Every Stamp Has a Story to Tell

Every Stamp Has a Story to Tell

I have been blessed during my Postal Service career: Since that first day almost 19 years ago, I have loved every one of my jobs — in advertising, direct mail marketing, sales and government relations. However, my current position as director of stamp services has to be the best of them all.

The amazing stamp services teams in Kansas City, Dulles, VA, and Washington, DC, are a joy to work with and their dedication to creating, fulfilling and archiving our commemorative stamps is infectious. Their obvious love of the work has helped me better appreciate the power of our commemorative stamp program and how it can profoundly affect the American public.

Within each stamp is a deep, multidimensional story. Commemorative stamps are a powerful medium to educate and remind us that we are surrounded by beauty, wonder and joy and that we can find it every day in every corner of our nation.

This year’s collection upholds this storytelling tradition, and with more than 30 issuances planned for 2024, I’m sure everyone will find a story that is close to their heart.

As I recently told the hosts of the USPS Mailin’ It! podcast, this year, we are honoring some truly outstanding Americans. These include Constance Baker Motley, the first African American woman known to have argued a case before the United States Supreme Court and the first to serve as a federal judge; novelist and Nobel Prize laureate Saul Bellow; the masterful photographer and dedicated environmentalist Ansel Adams; and legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

We also mark the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, which I’m sure will be a hit, as well as the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress. We commemorate the Underground Railroad with 10 sepia-toned portraits of women and men who escaped the horrors of slavery or helped others escape. Animal lovers can show their love with the Save Manatees and Protect Sea Turtles stamps, as well as a new collection of horse stamps, all beautifully captured in profile.

There is something for everyone on www.usps.com/shopstamps, where you can discover your favorite from our 2024 collection as the stamps become available. While each collection is special to me, two stand out from a technical perspective: our Lunar New Year series uses an exciting foil technique, and for our collection of 10 pinback button stamps, we are considering using a very creative printing method. And unlike most of our stamps, these will be round.

Our 2024 collection of commemorative stamps exemplifies the Postal Service’s commitment to celebrating the very best of America and guides the stamp services team as we work on future collections.

We encourage the public to submit stamp suggestions. So, if you have an idea for a great commemorative stamp, visit the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee page at usps.com for details on the selection process and instructions for submitting suggestions.

 

Lisa Bobb-Semple

Director Stamp Services