15¢ Martin Luther King, Jr. Approved Stamp Art by Jerry Pinkney, c. 1979 Loan from the USPS, Postmaster General's Collection to the Smithsonian Institute’s Postal Museum.

COLUMBUS, OH - The Postal Service observes the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday on Monday, January 21, 2019. Post Offices are closed and there is limited delivery of some package products, including Priority Mail Express. All Post Offices will reopen with regular mail delivery, collections, and retail services after the holiday on January 22.

FUN FACT:  How many times has Martin Luther King been featured on US postage?

A:  In 2005, the 10-stamp series “To Form A More Perfect Union” highlighted such events as the 1963 March on Washington and 1965 Selma March.  The sheet featured Dr. King’s picture in the center, as part of the selvage, but his image was not actual postage.

A 1999 stamp, then 33 cents, highlighted Dr. King as he presented “I Have A Dream” speech as part of the Celebrate the Century series of stamps featuring landmark events of the 1960s.

On January 13, 1979, Dr. King was honored on “the second of the” Black Heritage Series of stamps issued by the Postal Service. That stamp was 15 cents.  Illustrator Jerry Pinkney’s designs for the first Black Heritage stamps set the tone for the series and were emulated by later illustrators Thomas Blackshear II and Higgins Bond.

On January 28, the U.S. Postal Service will honor legendary performer Gregory Hines on the 42nd stamp in the Black Heritage series.

Gregory Hines unique style of tap dancing injected new artistry and excitement into a traditional American form. A versatile performer who danced, acted and sang on Broadway, television and in movies, Hines developed the entertainment traditions of tap into an art form for a younger generation and is credited with renewing interest in tap during the 1990s.

The stamp features a 1988 photograph by Jack Mitchell that shows a smiling Hines on one knee in a red blazer and gray pants, with one foot raised to show the taps on the bottom of his shoe. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.

His new stamp becomes available at Post Offices on January 28.