# 2972 FDC - 1995 32c Great Lakes Lighthouses: Marblehead, Lake Erie
U.S. #2972
1995 32¢ Marblehead, Lake Erie
Great Lakes Lighthouses
- From the second set in the Lighthouses Series
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Lighthouses
Value: 32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue: June 17, 1995
First Day City: Cheboygan, Michigan
Quantity Issued: 120,240,000
Printed by: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Booklet panes of five in sheets of 200
Perforations: 11.2 vertically
Why the stamp was issued: To pay tribute to significant lighthouses along the Great Lakes.
About the stamp design: Artist Howard Koslow, who had provided the artwork for the first set of Lighthouse stamps in 1990, painted the Great Lakes Lighthouses as well. Having become a bit of a lighthouse expert while working on the first set, he researched and suggested 15 possible lighthouses for the 1995 stamps. In the end, the lighthouses selected represented each of the Great Lakes. The booklet cover pictures the top of the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse. Beside that is a map of the Great Lakes with the locations of each of the five lighthouses marked by red dots.
The Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie is depicted at ground level. Koslow hired Frank Sedlar to photograph the lighthouse from the angle he wanted for the stamp design.
First Day City: The Great Lakes Lighthouse stamps were released in a special ceremony aboard the US Coast Guard cutter Sundew in Cheboygan, Michigan.
About the Lighthouse Series: Several lighthouses had been featured on stamps prior to 1990, but lighthouse enthusiasts were calling for more. In 1987, James W. Hyland III, chairman of the Lighthouse Preservation Society, submitted a list of 10 lighthouses he thought should be honored on stamps to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. Initially, the committee supported his idea and proposed issuing 10 stamps in two panes honoring all of the lighthouses. However, the USPS felt that would make for too many stamps, so they opted to just issue five, though a sixth would be pictured on the booklet cover. Two of the six lighthouses had been on stamps before, Cape Hatteras and Sandy Hook.
The stamps were issued on April 26, 1990, to mark the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Revenue Marine (later the Revenue Cutter Service). Five years later, the USPS issued a second booklet featuring lighthouses from the Great Lakes. Both of these sets proved quite popular, so the USPS continued issuing stamps honoring lighthouses from different areas of the country every few years, with the final issue coming in 2021. You can read more about the series and find the individual sets here.
History the stamp represents: The number of lighthouses on each of the Great Lakes in 1852 gives us an idea how many ships were sailing them. Lake Michigan had 27, Lake Erie 21, Ontario nine, Huron eight, and Superior six. Five lighthouses were located on Lake St. Clair (which connects Lakes Huron and Erie) and the Detroit River.
The Marblehead lighthouse on Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio is the oldest continuously running lighthouse in the United States. It aids ships passing through the craggy-shored entrance of Sandusky Bay (it was formerly called the Sandusky Light). This stone tower stands 65 feet high. Built in 1821, it was originally equipped with whale oil lamps and a specially built, imported lens.
U.S. #2972
1995 32¢ Marblehead, Lake Erie
Great Lakes Lighthouses
- From the second set in the Lighthouses Series
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Lighthouses
Value: 32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue: June 17, 1995
First Day City: Cheboygan, Michigan
Quantity Issued: 120,240,000
Printed by: Stamp Venturers
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Booklet panes of five in sheets of 200
Perforations: 11.2 vertically
Why the stamp was issued: To pay tribute to significant lighthouses along the Great Lakes.
About the stamp design: Artist Howard Koslow, who had provided the artwork for the first set of Lighthouse stamps in 1990, painted the Great Lakes Lighthouses as well. Having become a bit of a lighthouse expert while working on the first set, he researched and suggested 15 possible lighthouses for the 1995 stamps. In the end, the lighthouses selected represented each of the Great Lakes. The booklet cover pictures the top of the Spectacle Reef Lighthouse. Beside that is a map of the Great Lakes with the locations of each of the five lighthouses marked by red dots.
The Marblehead Lighthouse on Lake Erie is depicted at ground level. Koslow hired Frank Sedlar to photograph the lighthouse from the angle he wanted for the stamp design.
First Day City: The Great Lakes Lighthouse stamps were released in a special ceremony aboard the US Coast Guard cutter Sundew in Cheboygan, Michigan.
About the Lighthouse Series: Several lighthouses had been featured on stamps prior to 1990, but lighthouse enthusiasts were calling for more. In 1987, James W. Hyland III, chairman of the Lighthouse Preservation Society, submitted a list of 10 lighthouses he thought should be honored on stamps to the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee. Initially, the committee supported his idea and proposed issuing 10 stamps in two panes honoring all of the lighthouses. However, the USPS felt that would make for too many stamps, so they opted to just issue five, though a sixth would be pictured on the booklet cover. Two of the six lighthouses had been on stamps before, Cape Hatteras and Sandy Hook.
The stamps were issued on April 26, 1990, to mark the 200th anniversary of the creation of the Revenue Marine (later the Revenue Cutter Service). Five years later, the USPS issued a second booklet featuring lighthouses from the Great Lakes. Both of these sets proved quite popular, so the USPS continued issuing stamps honoring lighthouses from different areas of the country every few years, with the final issue coming in 2021. You can read more about the series and find the individual sets here.
History the stamp represents: The number of lighthouses on each of the Great Lakes in 1852 gives us an idea how many ships were sailing them. Lake Michigan had 27, Lake Erie 21, Ontario nine, Huron eight, and Superior six. Five lighthouses were located on Lake St. Clair (which connects Lakes Huron and Erie) and the Detroit River.
The Marblehead lighthouse on Lake Erie in Ottawa County, Ohio is the oldest continuously running lighthouse in the United States. It aids ships passing through the craggy-shored entrance of Sandusky Bay (it was formerly called the Sandusky Light). This stone tower stands 65 feet high. Built in 1821, it was originally equipped with whale oil lamps and a specially built, imported lens.