insights

2020 U.S. Stamp Program

Dec 7, 2020, 9 AM
A painting by Greg Harlin of the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor is featured on a stamp marking the 400th anniversary of settlers from England landing on America’s shores.

Jan. 11, Year of the Rat. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; Lunar New Year series; BCA; Monterey Park, CA 91754; Linn’s, Jan. 6, page 1; USPS item No. 475604 (pane), 475606 (press sheet at $44), 475616 (FDC at 99¢), 475621 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5428.

Jan. 18, Big Bend. One $7.75 Priority Mail stamped envelope; Big Bend National Park, TX 79834; Linn’s, Jan. 13, page 1; USPS item No. 233105 (package of five at $38.75); Scott U699.

Jan. 18, Big Bend. One $7.75 Priority Mail definitive stamp, pane of four; American Landmarks series; AP; Big Bend National Park, TX 79834; Linn’s, Jan. 13, page 1; USPS item No. 120804 (pane), 120816 (FDC at $8.19), 120821 (color postmark FDC at $8.90); Scott 5429.

Jan. 18, Grand Island Ice Caves. One $26.35 Priority Mail Express definitive stamp, pane of four; American Landmarks series; AP; Munising, MI 49862; Linn’s, Jan. 13, page 1; USPS item No. 129104 (pane), 129116 (FDC at $26.79), 129121 (color postmark FDC at $27.50); Scott 5430.

Jan. 23, Love Made of Hearts. One (55¢) forever special stamp, pane of 20; AP; Memphis, TN 38105; Linn’s, Jan. 27, page 10; USPS item No. 572404 (pane), 572406 (press sheet at $88), 572416 (FDC at 99¢), 572421 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5431.

Jan. 30, Gwen Ifill. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; Black Heritage series; BCA; Washington, DC 20066; Linn’s, Jan. 27, page 1; USPS item No. 475804 (pane), 475806 (press sheet at $66), 475816 (FDC at 99¢), 475821 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5432.

Feb. 3, Presorted Star. One (10¢) presorted standard definitive stamp, coils of 3,000 and 10,000; BCA; Kansas City, MO 64108; Linn’s, Feb. 3, page 1; USPS item No. 750504 (coil of 3,000), 760604 (coil of 10,000), 750503 (strip of 25 from coil of 3,000), 760603 (strip of 25 from coil of 10,000), 760616 (FDC with U.S. Flag stamp at $1.09); Scott 5433.

Feb. 14, Let’s Celebrate. One (55¢) forever special stamp, pane of 20; BCA; Mesa, AZ 85201; Linn’s, Feb. 10, page 1; USPS item No. 572504 (pane), 572516 (FDC at 99¢), 572521 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5434.

Feb. 21, Wild Orchids. Twenty (55¢) forever definitive stamps (10 designs) in double-sided pane of 20, coils of 3,000 and 10,000; Platanthera grandiflora (Scott 5435 coil, 5452 pane), Cyrtopodium polyphyllum (5436 coil, 5453 pane), Calopogon tuberosus (5437 coil, 5454 pane), Spiranthes odorata (5438 coil, 5449 pane), Triphora trianthophora with two blooms (5439 coil, 5445 pane), Cypripedium californicum (5440 coil, 5446 pane), Hexalectris spicata (5441 coil, 5447 pane), Cypripedium reginae (5442 coil, 5448 pane), Platanthera leucophaea (5443 coil, 5450 pane), Triphora trianthophora single bloom (5444 coil, 5451 pane); BCA; Coral Gables, FL 33134; Linn’s, Feb. 10, page 14; for identification see Linn’s, April 20, pages 60-61; USPS item No. 682504 (pane), 750404 (coil of 3,000), 760704 (coil of 10,000), 750403 (strip of 25 from coil of 3,000), 760703 (strip of 25 from coil of 10,000).

March 4, Arnold Palmer. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AP; Orlando, FL 32862; Linn’s, March 2, page 1; USPS item No. 475904 (pane), 475906 (press sheet at $66), 475916 (FDC at 99¢), 475921 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5455.

March 15, Maine Statehood. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AP; Augusta, ME 04330; Linn’s, March 9, page 1; USPS item No. 476104 (pane), 476116 (FDC at 99¢), 476121 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5456.

April 2, Contemporary Boutonniere. One (55¢) forever special stamp, pane of 20; AP; Crestwood, KY 40014; Linn’s, March 30, page 1; USPS item No. 572304 (pane), 572316 (FDC at 99¢), 572321 (color postmark FDC at $1.70), Scott 5457.

April 2, Garden Corsage. One (70¢) 2-ounce rate special stamp, pane of 20; AP; Crestwood, KY 40014; Linn’s, March 30, page 1; USPS item No. 585904 (pane), 585916 (FDC at $1.14), 585921 (color postmark FDC at $1.85), Scott 5458.

April 18, Earth Day. One (55¢) forever definitive stamp, double-sided pane of 20; BCA; Denver, CO 80202; Linn’s, April 13, page 1; USPS item No. 682604 (pane), 682616 (FDC at 99¢), 682621 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5459.

April 24, Chrysanthemum. One ($1.20) global forever definitive stamp, pane of 10; AP; Burlingame, CA 94010; Linn’s, Jan. 20, page 10; April 27, page 1; USPS item No. 572604 (pane), 572616 (FDC at $1.64), 572621 (color postmark FDC at $2.35); Scott 5460.

May 13, American Gardens. Ten (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Scott 5461), Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens (5462), Dumbarton Oaks (5463), Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (5464), Chicago Botanic Garden (5465), Winterthur Garden (5466), Biltmore Estate Gardens (5467), Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (5468), The Huntington Botanical Gardens (5469), Norfolk Botanical Garden (5470); BCA; Winterthur, DE 19803; Linn’s, May 11, page 1; USPS item No. 572704 (pane), 572706 (press sheet at $99), 572716 (FDC set of 10 at $9.90), 572721 (color postmark FDC set of 10 at $17).

May 21, Voices of the Harlem Renaissance. Four (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; Nella Larsen (Scott 5471), Arturo Alfonso Schomburg (5472), Anne Spencer (5473), Alain Locke (5474); BCA; New York, NY 10199; Linn’s, May 25, page 1; USPS item No. 476404 (pane), 476406 (press sheet at $88), 476416 (FDC set of four at $3.96), 476421 (color postmark FDC set of four at $6.80).

June 13, Enjoy the Great Outdoors. Five (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; building a sand castle (Scott 5475), canoeing (5476), hiking (5477), biking (5478), cross-country skiing (5479); AP; Incline Village, NV 89451; Linn’s, June 8, page 1; USPS item No. 572804 (pane), 572806 (press sheet at $99), 572816 (FDC set of five at $4.95), 572821 (color postmark FDC set of five at $8.50).

June 15, U.S. Flag. One (55¢) definitive stamped envelope in 10 formats; AP; Liberty, MO 64068; Linn’s, April 27, page 8; June 8, page 12; single items with USPS item numbers ending in 04 are 69¢ each as a custom order, a $2.30 fee is applied to each custom order: USPS item Nos. (moisture-activated adhesive flap) 292304 (No. 10), 292404 (No. 10 window), 291904 (No. 9), 281304 (No. 6¾); (self-adhesive flap) 292104 (No. 10), 292204 (No. 10 window), 291704 (No. 9), 291804 (No. 9 window), 281104 (No. 6¾), 281204 (No. 6¾ window); packs of five with USPS item numbers ending in 05 are $3.45 each as standard orders: (moisture-activated adhesive flap) 292305 (No. 10), 292405 (No. 10 window), 291905 (No. 9), 281305 (No. 6¾); (self-adhesive flap) 292105 (No. 10), 292205 (No. 10 window), 291705 (No. 9), 291805 (No. 9 window), 281105 (No. 6¾), 281205 (No. 6¾ window); 292316 (FDC set of four with moisture-activated flap at $3.24), 292116 (FDC set of six with self-adhesive flap at $4.86); Scott U700.

June 26, Whistling Ducks. $25 federal migratory waterfowl hunting and conservation stamp issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior; pane of one and pane of 20; AP; Spanish Fort, AL 36527; USPS item Nos. 336304 (pane of one), 336404 (pane of 20); single stamp from pane of 20 (Scott RW87); pane of one (RW87A).

July 1, Hip Hop. Four (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; MC (Scott 5480), b-boy (5481), graffiti art (5482) DJ (5483); BCA; New York, NY 10199; Linn’s, July 6, page 1; USPS item No. 476504 (pane), 476506 (press sheet at $66), 476516 (FDC set of four at $3.96), 476521 (color postmark FDC set of four at $6.80).

July 17, Fruits and Vegetables. Ten (55¢) forever definitive stamps, double-sided pane of 20; plums (Scott 5484), tomatoes (5485), carrots (5486), lemons (5487), blueberries (5488), grapes (5489), lettuce (5490), strawberries (5491), eggplants (5492), figs (5493); BCA; Charleston, WV 25301; Linn’s, July 13, page 12; USPS item No. 682704 (pane), 682716 (FDC set of 10 at $9.90), 682721 (color postmark FDC set of 10 at $17).

July 27, Bugs Bunny. Ten (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; Bugs as barber (Scott 5494), playing basketball (5495), wearing beret (5496), as jester (5497), in winged helmet (5498), as mermaid (5499), at piano (5500), as Super-Rabbit (5501), as baseball pitcher (5502), as Army sergeant (5503); BCA; Burbank, CA 91505; Linn’s, July 13, page 1, Aug. 3, page 1; USPS item No. 478504 (pane), 478506 (press sheet at $66), 478516 (FDC set of 10 at $9.90), 478521 (color postmark FDC set of 10 at $17).

Aug. 13, Ruth Asawa. Ten (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; three looped wire sculptures (Scott 5504), five spiraling columns (5505), two lobes with three layers (5506), single lobe in front of two lobes (5507), nine bubbles (5508), three-layered circular form with darker center (5509), five interlocking double trumpets (5510), multiple cones suspended vertically (5511), three-lobed form above suspended open sphere (5512), six looped wire sculptures (5513); BCA; San Francisco, CA 94188; Linn’s, April 27, page 8; Aug. 10, page 1; USPS item No. 476304 (pane), 476306 (press sheet at $99), 476316 (FDC set of 10 at $9.90), 476321 (color postmark FDC set of 10 at $17).

Aug. 20, Innovations. Five (55¢) forever commemorative stamps, pane of 20; computing (Scott 5514), biomedicine (5515), genome sequencing (5516), robotics (5517), solar technology (5518); BCA; Bellefonte, PA 16823; Linn’s, Aug. 10, page 12; USPS item No. 476204 (pane), 476206 (press sheet at $66), 476216 (FDC set of five at $4.95), 476221 (color postmark FDC set of five at $8.50).

Aug. 21, Thank You. Four (55¢) forever definitive stamps, pane of 20; background in maroon (Scott 5519), pale green (5520), blue gray (5521), purple (5522); BCA; Hartford, CT 06101; Linn’s, Aug. 24, page 12; USPS item No. 572904 (pane), 572906 (press sheet at $88), 572916 (FDC set of four at $3.96), 572921 (color postmark FDC set of four at $6.80).

Aug. 22, Women Vote. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; BCA; Seneca Falls, NY 13148; Linn’s, Aug. 24, page 1; USPS item No. 476604 (pane), 476606 (press sheet at $66), 476616 (FDC at 99¢), 476621 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5523.

Sept. 17, Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AP; Plymouth, MA 02360;  Linn’s, Sept. 7, page 1; USPS item No. 476704 (pane), 476706 (press sheet at $44), 476716 (FDC at 99¢), 476721 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5524.

Sept. 24, Holiday Delights. Four (55¢) forever special stamps, double-sided pane of 20; ornament (Scott 5526), decorated tree (5527), Christmas stocking (5528), reindeer (5529); BCA; Frankenmuth, MI 48734; Linn’s, Sept. 14, page 1; USPS item No. 682804 (pane); 682816 (FDC set of four at $3.96), 682821 (color postmark FDC set of four at $6.80).

*Oct. 6, Hanukkah. One (55¢) forever special stamp, pane of 20; AP; New Rochelle, NY 10801; Linn’s, Sept. 28, page 14; USPS item No. 574804 (pane), 574816 (FDC at 99¢), 574821 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5530.

*Oct. 13, Kwanzaa. One (55¢) forever special stamp, pane of 20; BCA; Nashville, TN 37202; Linn’s, Oct. 5, page 1; USPS item No. 574904 (pane), 574916 (FDC at 99¢), 574921 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5531.

*Oct. 16, Winter Scenes. Ten (55¢) forever definitive stamps, double-sided pane of 20; two deer (Scott 5532), Northern cardinal (5533), trees and gold sky (5534), red barn with wreath (5535), barred owl (5536), blue jay (5537), red barn with snowy roof (5538), cottontail rabbit (5539), snowy path in woods (5540), two horses (5541); AP; Winter Park, FL 32789; Linn’s, Oct. 12, page 1; USPS item No. 683004 (pane), 683016 (FDC set of 10 at $9.90), 683021 (color postmark FDC set of 10 at $17.00).

*Oct. 20, Christmas: Our Lady of Guapulo. One (55¢) forever special stamp, double-sided pane of 20; BCA; New York, NY 10199; Linn’s, Oct. 12, page 10; USPS item No. 682904 (pane), 682916 (FDC at 99¢), 682921 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5525.

*Oct. 27, Drug Free USA. One (55¢) forever commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AP; Arlington, VA 22201; Linn’s, Oct. 26, page 1; USPS item No. 478904 (pane), 478906 (press sheet at $66), 478916 (FDC at 99¢), 478921 (color postmark FDC at $1.70); Scott 5542.

*Asterisks p­recede entries with new or changed information.

New/changed information is presented in bold italics.

Stamp printing contractors are identified in the listings using the following abbreviations: AP (Ashton Potter USA Ltd.), and BCA (Banknote Corporation of America).

Details of each issue listed in this program are given in the cited issues of Linn’s. Stamps are self-adhesive unless otherwise noted.