USPS — Stamp Art — Classics Forever
New digital stamp art from USPS drops Saturday, 9 July at 8 AM PT, only on the VeVe app for iOS and Android!
Classics Forever
The U.S. Postal Service® issues Classics Forever in celebration of the long history of U.S. postage stamps — and in appreciation of stamp collectors and philatelists everywhere. The elaborately designed pieces feature handsome new versions of six stamps first issued in the mid-19th century in addition to a Souvenir Sheet. The intaglio-printed designs featured are George Washington (1851, originally 12 cents), Benjamin Franklin (1851, originally one cent), George Washington (1860, originally 24 cents), George Washington (1860, originally 90 cents), Abraham Lincoln (1866, originally 15 cents), and Benjamin Franklin (1861, originally one cent). The selvage is composed of postal cancellations and script from envelopes contemporaneous with the stamps. These elements are arranged on a buff-colored background with a textured look to evoke stationery of the period.
Blind Boxes
Get ready to add to the excitement of drop day with blind boxes! These collectibles are offered for purchase via blind box, meaning you won’t know which rarity you have acquired until after your successful purchase. From there, you can continue to expand your collection with additional collectibles and interact with other users in the Market to complete your Set.
1851 George Washington, originally 12 cents
Several unusual aspects attract collectors to the George Washington stamp released in 1851. Although its original 12-cent denomination paid the way for certain heavy domestic letters sent afar, such use was uncommon. Envelopes bearing this Washington stamp tend to carry it in combination with other denominations or, more often, paired to cover the 24-cent rate for letters to the United Kingdom.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 5,800
Rarity: Common
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
1861 Benjamin Franklin, originally one cent
When pre-Civil War stamps were demonetized, replacements were needed. The National Bank Note Company won the exclusive contract to engrave and print stamps in 1861, a contract previously held by the firm of Toppan, Carpenter, Casilear & Company. National Bank Note produced a striking new design for the one-cent Benjamin Franklin stamp, released August 1861. Its portrait was based on a bust by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon. The stamp was printed in an inadvertent variety of blues including shades that collectors describe as bright, deep, pale, and milky.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 5,800
Rarity: Common
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
1860 George Washington, originally 24 cents
Honoring George Washington, this was the first U.S. stamp issued exclusively with perforations. Like the 12-cent stamp of 1851, this engraved likeness is based on Gilbert Stuart’s iconic Washington portraiture. Here Washington faces a bit to the viewer’s right, a mirror image of the original Stuart portrait.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 4,800
Rarity: Uncommon
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
1851 Benjamin Franklin, originally one cent
The Franklin stamp introduced in 1851 was commonplace in its original use, sold for a penny, affixed to advertising circulars and local letters, and printed in great quantities. Although a single stamp design was intended, advanced collectors differentiate many types. Intricate engraved designs were not consistently transferred to the printing plates, so the scrolled ornamentation varies in detail from stamp to stamp.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 3,800
Rarity: Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
1860 George Washington, originally 90 cents
Washington is honored once again on the 90-cent issue of 1860. The engraved portrait on this rarity, widely considered one of the most beautiful stamps of the period, is based on a John Trumbull painting, made circa 1792, that portrays General Washington in 1776.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 2,800
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
1866 Abraham Lincoln, originally 15 cents
In a single momentous week in April 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House and Lincoln was assassinated. The Post Office Department honored the martyred president with a grey-black 15-cent stamp. Issued in 1866, it is considered by many collectors to be the world’s first mourning stamp.
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 2,800
Rarity: Ultra Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
Classics Forever — Souvenir Sheet
This souvenir sheet is issued in celebration of the long history of U.S. postage stamps — and in appreciation of stamp collectors and philatelists everywhere. The elaborately designed sheet features new versions of six of America’s earliest and most alluring stamps, now issued as Forever® stamps to make them easily distinguishable from the mid-19th-century originals. The intaglio-printed designs featured are George Washington (1851, originally 12 cents), Benjamin Franklin (1851, originally one cent), George Washington (1860, originally 24 cents), George Washington (1860, originally 90 cents), Abraham Lincoln (1866, originally 15 cents), and Benjamin Franklin (1861, originally one cent).
Drop Date: 9 July 2022, 8 AM PT
List Price: 6.00
Editions: 1,800
Rarity: Secret Rare
Edition Type: First Edition
License: USPS
Brand: Stamp Art
Series: Classics Forever
Available: Globally
© 2022 United States Postal Service®. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission
Secondary Market Fees
A 2% licensor fee will be applied to all USPS sales in the secondary market in addition to the existing VeVe 2.5% secondary market fee.
United States Postal Service
The U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation: 160 million residences, businesses, and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products, and services to fund its operations.
Get VeVe today to start your digital collection!
