Tomorrow morning, when the rest of us are dragging our feet to work after the last long weekend of lawncare, barbecueing, and antique tractors this summer, philatelists are headed to their post office for the next set in the Flags of our Nation stamp series. Officially launched on June 14th (Flag Day, of course), the U.S. Postal service is producing a 60-stamp set honoring all the flags that fly over the states and lands that the U.S. calls its own. Unlike the State Quarters, which were released according to date of statehood, the stamps are being released alphabetically. Alabama through Delaware were the first set, along with a “Stars and Stripes” stamp to start it off.
The second batch released on 2 September 2008 will include ten more flags: District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Kansas. I must say, the inclusion of regions outside of the standard fifty states impresses me. The statehood quarters saved D.C. and the outlying territories for the end, those quarters are released next year separate from the state quarters, but the stamp series is including them in the mix as equals with the official states. The fifty states, plus six territories, leaves four stamps unaccounted for. The other four stamps are the “Stars and Stripes” stamps. Each of those four stamps will represent a description from the opening lines of “America the Beautiful”: “spacious skies”, “amber waves of grain”, “purple mountain majesties” and “the fruited plain“. The “Spacious Skies” stamp was part of the June series.
The art for each stamp was created by Tom Engeman, frequent designer of US stamps. Engeman, 74, has been producing commemorative stamp art for over thirty years, including the “Forever” stamp, and this 60-stamp series seems to be the largest thematic set he’s done. The art, in my opinion, is inconsistent in expressing the local flavor of the state represented. The Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Kansas stamps all depict flat farmland, and are nearly interchangeable with each other. As far as interchangeable states go, sharp-eyed Colorado residents noticed that the mountain on their state’s stamp looks suspiciously like a famous Wyoming mountain.
On the other end of the spectrum, however, the Hawaii stamp depicts the volcanic islands in the distance behind a striking indigenous flower, and Alaska’s stamp depicts the ocean and a humpback whale, both of which are untraditional views of the state, which broadens the horizon of what each state is seen for. While the Statehood quarters took artistic license to build collages of what a state is known for, these stamps have a common theme of a wide-open vista looking towards the horizon. This can provide both a unique way to view the state, but also limit the artist to only broad views of what makes a state remarkable. The design also seems to be deliberate for the method of distribution: the Flags of our Nation stamps come as a roll, connected at the left and right edges, so when the stamps are unrolled the horizons will tie together into a continuous view of our interconnected United States.
Being sold only in 50-stamp coils, which is essentially 5 complete sets for $21, may discourage some collectors from buying the stamps directly from the Postal Service due to expense and duplication. The USPS is providing all sorts of information and paraphernalia about this series for the serious and amateur collector alike, from first-day covers to fancy posters and folders. The USPS website doesn’t do a very good job of putting relevant information together, but the “classroom materials” page should have updated information on the stamps from time to time, and searching press releases is the most effective way of finding out more about these stamps. The American Philatelic Society also has printable album pages for the first set of stamps, and will hopefully have the 2nd set ready soon. Much of this information is directed for kids just starting to be interested in stamp collecting, and as with the Statehood Quarters, the Flags of our Nation is an excellent way to get a child interested in collecting stamps, with their vivid colors, historical connection, and extended regular release schedule.
