# 5203 - 2017 First-Class Forever Stamp - Have a Ball!: Football
US #5203
2017 Football – Have a Ball!
• Special coating gives this stamp a textured feel
• One of eight stamps that make up the #3 most popular issue of 2017 as voted by stamp collectors
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Have a Ball!
Value: 49¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: June 14, 2017
First Day City: Hartford, Wisconsin
Quantity Issued: 80,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Flexographic
Format: Panes of 16
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Spot Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To celebrate America’s love of football.
About the stamp design: Circular in shape and includes an image of a traditional brown and white football. Stamp art created by artist Daniel Nyari.
Special design details: The design had a special coating applied to certain areas of the stamp during printing to give it a textured feel.
First Day City: First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Erin, Wisconsin, during the US Open golf tournament which was held from June 12-18.
About the Have a Ball! set: Reminder of the popularity of sports in the United States, both as players and spectators. Includes eight stamp designs, each picturing a different ball: football, volleyball, soccer ball, golf ball, baseball, basketball, tennis ball, and kickball.
History the stamp represents: American football was first played on November 6, 1869, by combining rules from association football (soccer) and rugby. This historic game paved the way for football to become the most popular sport in the United States.
While football was introduced in 1869, the game’s official rules were not agreed upon until 1880. Walter Camp established the snap and 11-player teams. Football guidelines have evolved over the years but have mostly stayed true to Camp’s rules, earning him the nickname “Father of American Football.”
Footballs of the 1860s were very different than ones in use today. Early footballs were made of brown leather, though white balls were used for night games until field lights became more reliable. Footballs were almost completely round until 1934 when regulations began requiring them to come to a point at both ends. This made passing and handling the ball much easier.
Football is a symbol of America. Passion for the game culminates each winter with the biggest sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl. Some consider the event an unofficial national holiday. Renowned coach John Heisman highlighted football players’ do-or-die devotion to the game with his advice: “What is this? It is a prolate spheroid, an elongated sphere… Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football.”
US #5203
2017 Football – Have a Ball!
• Special coating gives this stamp a textured feel
• One of eight stamps that make up the #3 most popular issue of 2017 as voted by stamp collectors
Stamp Category: Definitive
Set: Have a Ball!
Value: 49¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: June 14, 2017
First Day City: Hartford, Wisconsin
Quantity Issued: 80,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Flexographic
Format: Panes of 16
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Spot Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To celebrate America’s love of football.
About the stamp design: Circular in shape and includes an image of a traditional brown and white football. Stamp art created by artist Daniel Nyari.
Special design details: The design had a special coating applied to certain areas of the stamp during printing to give it a textured feel.
First Day City: First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Erin, Wisconsin, during the US Open golf tournament which was held from June 12-18.
About the Have a Ball! set: Reminder of the popularity of sports in the United States, both as players and spectators. Includes eight stamp designs, each picturing a different ball: football, volleyball, soccer ball, golf ball, baseball, basketball, tennis ball, and kickball.
History the stamp represents: American football was first played on November 6, 1869, by combining rules from association football (soccer) and rugby. This historic game paved the way for football to become the most popular sport in the United States.
While football was introduced in 1869, the game’s official rules were not agreed upon until 1880. Walter Camp established the snap and 11-player teams. Football guidelines have evolved over the years but have mostly stayed true to Camp’s rules, earning him the nickname “Father of American Football.”
Footballs of the 1860s were very different than ones in use today. Early footballs were made of brown leather, though white balls were used for night games until field lights became more reliable. Footballs were almost completely round until 1934 when regulations began requiring them to come to a point at both ends. This made passing and handling the ball much easier.
Football is a symbol of America. Passion for the game culminates each winter with the biggest sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl. Some consider the event an unofficial national holiday. Renowned coach John Heisman highlighted football players’ do-or-die devotion to the game with his advice: “What is this? It is a prolate spheroid, an elongated sphere… Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football.”