USPS stamps 2021 will see some old friends return along with a couple of fun new issues. The always popular Black History Month, Love and Chinese New Year stamps will be back of course. I doubt a US postal offering would be complete without them. Although not shown in the USPS press release, there will also be Christmas and Diwali stamps available. The US Postal Service is also serving up a few new stamps in 2021 that piqued my interest. Among them are coffee and confusion.
Old favourites return
Jan 14 will see the return of the LOVE stamps. Hard to believe the first LOVE stamp was sold in 1973. Since then, it has gradually turned into a perennial stamp. Check out the USPS online store to pre-order them Love Stamp | USPS.com
Black Heritage Month will celebrate the late, very great playwright August Wilson.
Wilson, a master storyteller, honed his craft by walking the streets of his Hill District neighborhood as a young man, observing, and immersing himself in Black street life, listening to old-timers talk about their daily lives. It inspired what would become his plays’ vibrant characters and lyrical language. August Wilson Archive | University of Pittsburgh Library System
This 44th stamp in the series is already available for pre-ordering August Wilson Stamp | USPS.com It will be released Jan 28th, 2021. The first stamp featuring Black History Month was the 1978 Harriet Tubman stamp. If you would like to research more on African Americans on stamps, start with the USPS page African American Subjects on United States Postage Stamps – Who We Are – USPS
One of the USPS’ popular series has been the Lighthouses of America stamps. The series began 30 years ago, April 26, 1990. This year the following lighthouses will be shown Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. I imagine collectors should start looking for them in April.
The US Lighthouse Society has a delightful page on collecting lighthouse stamps. If you haven’t checked them out, here’s the link Collecting Lighthouse Stamps by Richard T. Richardson | US Lighthouse Society (uslhs.org) If you are interested in starting a lighthouse stamp specialty collection, this would be a good starting point.
The flower offerings, Garden Beauties, will include a pink dogwood; a rose-pink and white tulip; ornamental onion; a pink and white Asiatic lily; a magenta dahlia; a yellow and pink American lotus; a pink moth orchid; a pink and white sacred lotus; an orange and yellow tulip; and a yellow moth orchid. (From the press release Hello, 2021 – U.S. Postal Service Announces Upcoming Stamps – Newsroom – About.usps.com).
Coffee and a secret
The USPS Espresso Drink stamps are, as expected, of interest to me. It’s not just the caffeine content that caught my eye, it’s the warm design that I appreciate. The stamps are a combo of rich colours and great typography. Four stamps will be sold – caffe latte, espresso, caffe mocha and cappuccino. Too bad they weren’t scratch and sniff. The stamps are nice little works of art so kudos to Greg Breeding who designed the stamps using the artwork of Terry Allen.
Mystery Message stamps are intriguing. “The new Mystery Message stamp will put your sleuthing skills to the test. Featuring bright colors and interesting shapes, the stamp design is a visual riddle spelling out a message. Each colorful square contains a letter in an interesting pattern. The patterns, though seemingly random, were carefully placed so that when put all together, the message reads.” Ah yes, a dose of frustration offered up with the daily mail and morning espresso. What could go wrong?
UDATE: APRIL 26, 2021
New things to look for – lots of great cancels. The USPS is issuing some great full colour postmarks for their First Day Covers. You can usually find 2 cancels – a traditional black one and a multi coloured cancel. At the moment, I’m pulling them off covers, but will look for better, high quality scans. The US, like Canada, doesn’t do service to the detailed work. They almost seem like an afterthought as far as posting information online. I find it a bit frustrating.
As well, I’ve improved the formatting on the page so the stamps are larger. Each page is now mobile friendly. I’ve optimised the images so they fill smartphone screens without spilling over. Occasionally I “oops” on a page and it doesn’t fit. If you run into that, pop me a message in the comments and I’ll correct it.
The USPS offers a number of non stamp items which I’m currently debating about listing. Because the point of this site is to promote fun & the love of all things philately, I think I’ll eventually add them. I think they add a great deal to the love of collecting.
As always, I welcome all comments below. It’s fun chatting with fellow collectors.
USA stamps for 2021 – January
Love
Continuing series that started in 1973
Enamel Pin & card
1 stamp, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels, card
USPS also sells a number of items with the Love design, including tote bags and notecards
Enamel pin comes with a collector card with FD cancel
Stamp designer: Baily Sullivan
This is Sullivan’s first design for the USPS
Release Date: Jan. 14, 2021 Card release date: Jan. 29, 2021
COMMEMORATIVE CACHET
1 #10 envelope with inauguration cachet for the 59th inauguration
Release date: Jan. 20, 2021
Castillo de San Marcos
Oldest masonry fortification in USA
1 stamp, FDC, cancel, special Flat Rate prepaid envelope
Stamp designer: Greg Breeding
Artist: Dan Cosgrove
Release date: Jan. 24, 2021
Brush Rabbit
1 stamp with “Additional Ounce”, coil stamps, FDC, cancel
Stamp designer: Ethel Kessler
Artist: Dugald Stermer (1936-2011)
Kessler is an Art Director for the USPS. Previous designs include the 1999-2010 Nature of America: Stamp Series with illustrator John Dawson, 2000 Library of Congress, and the 2007 Ella Fitzgerald issue.
Release date: Jan. 24, 2021
Barn Post Card Stamps depicting 4 seasons
4 stamps in series with “POSTCARD” printed on them
Stamp designer: Ashley Walton
Artist: Kim Johnson
Release date: Jan. 24, 2021
American Commemorative Sheet
200th Anniversary Maine Statehood
Stock card with the block of 4 stamps for Maine Statehood released March 15, 2020.
Release date: January 6, 2021
American Commemorative Sheet
Arnold Palmer
Stock card with the block of 4 stamps of Arnold Palmer
Release date: January 6, 2021
American Commemorative Sheet
Enjoy the Great Outdoors
Stock card with the strip of 5 stamps American Outdoors forever stamps
Release date: January 6, 2021
August Wilson (1945 – 2005) – Black Heritage Month
Renowned, Pulitzer prize winning playwright
1 stamp, sheet of 20, FDC, cancel
Stamp designer: Ethel Kessler
Artist: Tim O’Brien
See Brush Rabbit for info on Kessler
Release date: Jan. 28, 2021
USA stamps for 2021 – February
Lunar New Year -Year of the Ox
1 stamp + full souvenir sheet, 2 FDC, 2 cancels
Stamp designer: Antonio Alcalá
Artist: Camille Chew
Release date: Feb. 2, 2021
Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997)
Nuclear physicist
“one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century”
1 permanent stamp, sheet of 20, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels
Stamp designer: Ethel Kessler
Original artist: Kam Mak
Kam Mak has designed & illustrated a number of stamps. He has designed 12 Lunar New Year stamps for the USPS. Kam Maks Stamp on History | PressReleasePoint
See Brush Rabbit for info on Kessler
Release date: February 11, 2021
Garden Beauty
10 stamps forever stamps, double sided booklet of 20, set of FDCs
- dogwood
- rose-pink & white tulip
- ornamental onion
- Asiatic lily
- dahlia
- pink moth orchid
- sacred lotus
- American lotus
- yellow moth orchid
- orange & yellow tulip
Designer: Ethel Kessler [see above stamp for details)
Photographs: Allen Rokach, Rokach Photography
Release date: Feb 23, 2021
March 2021
Colorado Hairstreak
1 stamp, FDC, cancel,
Artist: Tom Engeman
Designer: Derry Noyes
Release date: March 9, 2021
April stamps 2021
Espresso Drink
4 stamps, booklet of 20 stamps, double sided coasters, 2 cancels
Artist: Terry Allen, Wappingers Falls, NY
Designer: Gary Breeding
Release date: April 9, 2021
USPS Stamps 2021 for May
May the Fourth Be With You
Star Wars Droid Stamps
Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
10 permanent stamps, sheet of 20, 2 sets FDC, 2 postmarks
If you are a Star Wars collector, you might be interested in the free USPS stamp magazine showcasing new stamp releases. The cover features a full page droid. (see below). USA Philatelic magazine, 2021, Vol. 26/Quarter 2.
Guide to a galaxy collector set includes: 24 pg guide to Star Wars galaxy, foil-stamped booklet guide to droids, pane of 20 Star Wars stamps, & fold out map to the galaxy
Designer: Gary Breeding
Release date: May 4, 2021
Heritage Breeds
10 stamps, sheets of 20, 2 sets FDC, postcards, 2 postmarks
Pre-industrial farm breeds:
- American Mammoth Jackstock donkey
- Narragansett turkey
- Cayuga duck
- San Clemente Island goat
- Mulefoot hog
- Cotton Patch goose
- American Cream draft horse
- Barbados Blackbelly sheep
- Milking Devon cow
- Wyandotte chicken
Since the worldwide adoption of industrial farming, a few breeds of livestock have been standardized for maximum productivity. As a result, many other breeds with different traits are now critically endangered, and several are extinct. These pre-industrial breeds, known as heritage breeds, possess a priceless genetic diversity that can help farmers and society at large adapt to variable conditions, ranging from new consumer tastes to a landscape altered by a changing climate.
USPS Post Office
Designer: Zack Bryant
Photos: Aliza Eliazarov
Release date: May 17, 2021
June 2021
Mallard Duck
One stamped card
Designer: Ethel Kessler from artwork by Dugald Stermer (1936-2011)
Release date: June 1, 2021
Go for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of WWII
Collector set
1 stamp, sheet of 10, FDC, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Collector set includes 16 page book, special collector card, pane of 20 Go For Broke stamps
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: June 3, 2021
Emilio Sanchez (1921-1999)
Cuban-American artist renowned for his architectural lithographs & paintings
4 stamps, 4 FDC, 2 cancels, sheet of 20, 4 postcards
Based on Sanchez lithographs & prints:
- “Los Toldos” (1973),
- “Ty’s Place” (1976),
- “En el Souk” (1972)
- Untitled (Ventanita entreabierta) (1981)
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: June 10, 2021
Sun Science
10 stamps, sheet of 20, 20 FDC, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
The striking colors do not represent the actual colors of the sun as perceived by human eyesight. Instead, each image is colorized by NASA according to different wavelengths that reveal or highlight specific features of the sun’s activity.
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: June 18, 2021
Yogi Berra (1925-2015)
Baseball all-star
1 stamp, sheet of 20, 2 covers, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Artist: Charles Chaisson
Lettering: Michael Doret
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: June 24, 2021
Migratory Bird 2021-2022 Souvenir Sheet & Stamp
Non philatelic stamps issued by US Dept. of Interior. Stamp is a hunting permit.
Artist: Richard Clifton
Designer: Suzanne Fellows, FWS
Release date: June 25, 2021
July
Mystery Message
Each square has a letter and it’s up to you to puzzle out the message.
1 stamp, sheet of 20, 2 covers, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Designer: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: July 14, 2021
Tap Dance
5 stamps, sheet of 20, 10 FDC, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Designer: Ethel Kessler designed the stamps | Photographs by Matthew Murphy
Release date: July 10, 2021
Western Wear
4 stamps, strips of 8, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Original art: Ryan Feerer
I’m so thankful that @gregbreeding gave me the opportunity to work on this. Such an amazing human being and incredible to work with. I can’t express how much this project means to me. My grandfather was a postmaster in a small New Mexico town. He would’ve been so proud!
Ryan Feerer June 25, 2021 in a Twitter conversation (I added the italics & bolding)
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: July 23, 2021
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929-2018)
Sci-fi and fantasy novelist One stamp Literary Arts series – stamp #33
1 stamp, sheet of 20, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
The stamp features a portrait of Le Guin based on a 2006 photograph. The background shows a scene from her landmark 1969 novel “The Left Hand of Darkness,” in which an envoy from Earth named Genly Ai escapes from a prison camp across the wintry planet of Gethen with Estraven, a disgraced Gethenian politician.
Designer: Antonio Alcalá based on artwork by Donato Giancola
Release date: July 27, 2021
Raven Story
1 stamp, sheet of 20, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel, pin set
Artist: Rico Worl, Juneau Alaska
Rico Lanáat’ Worl is a Tlingit/Athabacan designer. His work speaks to the experience of living with traditional values as a modern person. He is the founder of Trickster Company which strives to promote innovative indigenous design. Rico Worl – ricoworl
Design director: Antonio Alcalá
Release date: July 30, 2021
Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses
4 stamps, sheet of 20 stamps, 5 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Artist: Howard Koslow
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: Aug. 6, 2021
Missouri Statehood
1 stamp, sheet of 20 stamps, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Photographer: Charles Gurche
Designer: Greg Breeding
Release date: Aug. 10, 2021
Backyard Games
8 stamps, 8 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Backyard games – badminton, bocce, cornhole, croquet, flying disc, horseshoes, tetherball and pick-up baseball
Artist: Mike Wiggins, Little Rock, AR
Designer: Mike Ryan
Release date: Aug. 12, 2021
Happy Birthday
1 stamp, 2 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Also available from USPS balloons, greeting cards, laser lettered card and envelope
Designer: Lisa Catalone Castro and Rudolfo Castro
Release date: Sept. 9, 2021
Message Monsters
4 stamps, sheet of 20, 8 FDCs, 2 cancels including digital colour cancel
Original artwork: Elise Gravel
Release date: Sept. 24, 2021
Day of the Dead
4 stamps, 2 sets of FDCs, colour cancel, black and white cancel, notecards, postal pin
Designer: Luis Fitch
Release date: Sept. 30, 2021
A Visit From St. Nick
4 stamps, 2 sets of FDCs, colour cancel, black and white cancel, booklets of 8
Designer: Greg Breeding
Illustrator: Brad Woodard
Woodward “created his images by first sketching then digitizing them. He worked in a palette of original colors of dark blue, red, green, pink and gold/brown.” Postal News, Oct. 7, 2021
Release date: Oct. 7, 2021
Otters in Snow
4 stamps, 2 sets FDCs, colour cancel, black and white cancel, booklet of 8
Illustrator: John Burgoyne
Designer: Derry Noyes
Release date: Oct. 12, 2021
Donate & subscribe
Enjoying the content?
Consider donating or signing up for a subscription. Your contribution will help defray the costs of hosting the site and the time taken to research articles. Interested in sponsoring this page? Drop me a line contact @ bittergrounds.com
Done reading about US stamps? How about Canadian stamps for 2021
0 Comments