# 2761 - 1993 29c Garden Flowers: Daffodil

U.S. #2761

1993 29¢ Daffodil

Garden Flowers

·      From the first in a series of booklets featuring garden flowers

Stamp Category:  Commemorative

Set:  Garden Flowers

Value:  29¢

First Day of Issue:  May 15, 1993

First Day City:  Spokane, Washington

Quantity Issued:  39,956,800

Printed by:  Bureau of Engraving and Printing

Printing Method:  Lithographed, engraved

Format:  Booklet panes of 5 stamps each

Perforations:  10.9

Color:  Multicolor with black intaglio

Why the stamp was issued:  Part of the push behind the 1993 Garden Flowers stamps had come from the sale of stamps in supermarkets and other retailers.  People had reported that they wanted “bright, pretty American stamps,” so the USPS thought that flower booklets might please the public.  They ran TV commercials and full-page advertisements in stamp publications announcing “The flowers are in bloom at your post office.  Buy them while they last!” and “Pick up a bunch.”  

About the stamp design:  Engraved by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Richard Everett, the stamp features artwork by Ned Seidler.  Seidler had previously designed the 1984 block of four Orchids stamps (US #2076-79).  This stamp, along with the other four in the booklet pane, depicts a bouquet spread across five stamps.  The daffodil stamp pictures three mature yellow blooms and several small white flowers.  Using photographs and flower books as his inspiration, Seidler produced his painting through a combination of watercolor and gouache, a type of thicker watercolor. 

Special design details:  The Garden Flowers booklets have been found with two different errors ­– missing the black intaglio printing (denomination, USA, and flower name) and imperforate. 

About the printing process:  The Garden Flowers booklet was the first to be produced on the new Goebel booklet machine, which was the first to print multicolor covers.

First Day City:  The Garden Flowers stamps were issued in Spokane, Washington at the 55^th annual Spokane Lilac Festival and International Lilac Society Convention. 

About the Garden Flower Series:  This series was borne out of the 1992 Wildflowers issue.  Initially, that project had begun when the USPS asked an artist to produce color sketches of a group of garden flowers.  Instead, the artist gave the USPS illustrations of wildflowers.  The USPS liked them so much, they decided to create a 50-stamp pane, showing wildflowers that can be found in each state.  The USPS still liked the garden flowers idea and felt it would also meet consumer demand.  Though they didn’t announce it at the time, these stamps were to be the first in a new series of seasonal flower booklets.  Over the next three years, the USPS issued booklets of stamps showing flowers that bloom in summer, fall, and winter.

History the stamp represents:  One of the most well-known early blooming flowers is the daffodil.  Also known as narcissus or jonquil, these white and yellow (sometimes orange or pink) flowers appear in early spring.  They have been around since at least the time of ancient Egypt, with their cultivation beginning to take off in the 16th century.  Originally from Europe and Africa, today they are found in many countries around the world.

Narcissus is a genus in the amaryllis family and produces a single flower from each bulb (though there are some species that produce several smaller flowers).  The blooms are arranged with a single floral tube in the center and six petals surrounding it.  After the leaves and flowers die off, the bulb goes dormant until the following spring.  It is said the scientific name Narcissus was taken from the Greek word for intoxicating, due to the strong scent of some varieties.  Later on, the flowers were often compared to those of asphodel (sometimes affodell), which later evolved into "daffodil."

To enjoy daffodils in your own garden, dry bulbs should be planted in late summer or fall.  They tolerate full sun, but will also grow in partial shade.  Simply bury the bulbs four to five inches deep, then wait.  Come spring, they'll grace your yard with beautiful showy blooms.