed no further because of the strait. On 5 August 1775 Juan de Ayala and the crew of his ship San Carlos became the first Europeans known to have passed through the strait, anchoring in a cove behind Angel Island, now named in Ayala’s honour. Until the 1840s, the strait was called the “Boca del Puerto de San Francisco” (“Mouth of the Port of San Francisco”). On 1 July 1846, before the discovery of gold in California, the entrance acquired a new name. In his memoirs, John C. Frémont wrote, “To this Gate I gave the name of “Chrysopylae”, or “Golden Gate”; for the same reasons that the harbor of Byzantium was called Chrysoceras, or Golden Horn.”[2]“

Resources:

Image of the Golden Gate in 1885

Image of the Golden Gate in 1885

History of the Bay:

May 14

A Bit of Spring

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The US Postal Service just recently came out with a nifty new stamp series celebrating spring with vintage seed packets

Vintage Seeds

From the US Post Office

“Flowers are among the most popular subjects on stamps, and the U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of beautiful issuances with Vintage Seed Packets.

From hand-tinted lithographs in the early 1800s to modern photography, images of floral perfection have adorned flower seed packets for more than a hundred years. The stamp art features ten photographs of antique seed packets (printed between 1910 to 1920), cropped to highlight their beautiful floral detail.

Each of the stamps depicts the colorful blossoms of one kind of flower—cosmos, digitalis, pinks, primrose, calendula, aster, linum, alyssum, phlox, and zinnia. Above each illustration in bold capital letters is the name of the flower depicted.

Art director Antonio Alcalá.”

Apr 28

U.S. #397 – 1¢ Panama Pacific Stamp – Vasco Nuñez de Balboa

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1centbalboaContinuing our series of articles on U.S. stamp issues of 1913 is the 1¢ Panama Pacific Stamp -Vasco Nuñez de Balboa. Part of a series of four stamps issued that year in preparation for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo, it celebrates the 400th anniversary of the year Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean.

On September 1, 1513, Balboa departed with about ninety of his troops and Indian guides from the Atlantic port city of San Blas, in what is now Panama. Taking a generally southern route in search of a “great sea” the natives had talked about, they reached the southern shore of the isthmus on September 13, claiming the “South Sea” – what is now the Pacific Ocean – and all its adjacent lands for Spain. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to enjoy his fame for long, five years later, Balboa was accused of high treason by a jealous rival, and beheaded.

The stamp was issued in the green of the other 1¢ stamps of the era. First Day: 1/1/13. The vignette on this stamp was engraved by J. Eissler, and the frame by E. M. Hall. This stamp would have paid the postcard rate in 1913. Over three hundred million of these stamps in the twelve perforation format (“perf 12”) were produced by the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. (Source: Michel Casper)

Mar 10

U.S. #398 1913 2¢ Panama-Pacific Exposition Commemorative

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1913 2¢ Panama-Pacific Exposition Commemorative

1913 2¢ Panama-Pacific Exposition Commemorative

Continuing the celebration of 100 years since the publishing of the Panama-Pacific Exposition stamp commemorative is the .02 stamp from that series.

Issue Date: January 1913
Quantity issued: 503,713,086
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Method: Flat plate
Watermark: Single line
Perforation: 12
Color: Carmine

The 2-cent stamp pictures the Pedro Miguel Locks, Panama Canal.    Due to a postal error, the 2-cent was released later than the original set.  The original showed the Pedro Miguel locks but had been labeled Gatun Locks. These stamps were recalled and destroyed, though a few valuable proofs remain as evidence that this mistake was made. The
stamps were re-printed with the generic label “Panama Canal”.

There is a nice history of this by Michael Casper / Clifford Blizard

Here is a short clip of what the lock looks like today

Mar 01

100 Years Ago in Stamps – 1913: Panama-Pacific Commemorative Series.

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PANAMA-PACIFIC COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS - ISSUE OF 1913

PANAMA-PACIFIC COMMEMORATIVE STAMPS – ISSUE OF 1913

This is the first posting in a series that looks back a century to U.S. stamp issues in 1913.

The major U.S. stamp issue 100 years ago was the Panama-Pacific Commemorative Series. This series was a set of 4 stamps issued to celebrating two world-changing events: the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the completion of the Panama Canal.

The series comprises four denominations, 1, 2, 5, and 10 cents, all of which were first placed on sale at San Francisco, Calif., January 1, 1913, except the 2-cent denomination, which was first placed on sale at the same post office on January 18, 1913.

The stamps are about 3/4 of an inch high by 1 1/16 inches wide; at the top appear the words “U. S. Postage” and “San Francisco, 1915″; in the left-hand border is a branch of laurel and in the right-hand border a palm branch; a numeral expressing the denomination is shown within a circle in each lower corner, with the word “Cents” between.

They were issued to publicize the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco that would open in 1915 and would be one of the most extravagant fairs in history.

Jan 06

2013 – Year of the Snake

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USPS Year of the Snake Stamp

USPS Year of the Snake Stamp

2013 in the Chinese New Year is the Year of the Snake, which begins on February 10, 2013 and ends on January 30, 2014.  The Snake, also called Junior Dragon,  is the sixth sign of the Chinese Zodiac, which consists of 12 Animal Signs.  Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your family will not starve.  People born in the Year of the Snake are keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise.  They are great mediators and good at doing business.  Therefore, you should have good luck if you were born in the  Year of the Snake.

USPS Stamp (Shown above – information from the USPS site)

Combining original artwork by Kam Mak with two elements from the previous series ofLunar New Year stamps—Clarence Lee’s intricate paper-cut design of a snake and the Chinese character for “Snake,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun—art director Ethel Kessler has created a culturally rich stamp design that celebrates the diversity of the American experience.

The Year of the Snake stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 12. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Other Examples:

Singapore Stamp

Singapore Stamp

Canada Year of the Snake

Canada

Here is an example from another year of the snake, 1989.

Here is an example from another year of the snake, 1989.

Dec 27

New U.S. Stamps for 2013 — Happy New Year

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The USPS has been taking the wraps off it 2013 stamp issues.  There are several that are beautiful and this author can’t wait to own.  Check out the list on the Beyond the Perf web site.

Of the ones revealed so far, here are 3 that I like — complete text and list of stamps can be found on the site:

150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

With this 2013 stamp, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, which President Abraham Lincoln signed on January 1, 1863. Lincoln’s proclamation, issued nearly two years into the Civil War, declared that all slaves in the rebel states of the Confederacy “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Art director Antonio Alcalá worked with graphic designer Gail Anderson to produce this important commemorative stamp, one of a civil rights set being issued in 2013.

The Emancipation Proclamation stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Grand Central Terminal

A beloved New York City landmark turns one hundred years old in 2013, and the U.S.  This lovely stamp was created by was created by artist Dan Cosgrove, working with art director Phil Jordan. Grand Central Terminal is being issued at the Express Mail rate.

Puffins

With tufts of bright yellow feathers springing from its head, the tufted puffin looks like a clown to some and a punk rocker to others. Two of these unmistakable sea birds appear on the Tufted Puffins stamp, depicted during breeding season when their signature yellow plumage appears.  Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp, which features a painting by artist Robert Giusti.

Dec 20

Happy Holidays — USPS Lists Readers Favorite Stamps of 2012

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Holy Family USPS stamp

The Holy Family stamp was issued as a Forever® stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

In a press release this week, Beyond the Perf published its results from a readers poll of favorite stamps of the year. The winner is the Holy Family stamp shown on the left. Users liked the deep rich colors and Christmas themed stamps are always very popular with the public.  More than 1000 people voted and gave their opinions on why certain issues were important to them.

Order of Stamp Winners

  1. Holy Family
  2. Cherry Blossom Centennial
  3. Earthscapes
  4. Great Film Directors
  5. The War of 1812: USS Constitution

Beyond the Perf is a great email newsletter for those interested in news from the USPS.  You can sign-up on their website for their regular monthly newsletter.

Background of the Holy Family Stamp:

The Holy Family stamp celebrates Christmas with a scene from the Nativity story that reminds us of the joys of the season: family, togetherness, and the birth of the baby Jesus. It continues the U.S. Postal Service’s tradition of issuing beautiful and timeless Christmas stamps and will be a treasured addition to cards and letters sent during this season of goodwill and sharing.

Working together, art director William J. Gicker, designer Greg Breeding, and artist Nancy Stahl created an evocative new image of the Holy Family. The stamp illustration shows Joseph leading a donkey that carries Mary and Jesus, guided by a star shining in the twilight of a desert sky.

What stamps were your favorites this year?  Let us know in the comments below.

USPS USS Constitution Stamp

Rich in detail the USS Constitution Stamp was another popular stamp this year.