WASHINGTON, (PRNewswire-USNewswire) — While the 1993 Elvis stamp continues to hold court as the most popular stamp of all time with more than 124 million collected, three sets of stamps issued during 2006
rank among the top 10, Postmaster General John E. Potter announced today.
“Stamp collecting continues as one of the world’s most popular educational hobbies that the entire family can enjoy,” Potter said in announcing the 25 most popular stamps of all time. “Three stamp subjects
issued this year were extremely popular: Wonders of America, Land of Superlatives, came in at number two for all time with more than 87 million collected; DC Comics Super Heroes hit number five with 73 million; and, Art of Disney: Romance was number eight with more than 57 million.”
Since 1988, the Postal Service has annually surveyed more than 10,000 households to determine the number and types of stamps purchased versus stamps saved.
The Postal Service receives stamp ideas from about 50,000 people every year, yet only 20 to 25 subjects make the cut. To narrow down the selection, the Postmaster General’s Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee — a cross section of designers, historians and academics — reviews the suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General for final approval.
“The fact that 10 of the top 25 were issued in the last three years serves as a testament to the Committee’s expertise in selecting dynamic subjects and America’s continued interest in the hobby,” he added.
This year proved to be the best ever for stamp shows. The Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition — as the world’s largest stamp show and held only once every decade in the U.S. — attracted nearly 140 postal
administrations and more than 200 stamp dealers to showcase the world’s rarest stamp collections worth hundreds of millions of dollars to nearly a quarter of a million visitors.
The Postal Service encourages individuals with stamp ideas to submit their suggestions in writing to:
Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee
Stamp Development
U.S. Postal Service
1735 North Lynn St Rm 5013
Arlington VA 22209-6432
To see the top 25 most popular stamp subject images, visit: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_055.htm
To see the 2007 Commemorative stamp program and learn more about the
stamp selection process, visit this link: http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007stamps/.
