Liberty Flag

On February 22, 2012, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ will issue a Four Flags First-Class Mail^® Forever^® stamp (priced at 45 cents), in four designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stampsand a PSA coil of 100. The stamp will go on sale nationwide February 22, 2012.

On June 1, 2012, in McLean, Virginia, the Postal Ser­vice™ will issue a Four Flags First-Class Mail^® stamp (For­ever^® priced at 45 cents), in four designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 10 stamps.

On September 22, 2012 in Humble, TX, the Postal Service™ will issue a Four Flags First-Class Mail^® stamp (Forever^® priced at 45 cents) in four designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) automated teller machine (ATM) sheetlet of 18 stamps.

The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the Stars and Stripes with the issuance of Four Flags. This quartet of stamps features a bright U.S. flag against a white background. A single word appears on each of the four stamps in large letters: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice. The black typeface recalls the look of Colonial-era printing.

The current U.S. flag consists of 13 stripes and 50 stars. Congress passed legislation in 1818 stating that the number of stars on the flag should match the number of states in the Union. It also specified that new stars would be added to the flag on the July 4 after a state’s admission. The current flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawaiʻi became a state on August 21, 1959.

The flag illustration by the late Arnold Holeywell is based on a photograph taken by art director Howard Paine. Paine also served as the typographer for the stamp.

The Four Flags stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.