| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | July 4, 2018 |
| Year | 2018 |
| Quantity | 3,000,000 |
| Denomination |
First-Class Mail Forever
|
| Denomination Value | $0.50 |
| Perforation or Dimension | 1.225 x 1.225 in/31.12 x 31.12 mm |
| Series | O Beautiful |
| Series Time Span | 2018 |
| Issue Location | Colorado Springs, CO 80910 |
| Postal Administration | United States |
An image of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located in North Carolina and Tennessee, appears on this stamp. It belongs to the “Spacious Skies” row of the pane, and the photograph was taken by Tim Fitzharris. The photograph shows a lightly misted mountain range.
On July 4, 2018, in Colorado Springs, CO, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the O Beautiful stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 20 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps. The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 4, 2018.
With the release of the O Beautiful stamps, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the beauty and majesty of the United States through images that correspond with one of the nation’s most beloved songs, “America the Beautiful.” Each of the 20 stamps on the pane features a photograph that helps illustrate one of five phrases from the song’s famous first verse: “Spacious Skies” (top row), “Waves of Grain” (second row), “Mountain Majesties” (third row), “The Fruited Plain” (fourth row), and “Sea to Shining Sea” (bottom row). Art director Ethel Kessler designed the pane using existing photographs.
From Bailey Island on the coast of Maine to the rugged cliffs of Nāpali Coast State Wilderness Park in Hawai‘i, the O Beautiful Forever® stamps showcase the extraordinary natural beauty found in the United States.
The stamps include four national parks, one national seashore, state parks, parks managed by the U.S. Forest Service, and Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. They highlight some of the nation's hidden gems, such as wheat fields in Wisconsin and Montana, and the lush, fertile landscape surrounding Orinda, California. They also celebrate the country's ephemeral wonders, including a double rainbow arching over a Kansas field, the aurora borealis lighting up Three Fingers Mountain in Washington, and a quietly stunning spring sunset over the green hills of Livermore, California.