# 5227 - 2017 First-Class Forever Stamp - Sharks: Great White Shark
US #5227
2017 Great White Shark – Sharks
• Pictures the great white shark
• Issued in the middle of Discovery channel’s famous Shark Week television special (held July 23-30 in 2017)
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Sharks
Value: 49¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: July 26, 2017
First Day City: Newport, Kentucky
Quantity Issued: 40,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the great white shark.
About the stamp design: Pictures great white shark on an ocean blue background. Original artwork by Sam Weber.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Newport, Kentucky, home to Newport Aquarium and its “Shark Central” exhibit.
About the Sharks set: Commemorates five species of shark that call our oceans home: shortfin mako, whale, pelagic thresher, scalloped hammerhead, and great white. Original artwork by Sam Weber.
History the stamp represents: Great white sharks are the largest species of predatory fish on the planet. They are found in coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific but are also known to inhabit the open ocean (up to 3,900 feet deep). Some of the largest great white shark populations are found off the coast of South Africa and Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.
Like most shark species, great white females are larger than males. An average female measures 15 or 16 feet long, while males are only 11 to 13. The biggest females can reach 20 feet, with some unverified claims of larger individuals. The great white shark has a light gray back and distinct white belly, which earned the species its name.
While great white sharks are formidable hunters, they are extremely careful to avoid injury. This is why the sharks hunt by relying on the element of surprise. Great white sharks are famous for attacking their prey (seals, fish, and sea birds) from below. This behavior sometimes carries the shark completely out of the water by up to 10 feet (called breaching). One of the first places researchers witnessed the sharks breaching was Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa. This incredible display is not only a show of great white sharks’ strength and agility, but also their unexpected grace and beauty.
US #5227
2017 Great White Shark – Sharks
• Pictures the great white shark
• Issued in the middle of Discovery channel’s famous Shark Week television special (held July 23-30 in 2017)
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Sharks
Value: 49¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: July 26, 2017
First Day City: Newport, Kentucky
Quantity Issued: 40,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20
Tagging: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the great white shark.
About the stamp design: Pictures great white shark on an ocean blue background. Original artwork by Sam Weber.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Newport, Kentucky, home to Newport Aquarium and its “Shark Central” exhibit.
About the Sharks set: Commemorates five species of shark that call our oceans home: shortfin mako, whale, pelagic thresher, scalloped hammerhead, and great white. Original artwork by Sam Weber.
History the stamp represents: Great white sharks are the largest species of predatory fish on the planet. They are found in coastal waters of the Atlantic and Pacific but are also known to inhabit the open ocean (up to 3,900 feet deep). Some of the largest great white shark populations are found off the coast of South Africa and Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.
Like most shark species, great white females are larger than males. An average female measures 15 or 16 feet long, while males are only 11 to 13. The biggest females can reach 20 feet, with some unverified claims of larger individuals. The great white shark has a light gray back and distinct white belly, which earned the species its name.
While great white sharks are formidable hunters, they are extremely careful to avoid injury. This is why the sharks hunt by relying on the element of surprise. Great white sharks are famous for attacking their prey (seals, fish, and sea birds) from below. This behavior sometimes carries the shark completely out of the water by up to 10 feet (called breaching). One of the first places researchers witnessed the sharks breaching was Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa. This incredible display is not only a show of great white sharks’ strength and agility, but also their unexpected grace and beauty.