FREE: Commemorative Stamp "LOVE"

The listing, Commemorative Stamp "LOVE" has ended.

Originally purchased from a collection of 22k gold plated and cards from the USPS Commemorative Society. On sale now or by auction. Information on details explained below:

First Day of Issue: January 18,1990
First Day City: Romance, Arkansas,
city whose name denotes "love"
Stamp Designer: Jayne Hertko
New York, New York

This U.S. Love stamp is the ninth issue in an enormously popular series that debuted in 1974. Its cut paper design was created as part of a special project undertaken by graduate students in Yale University's Department of graphic Design. The pattern was inspired by motifs commonly seen in early-20th century Pennsylvania Dutch folk art. Next to tulips, a heart was the favorite decorative design element of the community's artists. A symbol of love, it was used in every medium employed by the folk artist, from pottery and wood carvings to textiles and furniture.

Ornamental Pennsylvania Dutch art also drew heavily on items seen in.Nature, such as animals and birds. Sometimes, the artist created a fauna motif as a foil for an inscription of homespun philosophy. At other times, animals were the focus of the design.

For example, lovebirds might be the principal design element on a piece created as a gift for a wedding or anniversary. The small, colorful birds are associated with love in popular lore because they live in closely knit pairs and show affectionate behavior toward their mates. Following a tradition established for Love stamps in 1983, the new issue was first seen by the public on New Year's Eve.

As midnight approached, an enlarged version of the design was illuminated and lowered from the clock tower of the Old Post Office Pavilion in Washington, D.C.