Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Forever Stamp 2021
Lighthouse Series
The inception of the Lighthouse stamp series by the USPS dates back to April 26, 1990, with the release of its inaugural booklet.
Commencing in 1986, the USPS embarked on issuing thematic booklets containing five stamps each. Previous themes ranged from fish and locomotives to classic cars and steamboats. However, the April 1990 launch of the lighthouse stamp set marked the first of two such thematic booklets issued that year.
While lighthouses had previously graced stamps, a call for more representation emerged from lighthouse enthusiasts. In 1987, James W. Hyland III, chairman of the Lighthouse Preservation Society, advocated for the recognition of 10 lighthouses on stamps, presenting his list to the Citizens?? Stamp Advisory Committee. Although the committee initially backed the proposal for 10 stamps across two panes, the USPS deemed it excessive, opting instead for the issuance of five stamps, albeit featuring a sixth lighthouse on the booklet cover. Notably, two of the six selected lighthouses had been previously depicted on stamps, namely Cape Hatteras and Sandy Hook.
The stamp designs made their debut unveiling on August 4, 1989, at the Customs House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts, coinciding with the anniversary of the establishment of the Revenue Marine (later the Revenue Cutter Service). The stamps were officially issued on April 26, 1990, in Washington, D.C. However, an issue arose shortly after release when some booklets were discovered lacking the white intaglio ink for ??USA?? and the denomination, leading to the emergence of error books fetching prices exceeding $500 each.
Five years later, the USPS introduced a second booklet featuring lighthouses, this time focusing on two lighthouses from the 1990 submission list, all of which were situated along the Great Lakes. Both sets garnered significant popularity, prompting the USPS to continue issuing stamps honoring lighthouses from various regions every few years, with the final installment arriving in 2013.
