U.S. #2362-66
1987 22¢ Steam Locomotives
Booklet Pane of 5 Stamps
- Features 5 historic locomotives
- Issued at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum
- Issued for the 7th annual National Stamp Collecting Month
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Steam Locomotives
Value: 22¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue:... more
U.S. #2362-66
1987 22¢ Steam Locomotives
Booklet Pane of 5 Stamps
- Features 5 historic locomotives
- Issued at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum
- Issued for the 7th annual National Stamp Collecting Month
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Steam Locomotives
Value: 22¢, first-class rate
First Day of Issue: October 1, 1987
First Day City: Baltimore, Maryland
Quantity Issued: 78,995,200 booklet panes
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Lithographed and engraved
Format: Four booklet panes of five stamps per booklet
Perforations: 10 horizontal on 1 or 2 sides
Why the stamps were issued: To pay tribute to the contributions of the different engines that sparked the railroad revolution in America
About the stamp designs: Richard Leech was originally hired to design these stamps in 1979. His initial design was a block of four picturing the Stourbridge Lion, the Best Friend of Charleston, the Gowan & Marx, and the Jupiter. The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee decided they wanted a booklet of five stamps and the Jupiter was removed and the John Bull and Brother Jonathan were added. Leech based his stamp art on original illustrations of each locomotive.
First Day City: The First Day ceremony for this booklet was held at the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.
Unusual fact about these stamps: The USPS turned down a request to honor the 150th anniversary of the Stourbridge Lion’s first run in 1979 because “the Postal Service could not honor something that was not of US origin.”
About the Locomotives Booklet: The 1987 Locomotives stamps were selected as that year’s annual National Stamp Collecting Month issue. Along with those stamps came the theme, “Steaming Along with Stamp Collecting. All Aboard!”
History the stamps represent: Depicted are: the Stourbridge Lion, the first actual locomotive to run on tracks in America; the Best Friend of Charleston, the first locomotive to pull a train in America; the John Bull, the oldest complete engine preserved in the United States; the Brother Jonathan, at one time the fastest locomotive in the world; and the Gowan & Marx, at one time the most powerful of all locomotives.
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