A Few More Commemoratives

I guess I'll post pictures and info on all the commemoratives before I begin the far more in-depth study of the definitives. 

1964 - Scott #1249 5c Register to Vote "Old Glory; reminds Americans to vote ... one of few stamps without the US or USA in the design.

                      Zip Block                                                                                            Plate Block

1966 5c Savings Bond Scott #1320

Commemoratives cont.

1952 Scott #1010 -- 3c Lafayette -- commemorates the 100 year anniversary of Lafayette's arrival in the US. Shows the French and US flag.

1957 -- Scott #1094 -- 4c "Old Glory" -- The first stamp issued with the US Flag as the central design. Also the first issued by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in it's natural colors in one operation ... with the new Giori Press.

1959 -- Scott #1132 -- 4c "49-Star US Flag" -- issued due to the addition of Alaska as the 49th state and the unveiling of a new 49-Star flag.

1960 -- Scott #1153 -- 4c "50-Star US Flag" -- and a year later Hawaii comes in to make 50 states, and a new stamp is issued with the new flag.

Commemoratives -- cont.

The main intent of this blog is to list, examine, and describe the many many modern flag stamps ... which are mostly definitive stamps. So I'll briefly list and describe the rest of the commemorative stamps before getting to the first definitive series. 

Most images courtesy of eBay auctions

1933 -- 3 cent Peace of 1783 Scott #727: Fifty year commemoration of Washington's headquarters at Edinburgh New York in 1783. Also issued in 1935 as a special issue without gum ... Scott #752. Flag is not that prominent ...

The 1943-44 Overrun Countries Series is a set specifically depicting flags ... but not the US flag so I won't list or describe them here. Go here for the Wiki information.

The next stamp is the 1945 Flag Over Iwo Jima Scott #929: This stamp obviously commemorates the raising of the US flag over the island of Iwo Jima, a small volcanic island in the central Pacific ... the battle fought with Japanese on that island near the end of the war was fierce and horrifying in nearly every aspect. Here is a great article published in the American Philatelist (Feb 2015) describing the battle, the stamp design, and the politics surrounding this issue. Great reading! The article also has many examples of the multiple FDC's of this issue.

Next up is the Texas Statehood stamp also issued in 1945 -- Scott #938: Commemorates the 100th anniversary of Texas statehood.

1948 3 cent Francis Scott Key -- Scott #962: Commemorates the author and the writing of the Star Spangled Banner ... nice write-up here. 

Early Commemoratives

The first stamp featuring the US Flag prominently displayed has to be the 5-cent "Fremont on the Rocky Mountains" from the gorgeous 1898 Trans-Mississippian set. A nice mint copy of this stamp would run you ~$200 and a complete set, mint, would approach $5000. John Fremont was an explorer, politician, and a Civil War General. During the 1840's he led several exploration expeditions into the Rocky Mountains. The origin of the stamp design most likely comes from this woodcut image created for Fremont's political run for the 1856 presidency.

Woodcut image designed for a campaign banner or poster

The stamp itself, as you can see, is a very attractive stamp!

Scott #288 Fremont on the Rocky Mountains

information and images from Wikipedia and Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2003689276/

Definitions

Stamp collectors will be familiar with these definitions but other visitors may not be. I'm not going to look up the 'book' definitions .. just going to give my quick thoughts

Definitive Stamp: A stamp that is part of a series and is used for many years. Often referred to as the 'workhorse' stamps. Usually smaller in size and often reprinted .. thus leading to many varieties of the same stamp. Most US Flag stamps are definitive stamps.

three different varieties of the Wavy Flag series issued 2002-05

Commemorative Stamp: A stamp that was issued to commemorate some event, person, or institution. Usually larger than a definitive stamp and rarely reprinted (so far fewer varieties). There are a few US Flag stamps that are commemorative.

Scott #949 Issued in 1945

Cover: A piece of mail with stamp affixed. Usually a letter or a postcard. Depending on time and/or place, may be highly collectible.

not a flag stamp but illustrates the definition ... interesting (and perhaps collectible) due to it's age (postmarked 1888)

First Day Cover (FDC): A cover issued by the post office as a collectible. Usually issued on the first day that a stamp becomes available to the public and will almost always have some sort of artwork (called a cachet) on the cover. Not usually as valuable although a few can become collectible depending on circumstance. Look up First Flight covers, Naval Covers, etc. for examples.

FDC Air Post Postal Card Scott # UXC8 issued in 1966

What it's about ...

One of my collections consists of United States flag stamps, specifically, stamps that feature the national flag also known as the 'Stars & Stripes'. My goal with this blog is to list sequentially the stamps that feature the US Flag and any information about that stamp, i.e. year, style, use, special printings, etc, along with images of the stamp and any varieties. 

A google search reveals many articles and websites having to do with specific US flag stamps, but I haven't found a comprehensive resource or site. Perhaps this can be that resource.

Wish me luck.