2020 U.S. STAMPS
This album created for free use in the public domain. American Philatelic Society©2020 www.stamps.org
2020 United States Postage Stamps
Year of the Rat Big Bend January 11 January 18 The new Forever stamp celebrating the Year of the Rat, This Priority Express Mail stamp celebrates the remote features a rat mask and incorporates elements with and stunningly beautiful Big Bend regions. The stamp symbolic meaning. The rat is the first of the 12 zodiac art depicts one of the Big Bend’s iconic scenes: The Rio animal signs associated with the Chinese lunar calendar. Grande flowing between the sheer limestone cliffs of Those born during the Year of the Rat may be seen as Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park. The Big very clever, self-aware and highly social. The Year of the Bend is named for the Rio Grande’s sudden left turn that Rat began Jan. 25, 2020, and ended Feb. 11, 2021. The makes the right-angles “V” in the contour of West Texas Year of the Rat stamp is the first stamp in the third series at the U.S.- Mexico border. The region is cradled within of celebrating Lunar New Year. The first series ran from this “big bend” where a visitor finds rare solitude, endless 1992 to 2005 and the second series from 2008 to 2019. beauty, and some the nation’s best stargazing. Designed The Year of the Rat stamp was sold in panes of 20. Art by art director Greg Breeding, the stamp featured a director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original digital illustration created by Dan Cosgrove. artwork by Camille Chew.
Grand Island Ice Cave Made of Hearts January 18 January 23 This Priority Mail Express stamp celebrates one of nature’s The art for this latest stamp in the Love series features amazing winter spectacles. During the winter, parts of horizontal rows of red and pink hearts on a white the Great Lakes become a wonderland of ice. Particularly background. Toward the center, red hearts in varying impressive ice formations happen on Grand Island in sizes replace pink hearts in a formation that creates one Lake Superior. This stamp art features an illustration of large red heart, the focal point of this graphic design. The how one of these ever-changing ice caves might appear connection between sentiment and the heart symbol is from the inside looking out toward the west at sunset. at least as old as the ancient Greeks. Today, the heart is With the shoreline of the mainland visible on the universally understood to symbolize devotion, affection, horizon, the sun’s rays are reflected in the pink-hued ice and love. Antonio Alcala designed the stamp and was art along the floor of the cave’s entrance. The ice formations director for this project. that resemble stalactites are rendered in various shades of blue, green, and while. Artist Dan Cosgrove created the initial pencil sketch and finished the stamp digitally.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 2 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org 2020 United States Postage Stamps
Big Bend January 18 Year of the Rat January 11
Grand Island Ice Cave Made of Hearts January 18 January 23
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Gwen Ifill Presorted Star January 30 February 3 The 43rd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors A patriotic star design is featured on these Presorted Star Gwen Ifill (1955-2016), one of America’s most esteemed coil stamps. These 10-cent standard, mail-use stamps journalists. She was among the first African Americans were printed in a coil of 3,000. to hold prominent positions in both broadcast and print journalism. She was the first woman and First African American to moderate a major news-analysis, first African-American female journalist to moderate a vice-presidential debate, and became part of the first all- female team to anchor a daily national news show, PBS NewsHour. The stamp art features a photo of Ifill taken in 2008 by photographer Robert Severi. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
Let’s Celebrate Wild Orchids February 14 February 21 The new Celebrate stamp will help send cheer to those Wild Orchids celebrates the exotic beauty of orchids deserving well wishes, no matter the occasion. The stamp with ten new stamps in booklets of 20 and coils of features an array of colorful circles in varying sizes 3,000 and 10,000. Each stamp features a photograph arranged in a random pattern. The letters in the word, of one of nine species that grow wild in the United “celebrate,” cast in a dark green hue, appear inside several States: Cypripedium californicum, Hexalectris spicata, brightly colored circles. Art director Antonio Alcala Cypripedium reginae, Spiranthes odorata, Triphora designed the stamp. trianthophoros, Platanthera grandiflora, Cyrtopodium polyphyllum, Calopogon tuberosus and Platanthera leucophaea. Orchids also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs by Jim Fowler.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 4 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org 2020 United States Postage Stamps
Presorted Star Gwen Ifill February 3 January 30
Let’s Celebrate February 14
Wild Orchids February 21
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Arnold Palmer Maine Statehood March 4 March 15 This stamp honors champion golfer Arnold Palmer This stamp celebrates the 200th anniversary of Maine’s (1929–2016). With drive and charisma, he helped statehood. Nicknamed the Pine Tree State, Maine became transform a game once seen as a pastime for the elite into the 23rd state in the Union on March 15,1820. American a sport enjoyed by the masses. The stamp features James painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was among the Drake’s action photograph of Palmer at the 1964 United many prominent artists who sought the tranquility States Open at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, of the state’s coastal towns during the summer. His MD. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp. painting “Sea at Ogunquit” (1914) captures the rugged beauty characteristic of Maine. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp. .
Garden Corsage Contemporary Boutonniere April 2 April 2 The Postal Service introduces Garden Corsage, a new Contemporary Boutonniere is a new Forever stamp 2-ounce stamp. This stamp can accommodate the similar in design to the new 2-ounce Garden Corsage weight of heavy invitations for birthdays, weddings, stamp. It can be used for wedding RSVP cards and anniversaries and other celebrations, oversize greeting is also perfect for party invitations, thank-you notes, cards for all occasions, and mailings such as small announcements, birthday cards, Father’s Day cards and gifts that require extra postage. The stamp features a other occasions when a beautiful stamp is fitting. The photograph of a corsage containing a spray of peach roses stamp features a photograph of an arrangement of a and a pink ranunculus, accented with deep-pink heather burgundy mini-cymbidium orchid bloom, a succulent and seeded eucalyptus. A cream-colored lace ribbon and a touch of green hydrangea, accented with loops of entwines the flowers. Garden Corsage is similar in design variegated lily grass. These materials are on trend for to the Contemporary Boutonniere Forever stamp, and today’s modern designs, as arranged by floral designer the two form a natural pair. The corsage was arranged Carol Caggiano and photographed by Renée Comet. Art by floral designer Carol Caggiano and photographed by director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp. Renée Comet. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 6 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org 2020 United States Postage Stamps
Maine Statehood March 15 Arnold Palmer March 4
Garden Corsage April 2 Contemporary Boutonniere April 2
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Earth Day Global Chrysanthemum April 18 April 24 Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, the The new Global forever stamp features a beautiful Postal Service issues a stamp featuring a playful painting pink chrysanthemum. The photograph, shot from of the planet, with small green lines surrounding Earth above, shows the intricate design of the flower’s and hand- lettered text. Art director Antonio Alcalá bloom. Known as the “Queen of the Fall Flowers,” was the stamp artist and designer. Ricky Altizer was mums (as they are popularly called) are on the the typographer. America’s favorite container plants. Chrysanthemum flowers come in many colors, including lime green, bronze, rust, maroon, white, yellow and purple. In the U.S. , mums are November’s birth flower and they are the official flower of Chicago. This Global forever stamp can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country to which First-Class Mail International service is available. The art director was William J. Gicker. Greg Breeding designed the stamp with an existing photograph by Hong Vo.
American Gardens May 13 With these stamps the Postal Service celebrates the beauty of American gardens. This pane of 20 stamps features ten different photographs of botanic, country estate and municipal gardens taken between 1996 and 2014. The gardens include: Biltmore Estate Gardens (North Carolina); Brooklyn Botanic Garden (New York); Chicago Botanic Garden (Illinois); Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens (Maine); Dumbarton Oaks Garden (District of Columbia); The Huntington Botanical Gardens (California); Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park (Florida); Norfolk Botanical Garden (Virginia); Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (Ohio); and Winterthur Garden (Delaware). Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs by Allen Rokach.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 8 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org 2020 United States Postage Stamps
Earth Day April 18 Global Chrysanthemum April 24
American Gardens May 13
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Voices of the Harlem Renaissance Enjoy the Great Outdoors May 21 June 13 These stamps celebrate one of the great artistic and literary With the release of the Enjoy the Great Outdoors Forever movements in American history, the Harlem Renaissance stamps, the Postal Service celebrates the many ways of the 1920s, which firmly established African Americans individuals experience America’s abundance of natural as a vital force in literature and the arts. Twenty stamps beauty. These hand-sketched and painted designs depict showcase four stylized pastel portraits of these literary five different scenes of outdoor activities — building a figures: writer, philosopher, educator and arts advocate sand castle, hiking, cross-country skiing, canoeing and Alain Locke; novelist Nella Larsen; bibliophile and biking. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps historian Arturo Alfonso Schomburg; and poet Anne with original art by Gregory Manchess. Spencer. African-inspired motifs are used as background elements of each portrait. The pane header shows a cityscape in silhouette with a sun in its midst and the title “Voices of the Harlem Renaissance.” The artist for these stamps was Gary Kelley. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.
Hip Hop July 1 The Postal Service celebrates hip hop with four new stamps in a pane of 20. Since its inception more than four decades ago, the electrifying music, dance and art movement has profoundly influenced American and global popular culture. The stamp art features photographs taken by Cade Martin that depict four elements of hip hop: MCing (rapping), b-boying (breakdancing), DJing and graffiti art. The bold, digitally tinted images are intended to appear in motion. The words “Forever” and “USA,” “Hip Hop,” and the name of the element featured appear across the top of each stamp. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps, which are highlighted with a vivid yellow, green, red and black color scheme. The title of the stamps, printed in red and black, is centered on the top of the pane.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 10 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org 2020 United States Postage Stamps
Enjoy the Great Outdoors June 13 Voices of the Harlem Renaissance Hip Hop May 21 July 1
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Fruits and Vegetables July 17 The Postal Service captures the classic beauty of still-life paintings in a booklet of 20 stamps featuring ten different portraits of fruits and vegetables. Each stamp features a collection of one kind of fruit or vegetable: red and black plums, heirloom and cherry tomatoes, carrots, lemons, blueberries, red and green grapes, lettuces, strawberries, eggplants and figs. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with existing art by Robert Papp.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Fruits and Vegetables July 17
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Bugs Bunny July 27 To celebrate his 80th birthday, a Bugs Bunny pane of 20 stamps was issued. The “Looney Tunes” star is featured in ten images. He was first honored with a 32- cent commemorative in 1997. The stamp artwork was developed in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, featuring work from Warner Bros. Animation artists. The stamps show iconic moments of Bugs Bunny’s career. The Warner Bros. Animation artists also created the sketches on the back of the stamp pane. Greg Breeding was the designer, and William J. Gicker served as art director for the Postal Service.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Bugs Bunny July 27
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Ruth Asawa August 13 Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926- 2013) is best known for her abstract wire sculptures. The ten first-class Forever stamps shows the artist’s iconic wire sculpture artworks. This stamp was first issued in Asawa’s longtime hometown of San Francisco, California. The stamps – two of each design – were printed on a pane of 20 with the left side selvage showing a portrait of the artist taken in 1954 by Nat Farbman for Life magazine. The sculpture photos were taken by Laurence Cuneo and Dan Bradica for the David Zwirner gallery in New York, which controls rights to Asawa’s estate. Ethel Kessler was the designer and art director.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Ruth Asawa August 13
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Innovation August 20 This release celebrates the American spirit of innovation with a pane of 20 stamps featuring five different designs, each representing an area in which U.S. scientists and engineers have made significant contributions: computing, biomedicine, genome sequencing, robotics and solar technology. The quest to conquer new frontiers is forged into the American spirit, but today frontiers have more to do with science and technology than geography. American scientists and engineers work with and build upon the work of their counterparts around the country and the world. Some innovations in which Americans have played a major role include the integrated circuit, vaccine research, magnetic resonance imagery and elastography, neural implants, genome sequencing, CRISPR, robotic prosthetic limbs, and the photovoltaic cell. Art director Antonio Alcala deisgned the stamps, choosing a detail of an existing photograph for each.
Thank You August 21 The Thank You stamps, issued in a booklet of twenty, are usable for notes, cards and letters of thanks sent to acknowledge a favor, an act of kindness, a job well done or gifts sent for any occasion. Highlighted in gold foil are the words “Thank you” in cursive script and an elegant floral design that swirls through and around the words. Each stamp features one of four background colors: blue gray, deep blue, muted green or soft maroon. Greg Breeding was the art director. Dana Tanamachi was the stamp designer and lettering artist.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Innovation August 20
Thank You August 21
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
19th Amendment: Women Vote August 22 With this stamp, the Postal Service commemorates the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees women the right to vote. Inspired by historic photographs, the stamp features a stylized illustration of suffragists marching in a parade or other public demonstration. The clothes they wear and the banners they bear display the official colors of the National Woman’s Party — purple, white and gold. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by Nancy Stahl.
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor September 17 With this commemorative stamp, the Postal Service marks the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor. The stamp’s image is based on artwork of watercolor, acrylic and gouache, a method of painting that uses opaque pigments ground in water and thickened to a glue-like consistency. The painting was digitally refined to convey a scene of desolate beauty at the end of the Pilgrims’ long journey to an unfamiliar world. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Greg Harlin.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 20 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org
2020 United States Postage Stamps
19th Amendament: Women Vote August 22
Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor September 17
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Holiday Delights September 24 Holiday Delights were inspired by folk art but with a modern graphic vibe. With a traditional palette of red, green and white, illustrator Kirsten Ulve channeled her love of Christmas, vintage ornaments and Scandinavian folk art to create unique digital illustrations of four holiday icons: a prancing reindeer with antlers; an ornament tied with a bow and ready to hang; a tree topped with a star; and a stocking holding a teddy bear and a sprig of holly. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.
Hanukkah October 6 The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated with a colorful, digital illustration depicting the lighting of the nine-branched Hanukkah menorah on the last evening of the holiday. All eight of the Hanukkah candles have been lit, and the child is reaching up to replace the shamash, the helper candle used to light the others in the menorah. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by Jing Jing Tsong.
Kwanzaa October 13 Kwanzaa, the annual Pan-African holiday, which takes place over seven days from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, brings family, community and culture together for many African Americans. The stamp design features the face of a woman in profile with her eyes closed. Her contemplative demeanor signifies the ways in which observers of Kwanzaa reflect on the seven founding principles, the Nguzo Saba, and their role in everyday life. A kinara (candleholder) with the seven lit candles (mishumaa saba) sits in front of her. Cool tones evoke a sense of inner peace, and vibrant design elements give the artwork a celebratory feel. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with original artwork by Andrea Pippins.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
2020 U.S. Issues Page – 22 American Philatelic Society, www.stamps.org
2020 United States Postage Stamps
Holiday Delights September 24
Hanukkah October 6 Kwanzaa October 13
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Winter Scenes October 16 Winter Scenes celebrates the beauty and serenity of seasonal sights amid snowy landscapes. The ten different photographs featured in this booklet of 20 stamps showcase the special allure of winter, with iconic scenes from the northern United States. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with existing images taken by various photographers.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Winter Scenes October 16
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Our Lady of Guapulo October 20 This Christmas stamp features a detail of the painting “Our Lady of Guápulo.” Painted in the 18th century by an unknown artist in Cuzco, Peru, “Our Lady of Guápulo” is from the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Enrobed in a pyramidal gown speckled with jewels and holding a scepter woven with roses and leaves, a crowned Virgin Mary looks down at a similarly adorned Christ Child in her left arm. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
Drug Free USA October 27 With the release of the Drug Free USA stamp, the U.S. Postal Service strives to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use. The stamp depicts a white star with lines of red, light blue, and blue radiating from one side of each of the star’s five points. Drug use can have negative impacts not only on the individual heath and functioning, but also on the well-being of families and entire communities. To fully address drug use requires a unified effort at every level of the community. Greg Breeding designed the stamp and was the typographer. The original artwork was done by Aaron Draplin. William J. Gicker was the art director.
Descriptions furnished by the United States Postal Service
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
Our Lady of Guapulo October 20
Drug Free USA October 27
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
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2020 United States Postage Stamps
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American Philatelic Society
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This album may not include every issue. Use the blank pages to add stamps to your album.
Stamps in this album are shown courtesy of the American Philatelic Society Reference Collection, created and sustained through the generosity of APS members.
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