2010 Stamp Program Unveiled

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Jan 01, 2010, 08:02 ET

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Nobel Peace Prize honoree Mother Teresa, legendary actress Katharine Hepburn, Negro Leagues Baseball and Cowboys of the Silver Screen are among the subjects headlining the 2010 stamp program, the U.S. Postal Service announced today.

In addition, consumers get much-needed assistance in sending greeting cards: the first stamp designed especially for oversized or odd-sized cards. On May 17, the Postal Service will issue the Monarch butterfly stamp for use on cards that require additional postage. An illustration of a generic butterfly will be depicted on cards or envelopes to remind customers to buy the new Monarch butterfly stamp. Click here for more information.

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work, was known for her compassion toward the poor and suffering. A diminutive Roman Catholic nun and honorary U.S. citizen, she served the sick and destitute of India and the world for nearly 50 years. Her humility and compassion, as well as her respect for the innate worth and dignity of humankind, inspired people of all ages and backgrounds to work on behalf of the world's poorest populations. This stamp is tentatively planned to go on sale nationwide Aug. 26, Mother Teresa's birthday. Click here for more information.

Katharine Hepburn

The Legends of Hollywood series honors Katharine Hepburn, one of America's most fascinating and enduring film stars. This stamp will be issued May 12. Click here for more information.

Negro Leagues Baseball Stamp

The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, to be issued in June, pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. Drawing some of the most remarkable athletes ever to play the sport, the Negro leagues galvanized African-American communities across the country, challenged racist notions of athletic superiority, and ultimately sparked the integration of American sports. Click here for more information.

Cowboys of the Silver Screen

Four extraordinary performers who helped make the American Western a popular form of entertainment are honored on this stamp. Film stars from the silent era through the singing era are featured on the stamps: William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers. The stamps go on sale April 17. Freelance illustrator Robert Rodriguez produced the stamp art for these images. Click here for more information.

William S. Hart

William S. Hart (1864-1946) became one of the most popular leading men of the silent film era and frequently played the stalwart, tough-as-nails cowboy, and his favorite horse was a brown and white pinto named Fritz. Click here for more information.

Tom Mix

Tom Mix (1880-1940) was one of the most celebrated Western film stars of the 1920s. Click here for more information.

Gene Autry

For more than two decades, Gene Autry (1907-1998) entertained movie audiences and won the hearts of millions of fans with his distinctive singing style and easygoing personality. Click here for more information.

Roy Rogers

Roy Rogers (1911-1998) found great success in show business with his first starring role in a 1938 film, but kept his modest roots as a down-to-earth country boy that Americans couldn't help but admire. Click here for more information.

Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games

With this stamp featuring an illustration of a snowboarder, the Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the spirit of athleticism and international unity inspired by the Olympic Games. The stamp will be issued Jan. 22 as the XXI Olympic Winter Games convenes Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Click here for more information.

Lunar New Year

On Jan. 14, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the third of 12 stamps in its Celebrating Lunar New Year series, which began in 2008 with the Year of the Rat. The Year of the Tiger begins on Feb. 14 and ends on Feb. 2, 2011. The 44-cent stamp will go on sale nationwide Jan. 14 and be dedicated at the El Pueblo Historic Monument in Old Chinatown in Los Angeles. Click here for more information.

Distinguished Sailors

This stamp honors four sailors who served with bravery and distinction during the 20th century: William S. Sims, Arleigh A. Burke, John McCloy, and Doris Miller. Click here for more information.

William S. Sims

Commander of U.S. naval forces in European waters during World War I, William S. Sims (1858-1936) was an outspoken reformer and innovator who helped shape the Navy into a modern fighting force. Click here for more information.

Arleigh A. Burke

After serving as one of the top destroyer squadron commanders of World War II, Arleigh A. Burke (1901-1996) had an equally distinguished postwar career in which he played a major role in modernizing the Navy and guiding its response to the Cold War. Click here for more information.

John McCloy

Described by a shipmate as "like a bull" who couldn't be stopped, John McCloy (1876-1945) has the distinction of being one of the few men in the nation's history to earn two Medals of Honor for separate acts of heroism. Click here for more information.

Doris Miller

The first African American hero of World War II, Doris Miller (1919-1943) became an inspiration to generations of Americans for his actions at Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. Click here for more information.

Mackinac Bridge

The Mackinac Bridge in Michigan is the subject of the 2010 Priority Mail stamp, which goes on sale Feb. 3. The bridge, nicknamed "Mighty Mac," connects the two peninsulas of Michigan. Click here for more information.

Bixby Creek Bridge

The Bixby Creek Bridge in California is the subject of the 2010 Express Mail stamp, which goes on sale nationwide Feb. 3. This bridge was one of the seven classic concrete-arch bridges that eased the way for recreational and commercial travel in California along the Big Sur coast by way of the Carmel-San Simeon Highway, now known as State Highway Route 1. Click here for more information.

Bill Mauldin

Pulitzer prize-winner Bill Mauldin, one of America's favorite cartoonists of World War II, will be honored on a stamp in March. Click here for more information.

Abstract Expressionists

This stamp honors the artistic innovations and achievements of 10 abstract expressionists, a group of artists who revolutionized art during the 1940s and 1950s and moved the U.S. to the forefront of the international art scene for the first time. The stamps go on sale March 11. Abstract expressionism refers to a large body of work that comprised radically different styles, from still, luminescent fields of color to vigorous, almost violent, slashes of paint. Elements from Barnett Newman's Achilles (1952) were used to frame the stamps. Click here for more information.

Flags of Our Nation (Set 4)

In 2010, the U.S. Postal Service continues its Flags of Our Nation series with 10 more stamp designs that feature the Stars and Stripes plus the states of Montana through North Dakota. The stamps will go on sale in April. Click here for more information.

Love: Pansies in a Basket

The 2010 Love stamp features a white woven basket brimming with purple pansies. The stamps go on sale in the spring. The Postal Service began issuing its popular Love stamps in 1973. Click here for more information.

Kate Smith

Kate Smith (1907-1986), the celebrated singer and entertainer whose signature song, "God Bless America" (composed for her by Irving Berlin), has been called America's unofficial national anthem, is being honored with a stamp that goes on sale in time for the National Hockey League playoffs. The stamp will go on sale May 1. Click here for more information.

Oscar Micheaux

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series, to be issued June 22, honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. Click here for more information.

Sunday Funnies

The Sunday Funnies stamp pane honors Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes. The stamps will go on sale in July. Click here for more information.

Offering an idealized portrait of American adolescence, Archie existed only in comic-book form before debuting in newspapers in 1946. A typical small-town teenager with a knack for goofing things up, 17-year-old Archie Andrews is often torn between haughty brunette Veronica Lodge and sweet, blonde Betty Cooper. Click here for more information.

A military strip with universal appeal, Beetle Bailey first appeared in September 1950. Possibly the laziest man in the Army, Private Beetle Bailey is an expert at sleeping and avoiding work. His chronic indolence antagonizes Sergeant Orville P. Snorkel, who is tough on his men but calls them "my boys." Click here for more information.

Dennis the Menace follows the antics of Dennis Mitchell, a good-hearted but mischievous little boy who is perpetually "5-ana-half" years old. His curiosity tests the patience of his loving parents and neighbors, guaranteeing that their lives are anything but dull. The comic debuted in March 1951 as a single-panel gag. Click here for more information.

Garfield first waddled onto the comics page in June 1978. Self-centered and cynical, the crabby tabby hates Mondays and loves lasagna. He lives with Jon Arbuckle, a bumbling bachelor with a fatally flawed fashion sense, and Odie, a dopey but devoted dog. Click here for more information.

Calvin and Hobbes explores the fantasy life of 6-year-old Calvin and his tiger pal, Hobbes. The inseparable friends ponder the mysteries of the world and test the fortitude of Calvin's parents, who never know where their son's imagination will take him. The strip ran from November 1985 to December 1995. Click here for more information.

Scouting

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the adventure and spirit of scouting with a stamp that will go on sale July 27 at the Boy Scout's Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill, VA. Click here for more information.

Winslow Homer

The ninth issuance in the American Treasures series features Boys in a Pasture, an 1874 painting by Winslow Homer, considered one of the greatest American painters of the 19th century. The painting is part of the Hayden Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This stamp will go on sale Aug. 12. Click here for more information.

Julia de Burgos

With this 26th stamp in the Literary Arts stamp series, the Postal Service honors Julia de Burgos, one of Puerto Rico's most celebrated poets. The stamp goes on sale in September. Click here for more information.

Hawaiian Rain Forest

The 2010 Nature of America issuance features the Hawaiian Rain Forest, the 12th stamp pane in an educational series focusing on the beauty and complexity of major plant and animal communities in the United States. The stamp will go on sale in August. Click here for more information.

Holiday Evergreens

Decorating with evergreens during the winter holiday season is a popular and appealing tradition. The Postal Service joins in the winter celebrations by issuing Holiday Evergreens, beautiful new stamps that feature close-up views of the foliage and cones of four different conifers: ponderosa pine, eastern red cedar, blue spruce, and balsam fir. The stamps go on sale in October. The artist, the late Ned Seidler, was a gifted painter of nature subjects. When painting flora, he frequently used cuttings from his own yard. Click here for more information.

Angel with Lute

This stamp features an angel playing a lute from a fresco painted by Melozzo da Forli (1438-1494). The stamp goes on sale in October. Click here for more information.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For more information and low-resolution images on the stamps in the 2010 series, visit USPS Newsroom at usps.com/news.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

To download the stamp image(s), simply click on the corresponding link(s) below:

24-0_USPS10STA044.jpg - Monarch (First-Class Surcharge Rate)

11-0_USPS10STA036.jpg - Mother Teresa

0-0_USPS10STA012.jpg - Katharine Hepburn stamp sheet

1-0_USPS10STA012a.jpg - Katharine Hepburn stamp

21-0_USPS10STA014.jpg - Negro Leagues Baseball - both stamps

22-0_USPS10STA014a.jpg - Negro Leagues Baseball - play at home plate

23-0_USPS10STA014b.jpg - Negro Leagues Baseball - Rube Foster

16-0_USPS10STA005e.jpg - Cowboys of the Silver Screen - Block of 4 stamps

12-0_USPS10STA005a.jpg - Cowboys of the Silver Screen - Roy Rogers

13-0_USPS10STA005b.jpg - Cowboys of the Silver Screen - Tom Mix

14-0_USPS10STA005c.jpg - Cowboys of the Silver Screen - William S. Hart