U.S. #2842
1994 25th Anniversary of the First Moon Landing (Express Mail Stamp)
- Honors the 25th anniversary of Apollo 11’s successful landing on the Moon
- Originally, the $9.95 Express Mail stamp was the only one going to commemorate the Moon Landing, but when many voices complained about how expensive it would be, Stamp Services decided to issue a 29¢ stamp as well so people far and wide could buy and enjoy it
Stamp Category: Definitive
Value: $9.95
First Day of Issue: July 20, 1994
First Day City: Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 100,500,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Intaglio
Format: Panes of 20 (Horizontal 5 across, 4 down)
Perforations: 10.8 x 11.1 (Wista sheetfed perforator)
Tagging: Prephosphored paper
Why the stamp was issued: To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing and cover the Express Mail rate.
About the stamp design: Pictures artwork by father-and-son team Paul and Christopher Calle, the same artists that designed the 29¢ Apollo 11 stamp. It pictures two astronauts on the Moon, saluting the American flag. The lunar module can be seen behind them, along with planet Earth in the background as well.
Special design details: A mistake by NASA caused the Calles to use a space suit that wasn’t from the Apollo 11 mission on the Express Mail stamp, meaning they had to make changes to their painting at the last minute. (The same change had to be made to the 29¢ stamp.)
First Day City: This stamp, along with the 29¢ stamp, had its’ First Day of Issue Ceremony in Washington, DC, at the Air and Space Museum. Apollo 11 astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, made a surprise appearance to help unveil the stamp.
History the stamps represent: In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first artificial Earth satellite, and the space race had begun. Within a year, the US had developed NASA. The new National Aeronautics and Space Administration quickly assembled the first astronaut corps and began training to prepare them to pilot rockets into space.
Despite the efforts of what became known as Project Mercury, it was Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who became the first man in space on April 12, 1961, causing President Kennedy to call for a major acceleration of the American space program. On May 5th, US astronaut Alan Shepherd’s space flight set the stage for Kennedy’s address to Congress in which he stated, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.”
His challenge launched a period of new growth for NASA and on July 20, 1969, America’s long-time dream became history when the Eagle landed and Neil Armstrong set foot on the Moon, delivering the memorable quote, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” As a tribute to this occasion, the Postal Service issued two stamps designed by the father and son team of Paul and Chris Calle.
Less 
