American Treasures Series 

US #3524-27 features the designs of quilts created in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

On August 9, 2001, the USPS inaugurated the American Treasures Series with the issue of four stamps depicting Amish quilts.

In announcing the new stamp series, the USPS stated, “US postage stamps honor significant people, major events, and lasting achievements.  Yet sometimes, people just want beautiful stamps.”

The goal of the American Treasure Series was to create miniature works of art to adorn our mail.  The series would feature a variety of artists, art schools, and eras, and would ultimately include paintings, glasswork, and tapestries.

To begin the series, the USPS selected Amish quilts.  The quilts pictured on the stamps were based on traditional designs from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  Fittingly, the First Day Ceremony for the stamps was held on the opening day of the 39th Amish Acres Arts and Crafts Festival in Nappanee, Indiana.

US #3524-27 – Classic First Day Cover

The stamps were dedicated at the Joseph Stein Stage of the Round Barn Theatre, where the Broadway play Plain and Fancy was also celebrating its 15th season.  Plain and Fancy was the first musical to open on Broadway in 1955 and ran for 462 performances.  At the Round Barn Theatre, the stamp images were painted on a large curtain behind the stage.  The images were also projected onto the stage as the scenes began, making the stamps a part of the historic play.  Local quilters also produced replicas of the quilts on the stamps to hang in the theatre as a reminder of the national event they hosted.

US #3524-27 – Set of four Fleetwood First Day Covers

The American Treasures Series continued in 2002 with a stamp featuring the artwork of John James Audubon.  Over the next 12 years, additional stamps in the series honored Mary Cassatt, Martin Johnson Heade, Rio Grande Blankets, Gee’s Bend Quilts, Louis Comfort Tiffany, Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, Edward Hopper, William H. Johnson, and the Hudson River School.

US #3524-27 – Mint sheet of 20 stamps

Click here to view all the stamps in the American Treasures Series.

Click here to see what else happened on This Day in History.

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2 Comments

  1. gorgeous! thank you for sharing. We have a “quilt trail” in my town, painted on the side of barns.. it always makes me smile. Each one tells a story

  2. How wonderful and fun to see all of those quilts in person and painted on barns. What a beautiful world we live in!

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