USPS has some beautifully designed stamps for 2009

You already know what a fan I am of ATCs (artist trading cards). Well, this upcoming US postal stamp is not a trading card, but based on the design of a playing card--yet it is so beautifully designed, I wanted to share the news with you.



I've loved stamps for many years, and even more so since discovering The World of Donald Evans a few decades ago. The book was in the library and I loved it so much I photocopied, in black and white, all my favorite pages. I also found out about rare/used book dealers (the book was out of print) and eventually located and purchased a copy for, what was for me at that time, a big amount: $30. (This was before you could easily find most book on a thing called the Internet for $.99 plus $3.99 shipping.) Now, Alibris lists several copies for arond $5. It is well worth the price. I'd pay $50 for it today. There were paperback and hardcover versions and the artwork, beautiful individually painted stamps, are in color. (From the flap: ""The world of Donald Evans is the size of a postage stamp. His tiny paintings are stamps for imaginary countries. For each country he created a history, a culture, a people, even national products. The stamps are memories and celebrations of private events and imaginary places." )





Well, I just discovered this portion of the USPS site, this webpage where you can see all the new stamps being issued in 2009--isn't it great to find small, inexpensive things coming in well-designed form? That's a commemorative stamp for you. There are a lot of treasures on their webpage, and information about the history behind the stamps as well. And tenative issue dates.



It's the following stamp I am drawn to, but I can't seem to get the image to show up on Blogger. So, if you're interested, go to the webpage and scroll down, and you'll see it there.




Love: King and Queen of Hearts
The Postal Service pays clever tribute to what is said by many to be world’s favorite “game” with the issuance of the King and Queen of Hearts, the latest stamps in the Love series. The two stamp designs, one of the King and one of the Queen, are based on images from 18th-century French playing cards. Stamp artist Jeanne Greco of New York City created the art on her computer.
Greco and art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, settled on a design flowing through the stamp perforations to make a continuous pattern. The Postal Service began issuing its popular Love stamps in 1973. Over the years these stamps have featured a wide variety of designs, including heart motifs, colorful flowers, and the word “LOVE” itself.