US #3185o
1998 The Monopoly Game – Celebrate the Century (1930s)
• Part of the fourth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the first release of Monopoly
• Includes text on the back with historical details
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: Celebrate the Century
Value: 32¢ First Class Mail Rate
First ... more
US #3185o
1998 The Monopoly Game – Celebrate the Century (1930s)
• Part of the fourth sheet in the Celebrate the Century stamp series issued from 1998-2000
• Honors the first release of Monopoly
• 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: September 10, 1998
First Day City: Cleveland, Ohio
Quantity Issued: 188,000,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 15
Perforations: 11.6
Tagging: Block Tagging
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the Monopoly board game and its popularity to this day.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph of a Monopoly board by Robert McClintock. Includes the following text on the back “Produced commercially for the first time in 1933, the Monopoly game became the world’s most famous board game. In a period of economic depression, players enjoyed amassing fortunes and driving opponents bankrupt.”
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held at the foot of Cleveland, Ohio’s Terminal Tower Building at Tower City Center. When it first opened in June 1930, the 52-story building was among the tallest buildings in the world and was the tallest west of New York City for 40 years.
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: For many people, the Great Depression meant a time of lost jobs, lost fortunes, and lost dreams. However, one thing the Depression could not take away was people’s memories.
One evening in 1930, Charles Darrow was sitting at his kitchen table reminiscing with friends when he remembered the glory days spent on vacation in Atlantic City. Suddenly, an idea arose in his mind. He began jotting down the names of streets that he remembered from his vacations. He then added four railroads and two utility companies. Soon he had a giant game board made out of a tablecloth. Later he added houses, hotels, and game tokens. When he was finished he had the makings of a new board game, but more importantly, a much-needed diversion for the millions of people who were jobless. Finally, these people could take their minds off their financial problems and remember what it was like to have money – even if only for a short time.
Soon Monopoly became so popular Darrow could not keep up production, and he offered it to Parker Brothers. After first rejecting the game on the grounds that it was too complicated, they reconsidered. Monopoly remains one of today’s most popular board games.
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