The Americana series was a series of United States definitive postage stamps issued between 1975 and 1981. Denominations ranged from one cent to five dollars. It superseded the Prominent Americans series, and was in turn superseded by the Great Americans series and the Transportation coils. The series consisted of twenty stamps issued in sheets, twelve issued in coils, and one produced especially for a booklet.
While the stamps were not part of the Bicentennial Series of stamps released from 1971-1983, their theme fit in well with the idea of looking back over two hundred years. For the series celebrated basic American concepts that have animated the nation's entire history, rather than individual heroes or heroines from any particular period. Unlike any previous definitive series, the Americana set did not contain a single image of a president (an omission that may perhaps reflect national disillusion in the wake of the recent Watergate scandal). Indeed, this was the first American definitive series in which no male human being appeared, and the two female figures in the set are purely allegorical, rather than representing actual women.
The preceding Prominent Americans series had been deliberately produced without basic design guidelines, resulting in widely diverse pictorial and lettering styles. In clear contrast, the Americana series strictly followed a uniform plan that dictated the appearance both of individual stamps and of stamps grouped together in blocks of four. Each denomination is framed on two adjacent sides by text (generally relating to American history or freedoms) which curves around one corner of the stamp. The twenty sheet-stamps are planned so that, in a group of four rising values, the curve cycles through the four corners: top left, top right, bottom left, and bottom right. Each of the five resulting blocks accordingly appears with text that completely surrounds its perimeter, forming a rectangular border with rounded corners.
All five blocks have themes: The first, "Roots of Democracy," the second, "Rights and Freedoms of the American People," the third, "Symbols of America," the fourth, "Pioneer America" and the fifth, "America's Light". (The framing plan was only partially carried out with the coil stamps of the series. Among the twelve stamps, only two blocks can be formed, and only one of these proves thematic.)
The Americana series was the first definitive issue since that of 1922-31 not to include any fractional-cent values; instead, it presented the first decimal values assigned to U. S. Postage stamps, which appeared on coil stamps denominated between 3.1 cents and 8.4 cents, produced for the use of bulk mailers and other businesses.
Among philatelists, the Americana series is most famous for the CIA invert. An invert error of the $1 lamp stamp, it was so named because the original sheet was bought by a CIA employee who had gone to the post office to buy some stamps. Copies have sold at auction for as much as $15,000.[1]
The 16 cent and the 29 cent were issued for a proposed, but never implemented "business rate" for first class mail, which was to be higher than the personal rate (only letters with handwritten addresses would be eligible for the lower rate). The proposed rate was rejected by the Postal Rate Commission which chose instead a 15 cent rate (for two ounces, 28 cents) for all mail. Since the 16 and 29 cent stamps satisfied no rate, and were not a convenient round number, they saw little use.
The design for the 1 cent stamp was originally designated for a never-issued 26 cent stamp.
Many of the stamps were issued in mid-November in New York City. At the time, it was usual to have a stamp issuance during the annual stamp show for the American Stamp Dealers Association, which was then held in mid-November in New York City. The March stamps issued in New York were issued at the ASDA-sponsored INTERPEX show.
The series was the first U. S. omnibus definitive series since 1875 not to include a five cent stamp.
Contents |
Sheet stamps:[2]
Coil stamps:
Stamps issued only within booklets:
| Preceded by Prominent Americans series |
US Definitive postage stamps 1975 - 1981 |
Succeeded by Great Americans series and Transportation coils |