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#2961-65
1995 32c Recreational Sports
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U.S. #2961-65
1995 32¢ Recreational Sports
- Stamps honor popular sports enjoyed by everyday Americans
- Stamps coincided with centennial anniversaries for three of the five sports featured
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Recreational Sports
Value: 32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue: May 20, 1995
First Day City: Jupiter, Florida
Quantity Issued: 150,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Format: Panes of 20 in sheets of 120
Perforations: 11.2
Why the stamps were issued: To pay tribute to the recreational sports enjoyed by everyday Americans.
About the stamp designs: The USPS wanted these stamps to stand out from previous sports issues. They brought in illustrator Don Weller, who created vivid, poster-style images of the athletes. He produced a number of quick sketches before settling on the five used on the stamps. He and the art director also consulted several sources to ensure the athletes were all positioned correctly for each sport.
Volleyball (#2961) – Weller’s volleyball illustration underwent several changes. The height of the net and the athlete’s hand positions were re-done numerous times. Additionally, Weller’s first draft pictured a woman with a bikini top and hair down. After consulting the women’s volleyball coach at the University of North Florida, he gave her a more appropriate halter top and hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Softball (#2962) – The softball stamp saw few changes from Weller’s original sketch. It shows a female athlete swinging the bat.
Bowling (#2963) – Weller based his image of a bowler on a photo of Hank Marino, who had been voted “Bowler of the Half-Century” in 1951. The photo was provided by the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. After the stamp design had been shown to the public, Weller was asked to adjust his illustration, so it wouldn’t so closely resemble Marino.
Tennis (#2964) – For the tennis stamp, Weller referenced a photograph of a male tennis professional. His stance was unusual, and the USPS requested that Weller change to one more likely to be used by a recreational player.
Golf (#2965) – Weller used a photo by Jeff McBride of Hal Sutton for the golfer illustration. In the original photo, Sutton was using an iron club, but Weller replaced it with a wood. And after the stamp was made public, he made changes to the face and hair so it wouldn’t look as much like Sutton.
First Day City: The Recreational Sports stamps were issued at the Stamporee Stamp Expo at the Jupiter Beach Resort in Jupiter, Florida.
Unusual facts about this stamp set: A small number of freak panes were discovered in which the bottom left corners folded inward during the trimming stage. As a result, the selvage was larger in those corners and they included the alignment and other marks that are normally discarded during the trimming stage. These stamps have also been found imperforate as well as versions with the yellow omitted and the yellow, blue, and magenta omitted.
About the Recreational Sports Set: Several stamps had previously honored the Olympics and professional sports, but the USPS created these as a tribute to the most popular recreational sports in America.
Additionally, three of the sports were celebrating centennial anniversaries in 1995. The US Golf Association (USGA) had held its first championship at the Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island in 1895. The American Bowling Congress was founded on September 9, 1895. And volleyball was invented in 1895 by YMCA employee William G. Morgan.
History the stamps represent: Every day, millions of Americans gather at diamonds, courts, lanes, and links to participate in their favorite recreational sport. The five Recreational Sports se-tenants honor these amateur athletes and the games they participate in.
U.S. #2961-65
1995 32¢ Recreational Sports
- Stamps honor popular sports enjoyed by everyday Americans
- Stamps coincided with centennial anniversaries for three of the five sports featured
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Recreational Sports
Value: 32¢, rate for first-class mail
First Day of Issue: May 20, 1995
First Day City: Jupiter, Florida
Quantity Issued: 150,000,000
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Lithographed
Format: Panes of 20 in sheets of 120
Perforations: 11.2
Why the stamps were issued: To pay tribute to the recreational sports enjoyed by everyday Americans.
About the stamp designs: The USPS wanted these stamps to stand out from previous sports issues. They brought in illustrator Don Weller, who created vivid, poster-style images of the athletes. He produced a number of quick sketches before settling on the five used on the stamps. He and the art director also consulted several sources to ensure the athletes were all positioned correctly for each sport.
Volleyball (#2961) – Weller’s volleyball illustration underwent several changes. The height of the net and the athlete’s hand positions were re-done numerous times. Additionally, Weller’s first draft pictured a woman with a bikini top and hair down. After consulting the women’s volleyball coach at the University of North Florida, he gave her a more appropriate halter top and hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Softball (#2962) – The softball stamp saw few changes from Weller’s original sketch. It shows a female athlete swinging the bat.
Bowling (#2963) – Weller based his image of a bowler on a photo of Hank Marino, who had been voted “Bowler of the Half-Century” in 1951. The photo was provided by the Bowling Hall of Fame and Museum in St. Louis, Missouri. After the stamp design had been shown to the public, Weller was asked to adjust his illustration, so it wouldn’t so closely resemble Marino.
Tennis (#2964) – For the tennis stamp, Weller referenced a photograph of a male tennis professional. His stance was unusual, and the USPS requested that Weller change to one more likely to be used by a recreational player.
Golf (#2965) – Weller used a photo by Jeff McBride of Hal Sutton for the golfer illustration. In the original photo, Sutton was using an iron club, but Weller replaced it with a wood. And after the stamp was made public, he made changes to the face and hair so it wouldn’t look as much like Sutton.
First Day City: The Recreational Sports stamps were issued at the Stamporee Stamp Expo at the Jupiter Beach Resort in Jupiter, Florida.
Unusual facts about this stamp set: A small number of freak panes were discovered in which the bottom left corners folded inward during the trimming stage. As a result, the selvage was larger in those corners and they included the alignment and other marks that are normally discarded during the trimming stage. These stamps have also been found imperforate as well as versions with the yellow omitted and the yellow, blue, and magenta omitted.
About the Recreational Sports Set: Several stamps had previously honored the Olympics and professional sports, but the USPS created these as a tribute to the most popular recreational sports in America.
Additionally, three of the sports were celebrating centennial anniversaries in 1995. The US Golf Association (USGA) had held its first championship at the Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island in 1895. The American Bowling Congress was founded on September 9, 1895. And volleyball was invented in 1895 by YMCA employee William G. Morgan.
History the stamps represent: Every day, millions of Americans gather at diamonds, courts, lanes, and links to participate in their favorite recreational sport. The five Recreational Sports se-tenants honor these amateur athletes and the games they participate in.
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