Cheyenne, WY — The flag that proudly flies over the state of Wyoming is about to be featured on a new U.S. postage stamp.
Governor Matt Mead will join with postal officials in dedicating the new First Class, Flags of our Nation, Wyoming stamp at a ceremony at 2 p.m., on Thu, Aug. 23 at the Wyoming State Museum. The public and press are invited to this free event in the multi-purpose room in the Barrett Building, 2301 Central Ave.
"With the release of this impressive stamp we pay homage to the majesty of our state’s flag," said Wyoming Postal Operations Manager Gary Sims.
Joining Gov. Mead and Mr. Sims at the ceremony will be Wyoming History Professor Dr. Philip J. Roberts, and Post Office Operations Manager Catherine Wright.
The stamp is included in the final set of Flags Of Our Nation Stamps, available for nationwide purchase. The stamps are only available on a roll which includes similar flag stamps from other states and territories.
The flag stamps are being sold as a series, in a coil of 50 stamps only, priced at $22.50. The Wyoming Flag Stamp is part of the series and is not sold separately.
Stamps will be available in local Post Offices on August 17.
A special Wyoming pictorial Flag Stamp postmark and souvenir collector envelope will be available to the public at the event.
About the stamp
The Flags of Our Nation multi-stamp series features the Stars and Stripes, the 50 state flags, five territorial flags and the District of Columbia flag. Ten stamps were issued first issued in 2007 and this final set features the flags of Texas through Wyoming.
In addition to the flag art, each stamp design includes artwork that provides a “snapshot view” of the state or other area represented by a particular flag. The representative image for the Wyoming stamp is the state flag, complimented by two big horn sheep.
Artist Tom Engeman, a resident of Bethany Beach, DE, created the highly detailed flag portraits on the stamps, 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 Postal Service products, including the National World War II Memorial stamp (2004) and the nation’s first Forever Stamp (2007).
Engeman also created artwork for the U.S. flag stamp designs, which were inspired by the opening lines of “America the Beautiful,” written by Katharine Lee Bates (1859-1929).
To see the Flags of Our Nation stamps, go to the Postal Store at shop.usps.com, click on Stamps and then on Coils. All current stamps, philatelic products and gift items are available by calling toll free, 800 STAMP-24, or 800-782-6724.
About the Wyoming State Flag
The Wyoming State Flag was adopted by the Fourteenth State Legislature. It was designed by Verna Keays of Buffalo, WY, selected from a number of artists in a contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. The symbolism, in her words, is as follows:
“The seal of the State of Wyoming is the heart of the flag. The seal on the bison represents the western customer of branding. The red border represents the Native American, who knew and loved our country before any of us were here; Also the blood of the pioneers who gave their lives in reclaiming the soil. White is an emblem of purity and uprightness over Wyoming. Blue, which is found in the bluest of blue Wyoming skies and the distant mountains, has through the ages been significant of fidelity, justice and virility.
“And finally, the red, the white, and the blue of the flag of the State of Wyoming are the colors of the greatest flag in all the world, the Stars and Stripes of the United States of America.”
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An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation, 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.
