Patriotic Star | USPS Stamp of Approval

The 46-cent Patriotic Star stamp—which is designed to look like it is crafted from striped ribbon—is just the latest in a line of stamps to feature the five-pointed star. Here are five others you may want to add to your collection.

The 50-Star Runway Air Mail stamp was released in 1968 and featured a rectangular array of white stars on a red background. Three years later, USPS issued a stamp in anticipation of the 1976 Bicentennial celebration. It featured the Bicentennial logo: a red, white, and blue star.

The USA Circle of Stars stamp (1981) and the 2002 Graphic Star stamp also featured the five-pointed star. And we can’t forget the lovely little Patriotic Quill and Inkwell stamp issued in 2011.

The Patriotic Star stamp was issued March 19, 2013, as a First-Class Rate Large Coil stamp. It is currently available online and in Post Offices around the country.

This striking First Day Cover features an affixed Patriotic Star stamp and an official First Day of Issue color postmark. Click the image for details.

What are the “stars” in your collection?

Last week we saluted American patriotism by issuing the Patriotic Star stamp at the National Postal Forum in San Francisco, California. The 46-cent First-Class stamp is available in strips of 25 stamps for consumer use and coils of 10,000 stamps for business customers.

“With a history dating back to the original United States flag, the 5-pointed star is literally part of the fabric of our nation,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Marketing/Sales Officer and Executive Vice President Nagisa Manabe. “It’s often said the Postal Service also is part of the American fabric, for keeping our nation connected. It’s therefore fitting that we honor our joint heritage with the Patriotic Star First-Class stamp.”

Joining Manabe in dedicating the stamps were The Calmark Group Vice President of Postal Affairs Stephen Colella; Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Ruth Goldway; National Postal Forum Executive Director Maureen Goodson; and U.S. Postal Service San Francisco District Manager Rosemarie Fernandez.

“Self-adhesive stamps in coils of 10,000 for years have increased stamp affixing productively and efficiency,” said Colella. “Our clients always welcome new designs.”

“This lively and highly decorative new stamp is great for both individuals and business mailers,” added Goldway. “It reminds us of the vital role the mail and the Postal Service play in our nation’s economy and heritage.”

This striking First Day Cover features an affixed stamp and an official First Day of Issue postmark. Click the image for details.

To obtain the official First Day of Issue postmark by mail, purchase the Patriotic Star stamps and affix them to envelopes of your choice. Address the envelopes (to yourself or others) and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Patriotic Star Stamp
Debbie Brady/Elisa Sloan NPF
PO Box 7838
San Francisco, CA 94120-7838

After applying the First Day of Issue postmark, USPS will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark for fewer than 50 requests; there is a 5-cent charge per postmark for orders exceeding 50. All orders must be postmarked by May 19.

Stamp Madness is off to a roaring start! Yesterday more of you voted for Johnny Cash than for Vintage Seed Packets, so we’ll see the Man in Black again next week in the semifinals. Today two American icons compete: Grand Central Terminal (which was released on February 1) and Patriotic Star (which was just released last week).

Which stamp will make it to next week’s semifinal round? You decide!

The U.S. Postal Service has issued many stamps featuring the five-pointed star. Today we released the latest, called simply, Patriotic Star.

The star is one of the nation’s quintessential symbols, a shining reminder of our indomitable spirit. “When I go out of doors in the summer night, and see how high the stars are,” wrote 19th-century philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, “I am persuaded that there is time enough, here or somewhere, for all that I must do.”

For centuries, the star has been part of this country’s fabric. In 1777, the Continental Congress decreed that “the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternating red and white, that the Union be thirteen white stars in a blue field representing a new constellation.” As time passed, the number of stars increased. The current U.S. flag has 50 stars, one for each state in the Union.

Designed to look like it is crafted from striped ribbon, the star on the stamp is actually two stars: a smaller one inside a larger one. Both have five points, like the stars on the American flag.

The Patriotic Star stamp is being issued with a First-Class Mail® denomination of 46 cents. It is available now online and in Post Offices around the country as coils of 10,000 or strips of 25 self-adhesive stamps.

The Patriotic Star stamp will be issued next Tuesday, March 19, at the National Postal Forum in San Francisco, California. Here’s your official invitation!

USPS Stamp of Approval

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