1981 18c Flowers: Dahlia
# 1878 - 1981 18c Flowers: Dahlia
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U.S. #1878
1981 18¢ Dahlia
Flowers
- From the first set of commemoratives issued for the new 18¢ first-class rate
- Created “at the request of President Carter”
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Flowers
Value: 18¢; first-class postage rate
First Day of Issue: April 23, 1981
First Day City: Fort Valley, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 52,658,250
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 48 in sheets of 192
Perforations: 11
Why the stamp was issued: The block of four Flowers stamps were the first commemoratives issued at the new 18¢ first-class rate that went into effect March 22, 1981.
About the stamp design: The Flowers block was the first stamp assignment for Lowell Nesbitt of New York City, who’s known for creating large-scale paintings of flowers. According to the USPS, the stamp images are “composite interpretations of several of his previous painting not representing specific species of flowers.” The flowers are largely pink and red, taking up most of the stamp space, all on a white background. The dahlia stamp on US #1878 pictures what is believed to be a pink and white cactus type of dahlia.
First Day City: The First Day Ceremony for the Flowers block was held at the headquarters of the American Camellia Society in Fort Valley, Georgia.
About the Flowers Stamps: These stamps are largely the result of campaigning by the American Camellia Society (ACS). The ACS had requested a stamp featuring their signature flower for several years. Some members of the group were friends of former President Jimmy Carter, who was living in Plains, Georgia, near their headquarters in Fort Valley. They appear to have passed their suggestion to the former president, who in turn wrote a letter to the postmaster general asking for a camelia stamp. While the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee initially questioned the importance of a camellia stamp, they ultimately agreed, and expanded the issue to a block of four. In announcing the issue, the USPS said the Flowers block of four was created “at the request of President Carter.”
Other stamps in the set picture:
US #1876 pictures a deep red tea rose.
The American Camellia Society identified the pink-edged, white flower camellia on US #1877 as the “Betty Sheffield Supreme.”
The red spotted white lily on US #1879 is suspected to be an Oriental hybrid variety.
History the stamp represents: The dahlia shows how plants were dispersed worldwide during the age of exploration. Naturalist Francisco Hernandez sent some native Mexican flowers to Philip II of Spain. Captivated by the blood-red beauties, the king decreed them a Spanish possession, forbidding their removal from the royal gardens. But the living treasure could not be hoarded. Soon, dahlias appeared throughout Europe. They were named in honor of Andreas Dahl, pupil of Linneaus, originator of the scientific classification system.
Europe entered a dahlia craze. In 1838 a single plant was exchanged for a rare diamond; later, a £1,000 prize was offered for a blue dahlia. Fifty years after the dahlia’s arrival, over 2,000 hybrids had been developed from the single Mexican species. Besides adorning gardens, dahlia tubers were used for medicinal purposes. High in fructose, they helped in the treatment of diabetes, as well as kidney and liver diseases.
The dahlia (cocoxochitl) was sacred to the Aztecs. This blood-red flower symbolized the mother of their war god. Because the blooms had eight petals, human sacrifice to the god occurred every eight years. Ironically, another legend associated the cocoxochitl with Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of peace.
U.S. #1878
1981 18¢ Dahlia
Flowers
- From the first set of commemoratives issued for the new 18¢ first-class rate
- Created “at the request of President Carter”
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Flowers
Value: 18¢; first-class postage rate
First Day of Issue: April 23, 1981
First Day City: Fort Valley, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 52,658,250
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 48 in sheets of 192
Perforations: 11
Why the stamp was issued: The block of four Flowers stamps were the first commemoratives issued at the new 18¢ first-class rate that went into effect March 22, 1981.
About the stamp design: The Flowers block was the first stamp assignment for Lowell Nesbitt of New York City, who’s known for creating large-scale paintings of flowers. According to the USPS, the stamp images are “composite interpretations of several of his previous painting not representing specific species of flowers.” The flowers are largely pink and red, taking up most of the stamp space, all on a white background. The dahlia stamp on US #1878 pictures what is believed to be a pink and white cactus type of dahlia.
First Day City: The First Day Ceremony for the Flowers block was held at the headquarters of the American Camellia Society in Fort Valley, Georgia.
About the Flowers Stamps: These stamps are largely the result of campaigning by the American Camellia Society (ACS). The ACS had requested a stamp featuring their signature flower for several years. Some members of the group were friends of former President Jimmy Carter, who was living in Plains, Georgia, near their headquarters in Fort Valley. They appear to have passed their suggestion to the former president, who in turn wrote a letter to the postmaster general asking for a camelia stamp. While the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee initially questioned the importance of a camellia stamp, they ultimately agreed, and expanded the issue to a block of four. In announcing the issue, the USPS said the Flowers block of four was created “at the request of President Carter.”
Other stamps in the set picture:
US #1876 pictures a deep red tea rose.
The American Camellia Society identified the pink-edged, white flower camellia on US #1877 as the “Betty Sheffield Supreme.”
The red spotted white lily on US #1879 is suspected to be an Oriental hybrid variety.
History the stamp represents: The dahlia shows how plants were dispersed worldwide during the age of exploration. Naturalist Francisco Hernandez sent some native Mexican flowers to Philip II of Spain. Captivated by the blood-red beauties, the king decreed them a Spanish possession, forbidding their removal from the royal gardens. But the living treasure could not be hoarded. Soon, dahlias appeared throughout Europe. They were named in honor of Andreas Dahl, pupil of Linneaus, originator of the scientific classification system.
Europe entered a dahlia craze. In 1838 a single plant was exchanged for a rare diamond; later, a £1,000 prize was offered for a blue dahlia. Fifty years after the dahlia’s arrival, over 2,000 hybrids had been developed from the single Mexican species. Besides adorning gardens, dahlia tubers were used for medicinal purposes. High in fructose, they helped in the treatment of diabetes, as well as kidney and liver diseases.
The dahlia (cocoxochitl) was sacred to the Aztecs. This blood-red flower symbolized the mother of their war god. Because the blooms had eight petals, human sacrifice to the god occurred every eight years. Ironically, another legend associated the cocoxochitl with Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec god of peace.