The Prominent Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Post Office Department (and later the United States Postal Service) between 1965 and 1978.
It superseded the Liberty Issue of 1954, which by the mid-1960s had become somewhat dated, especially in its focus on political figures. This was the first U. S. omnibus definitive series in which Benjamin Franklin did not appear on one of the lower-valued issues. The values of the new series included figures from all walks of life, each depicted in a different style by a different designer, presumably in a quest for wider diversity—a significant departure from the uniformity of concept that had marked previous definitive issues. That portraits of two women appear in the series (Elizabeth Blackwell and Lucy Stone) represented a small but significant step toward gender equality in U. S. Stamp history: no previous definitive set had included more than one prominent female (Martha Washington in the issues of 1902, 1922 and 1938; Susan B. Anthony in the Liberty series). This was also the first definitive issue to include a stamp devoted to an African-American, with Frederick Douglass portrayed on the 25¢ denomination.
The stamps appeared one by one from 1965 on, and the basic designs had all been issued by 1968; tagged versions made their first appearances gradually through 1973, and coil and booklet versions of the 15¢ were issued in 1978 in response to a first-class rate change.
The 5¢ Washington was originally excessively shaded around the lower part of the face, so much so that it has come to be known as the "dirty face" or "unshaven" Washington. Originally appearing in February 1966, it was superseded by a lightened version in November 1967.[1][2] The $1 Eugene O'Neill stamp was notable for its repeated use by Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber, who habitually used them on his mail bombs.[3]
Highly diverse lettering and drawing styles mark the Prominent Americans series.
Stamps of the series:[4]
1¢ green - Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States
1¼¢ light green - Albert Gallatin, fourth Secretary of the Treasury, founder of New York University, scientist, diplomat, member of the Senate and of the House of Representatives
2¢ dark blue gray - Frank Lloyd Wright, architect, with Guggenheim Museum
3¢ violet - Francis Parkman, historian
4¢ black - Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States
5¢ blue - George Washington, first President of the United States
6¢ gray brown - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
6¢ dark blue gray - Dwight Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States
7¢ bright blue - Benjamin Franklin, politician, political theorist, diplomat, first U. S. Postmaster General, inventor, founder of the predecessor of the University of Pennsylvania and journalist
8¢ violet - Albert Einstein, physicist
8¢ black, red blue gray (sheet) - Dwight Eisenhower
8¢ claret (coil and booklet) - Dwight Eisenhower
10¢ lilac - Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States
12¢ black - Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, shown with the Ford Model T
13¢ brown - John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States
14¢ gray brown - Fiorello LaGuardia, 99th Mayor of New York City
15¢ claret - Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Supreme Court Justice
16¢ light brown - Ernie Pyle, World War II journalist
18¢ purple - Elizabeth Blackwell, physician
20¢ olive - George C. Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army, Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury
21¢ olive - Amadeo Giannini, founder of the Bank of America
25¢ rose lake - Frederick Douglass, abolitionist (born a slave), political activist, author and orator
30¢ reddish lilac - John Dewey, educational reformer, philosopher and psychologist
40¢ bluish black - Thomas Paine, political activist, political theorist and author
50¢ magenta - Lucy Stone, abolitionist, suffragist and political activist
$1 dull purple - Eugene O'Neill, playwright and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
$5 gray black - John Bassett Moore, jurist
^Arago: 5-cent Washington by Roger S. Brody, May 18, 2006
^Arago: 5-cent Re-engraved Washington by Roger S. Brody, May 18, 2006
^"Agent: Unabomber Used O'Neill Stamp When He Wanted to Kill". Associated Press. August 3, 1996. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
^"U.S. Prominent Americans Series of 1965-1978".
and 25 Related for: Prominent Americans series information
The ProminentAmericansseries is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Post Office Department (and later the United States Postal Service)...
ProminentAmericansseries or Liberty Issue. Where the predecessors focused mainly on political figures, the subjects of the Great Americansseries were...
Liberty issue Prominent Americansseries Americana series Great Americansseries Transportation coils Distinguished Americansseries Canadian definitive postage...
Korean Americans (Korean: 한국계 미국인) are Americans who are of full or partial Korean ethnic descent. The majority of Korean Americans trace their ancestry...
subsequently. While the Liberty stamps were generally replaced by the ProminentAmericansseries, issued starting in 1965, several of its denominations remained...
superseded the ProminentAmericansseries, and was in turn superseded by the Great Americansseries and the Transportation coils. The series consisted of...
African Americans, also known as Black Americans or Afro-Americans, are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from any...
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of those...
Beeman on the FX series The Americans, for which he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2019. Emmerich...
Iranian Americans, also known as Persian Americans, are citizens or nationals of the United States who are of Iranian ancestry. Most Iranian Americans arrived...
Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of...
used steadily for some 20 years, while Great Americans was replaced by the Distinguished Americansseries, which began in 2000. The increasing use of email...
The Distinguished Americansseries is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service which was started in 2000 with a 10¢ stamp...
American Idol is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment,...
April 29, 1858, following the Panic of 1857, seven prominent security printers merged to form the American Bank Note Company. The new company made New York...
Indigenous peoples of Siberia and Ancestral Native Americans. Both Paleo-Siberians and Ancestral Native Americans derive between 32–44% of their ancestry from...
Native Americans, sometimes called American Indians, First Americans, or Indigenous Americans, are the Indigenous peoples of the United States or portions...
[original research?] In late 1776, Paine published The American Crisis pamphlet series to inspire the Americans in their battles against the British army. He juxtaposed...
Mexican Americans (Spanish: mexicano-estadounidenses, mexico-americanos, or estadounidenses de origen mexicano) are Americans of Mexican heritage. In...
Italian Americans (Italian: italoamericani) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. According to the Italian American Studies Association...
characters. Hmong Americans (RPA: Hmoob Mes Kas, Pahawh Hmong: "𖬌𖬣𖬵 𖬉𖬲𖬦 𖬗𖬲") are Americans of Hmong ancestry. Many Hmong Americans immigrated to the...
Heartbeat is a British period drama television series which was first broadcast on ITV between 10 April 1992 and 12 September 2010. Set in the fictional...
U.S. population, and about 2.50% of Asian Americans; more specifically, around 8% of South Asian Americans. Immigrants from modern-day Pakistan (formerly...
installment of the series aired in February 2006. The series featured research into the ancestral lineages of eight prominent African American guests. By billing...
Global Information
