Number: RS20221
Title: Commemorative Postage Stamps: History, Selection Criteria, and Revenue Potential
Authors: Kevin R. Kosar, Government and Finance Division 
Abstract: More than 1,800 commemorative stamps have been issued since the first in 1893. In recent years they have been marketed to attract non-collectors and children. In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will issue 99 different commemorative stamps. In considering subjects for commemorative stamps, the USPS Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, guided by 12 basic criteria, reviews and appraises the approximately 50,000 proposals submitted for commemoration each year. The postmaster general (PMG) has the exclusive and final authority to determine both subject matter and design. A number of resolutions are introduced in Congress each year urging that consideration be given to a particular subject for commemoration, but few are passed, and the advisory committee accords them no special status. The commemorative stamp program contributed an estimated $225.9 million in retained revenues for the USPS in 2005.
Pages: 6
Date: January 29, 2007