The popular Flags of Our Nation stamp series comes to a close today with the issuance of the final set of stamps. Set 6 features the flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the state flags of Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The tenth flag, the Stars and Stripes, has appeared in every Flags of Our Nation stamp set since the series began in 2008.
Artist Tom Engeman created the highly detailed flag portraits, reproducing as accurately as possible—considering the stamp-size format—such complex elements as intricate state seals and coats of arms. Over the years, the artist’s colorful and imaginative designs have appeared on many USPS products, including the Baltimore Checkerspot stamp issued earlier this year.
Flags of Our Nation Set 6 Digital Color Postmarks (Set of 10)
In addition to the flag art, each stamp in the series includes a “snapshot view” of a state, a territory, the District of Columbia, or the nation as a whole. This artwork, also by Tom Engeman, usually shows an ordinary scene or activity, or a typical plant or animal, but occasionally it depicts something less commonplace. It is not restricted to official animals, flowers, and products; nor is it meant to showcase familiar buildings, landmarks, and monuments.
The stamps in Set 6 of the Flags of Our Nation series are being issued as Forever® stamps. (Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.) These “se-tenant” stamps (a philatelic term describing an attached pair, strip, or block of stamps that differ in design, color, or denomination) are arranged alphabetically in strips of ten stamps and sold in coils of fifty stamps (five strips of all ten designs in each coil).
Some of the Flags of Our Nation sets issued earlier are still available for purchase online. Set 3 includes the states of Kentucky through Missouri, while Set 4 includes the states of Montana through North Dakota. Set 5 features the flags of Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. If you want to add Sets 1 and 2 to your collection, you can order them by phone at 1-800-STAMP-24.
Although today marks the end of a stamp series, a new series will begin later this week! We’ll have more details on Saturday.
USPS Stamp of Approval 