1999 33c Celebrate the Century,1940s: Slinky Craze Begins 1945
# 3186m - 1999 33c Celebrate the Century - 1940s: Slinky Craze Begins 1945
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3186m - 1999 33c Celebrate the Century - 1940s: Slinky Craze Begins 1945
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US #3186m
1999 Slinky Craze Begins 1945 – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the invention of the slinky children’s toy
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 18, 1999
First Day City: Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.5
Tagging: Block Tagging
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the invention and widespread popularity of the slinky during the 1940s.
About the stamp design: Pictures a reproduction of a photograph by Renee Comet of the 50th Anniversary Edition Slinky. Includes the following text on the back: “Naval engineer Richard James watched a torsion spring bounce off a table, and the idea for a toy was born. The Slinky, 80 feet of coiled wire that can “walk” down stairs, caused a sensation when first marketed in 1945.”
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Dobbins Air Force Base Fuel Cell Hangar in Georgia.
About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.
History the stamp represents: While engineer Richard James was testing anti-vibration devices for US Navy battleships, one of the torsion springs he was working with fell off his desk and bounced back and forth on the floor. James decided that with the right kind of steel and exact degree of tension, eh could make the spring into a chidlren’s toy. He was right. After two years of research, James and his wife Betty put 400 Slinkys on display at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia in 1945. They all sold within 90 minutes.
To fill the huge number of orders that began pouring in for the toy, James designed special machines. The eight original machines are still used to make Slinkys in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The steel is flattened, washed, then coiled, producing a Slinky in nine to 11 seconds. The only design change that has occurred during the more than 50-year history of the toy is the crimping of the sharp ends for safety. In 1960, Richard James abandoned the business and his family and moved to South America. His wife became president of James Industries, a position she held for many years.
The over 250 million Slinkys which have been sold contain enough wire to circle the Earth 126 times. Although Mrs. James sold the company in 1998, the toy is still manufactured in Hollidaysburg.
US #3186m
1999 Slinky Craze Begins 1945 – Celebrate the Century (1940s)
• Part of the fifth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the invention of the slinky children’s toy
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: February 18, 1999
First Day City: Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.5
Tagging: Block Tagging
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the invention and widespread popularity of the slinky during the 1940s.
About the stamp design: Pictures a reproduction of a photograph by Renee Comet of the 50th Anniversary Edition Slinky. Includes the following text on the back: “Naval engineer Richard James watched a torsion spring bounce off a table, and the idea for a toy was born. The Slinky, 80 feet of coiled wire that can “walk” down stairs, caused a sensation when first marketed in 1945.”
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Dobbins Air Force Base Fuel Cell Hangar in Georgia.
About the Celebrate the Century series: The USPS launched the Celebrate the Century series in 1998 to mark the end of the 20th century and herald the arrival of the 21st. The series includes 10 sheets of 15 stamps (150 in total), with each honoring important moments from a different decade (1900s, 10s, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s). At the time of completion, it was the longest and most ambitious commemorative stamp series in US history.
History the stamp represents: While engineer Richard James was testing anti-vibration devices for US Navy battleships, one of the torsion springs he was working with fell off his desk and bounced back and forth on the floor. James decided that with the right kind of steel and exact degree of tension, eh could make the spring into a chidlren’s toy. He was right. After two years of research, James and his wife Betty put 400 Slinkys on display at Gimbel’s Department Store in Philadelphia in 1945. They all sold within 90 minutes.
To fill the huge number of orders that began pouring in for the toy, James designed special machines. The eight original machines are still used to make Slinkys in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The steel is flattened, washed, then coiled, producing a Slinky in nine to 11 seconds. The only design change that has occurred during the more than 50-year history of the toy is the crimping of the sharp ends for safety. In 1960, Richard James abandoned the business and his family and moved to South America. His wife became president of James Industries, a position she held for many years.
The over 250 million Slinkys which have been sold contain enough wire to circle the Earth 126 times. Although Mrs. James sold the company in 1998, the toy is still manufactured in Hollidaysburg.