Celebrate Thanksgiving with Your Stamp Collection

Thanksgiving-themed US stamps offer collectors a warm glimpse into the nation’s history, traditions, and artistic heritage. While the holiday hasn’t been a frequent subject of US postage, several issues highlight its themes—most notably stamps featuring classic Americana, harvest imagery, and scenes tied to early colonial history. Designs such as the 1920 Pilgrim Tercentenary stamps celebrate the Pilgrims’ arrival and the cultural roots often associated with Thanksgiving, while later commemoratives have honored events and symbols linked to gratitude, community, and the harvest season. Together, these stamps provide a meaningful way to mark the holiday, reflect on its historical origins, and appreciate the artwork that brings these stories to life.

Only two US stamp issues officially commemorate the Thanksgiving holiday. US #3546 has a stitched appearance that gives it a warm and inviting feeling. The design features a warm harvest still life—an inviting arrangement of fruits, vegetables, and autumn colors created in the style of American folk art. Its focus on abundance and gratitude reflects the themes most closely associated with Thanksgiving.

The four-stamp continuous image on US #4417-20 depicts the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade passing through Time’s Square. One of the most iconic holiday traditions, it first took place in 1924. Known for its giant character balloons, marching bands, and elaborate floats, the parade ushers in the holiday season as millions watch from the streets of New York City and on television nationwide.

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is traditionally linked to the Pilgrims and the 1621 harvest feast they shared with the Wampanoag people at Plymouth. This story—often simplified and taught as a moment of peaceful cooperation—has long served as a symbolic origin for the holiday, emphasizing gratitude, resilience, and the hope for a new beginning. Romanticized images of Pilgrims in black clothing, long tables of food, and a harmonious gathering have become part of the cultural shorthand for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has long been associated with the harvest season, reflecting its roots as a celebration of abundance and the completion of a year’s hard work. Long before it became a national holiday, communities across North America held autumn gatherings to mark the successful gathering of crops and to prepare for the coming winter. This connection to the harvest remains central to the holiday’s imagery today—pumpkins, corn, wheat, and overflowing baskets symbolize prosperity, gratitude, and the natural rhythms of the agricultural year. Even as modern life has shifted away from farming, Thanksgiving continues to draw on these traditions, reminding us of our reliance on the land and the importance of giving thanks for life’s provisions.

Get the Crops of America stamps in coil and convertible booklet formats.
Or add the four Barn stamps in sheet and coil formats to your collection.

The Norman Rockwell Four Freedoms souvenir sheet brings together the artist’s celebrated 1943 paintings inspired by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s call for a world built on four essential human rights: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want, and Freedom from Fear. Created during World War II, these images were meant to rally Americans around shared ideals and the hope of a safer, more secure future. Among them, Freedom from Want has taken on a special place in American culture, thanks to its warm portrayal of a family gathered for a plentiful meal. Over time, its imagery has become inseparable from Thanksgiving, symbolizing gratitude, abundance, and the comfort of being together.

Learn more about how Thanksgiving became a national holiday.