# 4801g - 2013 First-Class Forever Stamp - Made in America: Coal Miner
US #4801g
2013 Coal Miner – Made in America
- One of 12 stamps celebrating the industrial workers who brought America into a new age
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Made in America
Value: 46¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: August 8, 2013
First Day City: Washington, D.C.
Quantity Issued: 2,500,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 12
Why the stamp was issued: To honor coal miners who risked their lives to help power 20th century industry and America’s increasing energy needs.
About the stamp design: Pictures a black and white vintage photograph by Lewis Hines of a miner at work.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Frances Perkins Building, part of the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.
About the Made in America set: Includes 12 different stamp designs picturing black and white vintage photographs of male and female industrial workers. Eleven were taken by photographer Lewis Hine, with the twelfth by Margaret Bourke-White. The USPS said “Stamps are like a miniature American portrait gallery. They are an expression of our values and a connection to our past. That’s why it’s so fitting that this series depicts Americans at work. These iconic images tell a powerful story about American economic strength and prosperity. These men and women and millions like them really did build a nation.”
History the stamp represents: Coal powered the industrial revolution. It fueled steam engines in factories and locomotives and generated electricity for cities and towns throughout the US. Miners who extracted the coal from deep underground risked their lives to keep America going.
Life in the coal-mining camps was difficult. Immigrants and others looking for jobs were drawn to the mines through advertisements. When they arrived, they often realized their lives were now controlled by the mining companies, who owned the housing units and stores. Some businesses only paid the miners in private currency that was worthless anywhere but at company-owned businesses.
There ws constant danger inside the mines. Cave-ins were regular occurrences and underground gases caused explosions or suffocation.
Miners continued their work in spite of the hardships. Crews of four to six men brought 200 to 400 tons of coal to the surface each shift. Friendships were forged in the mine shafts and camps, as fellow laborers told stories and made music.
The steam engines of the past have long been silent, but miners continue to travel deep inside the earth, extracting coal to provide electricity for our country and around the world.
US #4801g
2013 Coal Miner – Made in America
- One of 12 stamps celebrating the industrial workers who brought America into a new age
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Made in America
Value: 46¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: August 8, 2013
First Day City: Washington, D.C.
Quantity Issued: 2,500,000
Printed by: Avery Dennison
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Panes of 12
Why the stamp was issued: To honor coal miners who risked their lives to help power 20th century industry and America’s increasing energy needs.
About the stamp design: Pictures a black and white vintage photograph by Lewis Hines of a miner at work.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the Frances Perkins Building, part of the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.
About the Made in America set: Includes 12 different stamp designs picturing black and white vintage photographs of male and female industrial workers. Eleven were taken by photographer Lewis Hine, with the twelfth by Margaret Bourke-White. The USPS said “Stamps are like a miniature American portrait gallery. They are an expression of our values and a connection to our past. That’s why it’s so fitting that this series depicts Americans at work. These iconic images tell a powerful story about American economic strength and prosperity. These men and women and millions like them really did build a nation.”
History the stamp represents: Coal powered the industrial revolution. It fueled steam engines in factories and locomotives and generated electricity for cities and towns throughout the US. Miners who extracted the coal from deep underground risked their lives to keep America going.
Life in the coal-mining camps was difficult. Immigrants and others looking for jobs were drawn to the mines through advertisements. When they arrived, they often realized their lives were now controlled by the mining companies, who owned the housing units and stores. Some businesses only paid the miners in private currency that was worthless anywhere but at company-owned businesses.
There ws constant danger inside the mines. Cave-ins were regular occurrences and underground gases caused explosions or suffocation.
Miners continued their work in spite of the hardships. Crews of four to six men brought 200 to 400 tons of coal to the surface each shift. Friendships were forged in the mine shafts and camps, as fellow laborers told stories and made music.
The steam engines of the past have long been silent, but miners continue to travel deep inside the earth, extracting coal to provide electricity for our country and around the world.