# 1594 FDC - 1975-81 12c Americana Series: Statue of Liberty Torch
Americana Series
Perforation: 11 x 10 ½
Start Of The Americana Series
In 1971, the USPS hired a private firm to develop a concept for a new series of definitive stamps to replace the Prominent Americans Series. The resulting set, the Americana Series, would include over 20 different designs printed in sheet, coil, and booklet format.
The Prominent Americans stamps didn’t have a set design style, so many of the stamps had different looks and layouts. Conversely, the Americana stamps followed a very uniform plan that outlined the designs of individual stamps as well as the blocks of four. In all, there were five different blocks, each with a different theme, but similar design style – the subject in the center, and the title curving around two of the edges. When all four stamps were placed together, the titles created a frame around the stamps. The five themes were Roots of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms of the American People, Symbols of America, Pioneer America, and America’s Light.
There are several varieties of many of the stamps in the series, with the most common varieties involving gum – either shiny or dull gum. There was also a paper variety, some stamps issued without tagging, some with color missing, imperforate errors, misperforated freaks, bullseye perforations, and more. The most notable error of the series is the CIA Invert, which you can read more about here.
Though these stamps had an interesting design concept and patriotic theme, they weren’t very popular with the public and went on to be the shortest-lived definitive series of the 20th century.
Click here to get the individual Americana stamps you need.
Americana Series
Perforation: 11 x 10 ½
Start Of The Americana Series
In 1971, the USPS hired a private firm to develop a concept for a new series of definitive stamps to replace the Prominent Americans Series. The resulting set, the Americana Series, would include over 20 different designs printed in sheet, coil, and booklet format.
The Prominent Americans stamps didn’t have a set design style, so many of the stamps had different looks and layouts. Conversely, the Americana stamps followed a very uniform plan that outlined the designs of individual stamps as well as the blocks of four. In all, there were five different blocks, each with a different theme, but similar design style – the subject in the center, and the title curving around two of the edges. When all four stamps were placed together, the titles created a frame around the stamps. The five themes were Roots of Democracy, Rights and Freedoms of the American People, Symbols of America, Pioneer America, and America’s Light.
There are several varieties of many of the stamps in the series, with the most common varieties involving gum – either shiny or dull gum. There was also a paper variety, some stamps issued without tagging, some with color missing, imperforate errors, misperforated freaks, bullseye perforations, and more. The most notable error of the series is the CIA Invert, which you can read more about here.
Though these stamps had an interesting design concept and patriotic theme, they weren’t very popular with the public and went on to be the shortest-lived definitive series of the 20th century.
Click here to get the individual Americana stamps you need.