| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Date of Issue | August 23, 2013 |
| Year | 2013 |
| Quantity | 40,000,000 |
| Denomination |
First-Class Forever Commemorative
|
| Denomination Value | $0.46 |
| Perforation or Dimension | 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.62 mm |
| Series | Black Heritage |
| Series Time Span | 1997 - 2018 |
| Issue Location | Flushing, NY 11368 |
| Postal Administration | United States |
On August 23, 2013, in Flushing, New York, the Postal Service™ will issue the Althea Gibson (Forever® priced at 46 cents) First-Class mail® commemorative stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps. The stamp will go on sale nationwide August 23, 2013.
The 36th stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Althea Gibson (1927–2003), a pioneering tennis player who became the first black Wimbledon champion. The tall, lean Gibson was fast, had a long reach, and relied on a booming serve and precise volleys. She blazed a trail for a future generation of African-American players, such as Arthur Ashe and sisters Venus and Serena Williams.
The oil-on-wood painting featured on the stamp is based on a photograph—taken at Wimbledon—of Gibson bending down to hit a low volley. The first black tennis player to win one of the four major singles tournaments, Gibson helped integrate her sport at the height of the civil rights movement. She twice won Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships (now known as the U.S. Open) and became the top-ranked player in the world.
Designed by Derry Noyes, the stamp features the artwork of Kadir Nelson.
The Althea Gibson stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20.