July 17, 2025
USPS Unveils Schooner Stamped Card at Minnesota Stamp Expo
First Day of Issue Ceremony Held at Crystal Community Center
The U.S. Postal Service today unveiled its newest stamped card — Schooner — during a First Day of Issue ceremony at the 2025 Minnesota Stamp Expo. The event took place at the Crystal Community Center and welcomed collectors, exhibitors, and maritime history enthusiasts from across the region.
The Schooner stamped card features a tranquil rendering of a two-masted schooner sailing across calm waters, based on a photograph of the Columbia, a 2014 replica of the original 1923 fishing schooner built by Reginald Bell. Known for its legendary racing history and mysterious disappearance off the coast of Nova Scotia, the Columbia continues to capture the imagination of maritime fans and collectors alike.
The card was designed by Michigan artist Libby VanderPloeg in collaboration with USPS art director Antonio Alcalá. It marks the second time the Postal Service has partnered with VanderPloeg, following her work on the popular 2023 Sailboats stamped card.
The new Schooner stamped card is a Forever product, offering customers a beautiful and convenient option for prepaid correspondence that never expires.
USPS Dedicating Official and Minneapolis Executive Postmaster Kenneth Johnson remarked, “Minnesota, with its lakes and maritime heritage, is the perfect setting for this release. The artwork — inspired by the historic Columbia schooner — offers a beautiful, lasting way to send summer greetings. We’re proud to offer this timeless card as part of our ongoing commitment to quality, creativity, and connection.
Designed to provide customers with convenient, prepaid correspondence, the Schooner stamped card is an affordable summer greeting that will last forever. I encourage you to learn more about the Columbia and its fascinating story — it’s a subject sure to interest any mystery enthusiast.”
The Minnesota Stamp Expo is an APS World Series of Philately show co-sponsored by the Twin City Philatelic Society, Maplewood Stamp Club, and Lake Minnetonka Stamp Club. Running from July 18–20, the show includes stamp exhibits, educational seminars, a dealer bourse, and youth outreach programming. The USPS is participating on Friday and Saturday only, offering philatelic products and retail services.
Attendees can obtain the Schooner stamped card with a first-day-of-issue postmark on site or by ordering through USPS.com or USA Philatelic.
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The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to more than 170 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is celebrating its 250th year of service to customers amidst a network modernization plan aimed at restoring long-term financial sustainability, improving service, and maintaining the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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Media contacts
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Desai Abdul-Razzaaq
desai.o.abdul-razzaaq@usps.gov