MEDALS ON STAMPS

I collect medals on stamps. I used to buy these from numismatic author and fellow Rittenhouse Society member George Fuld. He and his wife owned a stamp store at one time. Unfortunately he sold the stamp business before he died. I don't have that privilege any more.

Last week the U.S. Postal Service launched a third medal-on-stamp issue in their Medal of Honor stamps honoring recipients of the country's highest military honor. This time for service. during the Vietnam War,

These stamp “sheets" are a folded panel, half on one side, half on the other, what the Post Office calls a "Prestige Folio.”

Similar stamps were issued previously for World War II service in 2013, and Korean War in 2014. All stamps in the series have a border of photos of recipients of the medal. Two different medals were illustrated -- one for the Army and one for the Navy. -- in the first two issues.

The stamps issued this week are nondenominational Forever (49c) in a folded pane of 24 stamps. Twelve stamps appear on on each half of the folded sheet, That folded concept, in addition to photos of America’s heroes, make this series distinctive.

There are three different medals this time, in addition to the Army and Navy versions, the Air Force Medal of Honor is shown on a third stamp. Medals are illustrated in full color on a black background.

In the border around the twelve stamps are photographs of twenty recipients of the medal, forty on the full pane. Most are bare-headed, a few are shown with a hat or headgea of their military unit. Their names are printed on the back of the panel identifying each.

First Day of Issue was May 25 in Washington. DC.

Since the medals sown on the stamps are of such a high rank military deoration, it is the highest form of medal design and manufacture as well. All three medals are of unusual shape, trimmed in silhouette with pierced openwork. Two contain green enamel in the wreath behind the five-pointed star around the center device.

I remember seeing these medals being made when I worked for Medallic Art Company in New York City. Piercing out that openwork around the eagle on the Army Medal or the arrows on the Air Force Medal was particularly critical.

Making the pad of star-encrusted blue ribbon was also difficult. Every medal, every component had to be absolutely prefect. The recipients of the highest honor deserved the very best!

Kudos to the Post Office Service for this highly innovative and creative stamp issue. You have honored our heroes and you have also honored this medal. All three versions.

To read the complete article, see:
Medal of Honor series adds Air Force medal in pane of 24 (www.linns.com/en/insights/us-stamps-and-postal-history/2015/05/medal-of-honor-series-adds-air-force-medal-in.html)

	NBS (coinbooks.org) Web