In 2016, New York City’s Jacob Javits Center hosted the World Stamp Show – NY 2016.  As usual, special stamps were released during the exhibition to recognize the event.  The stamps, issued as two separate souvenir sheets, mirror the stamp show designs from 2015, but in lighter shades of red and blue.

Although the 2016 event was the 11th international stamp show held in the United States, only 10 postal souvenir sheet designs have been issued to commemorate these philatelic events.  

To honor the first show in 1913, Hamilton Bank Note Company printed commemorative exhibition labels, which featured the engraved bust of George Washington.  Now considered “Cinderella” stamps, they were not well-received by the government.  Despite being three times larger than an authentic postage stamp, the labels were temporarily prohibited for fear people would use them as postage.  They were re-released with overprinting a short time later.

The Post Office became more involved with the next world stamp show, held in 1926.  To honor the event, the White Plains Souvenir Sheet was issued.  The USPS has issued a souvenir sheet for every U.S. world stamp show since.
 

 

Value:  47c

Issued: May 28, 2016

First Day City:  New York, NY

Type of Stamp:  First Class Mail

Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America

Method:  Intaglio, Offset

Quantity Printed:  9,600,000