US # 2709
1992 29¢ White Bengal Tiger
Wild Animals
- Issued in honor of National Stamp Collecting Month
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Wild Animals
Value: 29¢
First Day of Issue: October 1, 1992
First Day City: New Orleans, Louisiana
Quantity Issued: 65,848,800stamps
Printed by: Sennett Enterprises for KCS Industries, Inc.
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Booklets of 20
Perforations: 11
Why the stamp was issued: The Wild Animal stamps were issued for National Stamp Collecting Month, which takes place in October. The theme for 1992 was “Do Something Wild – Collect Stamps!”
About the stamp design: Connecticut artist Robert Giusti was asked to create the images for these stamps. The animals he chose had to have distinctive coloring and were to be from different areas of the world. This stamp pictures a White Bengal tiger. Native to Asia, it’s the largest of the big cats. The white color is a mutation of the usual yellow or brown Bengal tiger.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Odenheimer Sea Lion Pool at the Audubon Zoological Garden in New Orleans.
The Wild Animal stamps were supposed to only be sold on October 1 in this city. Because of miscommunication, post offices around the country sold them that day. Some stamps were also sold long before the official First Day. The earliest known was postmarked on September 2.