2004 37c Snowy Egret, Microprint USPS

U.S. #3830D
37¢ Snowy Egret, Micro USPS
Issue Date: January 30, 2004
City: Norfolk, VA
Printed By: Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd
Printing Method: Photogravure
Perforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11.5 x 11
Color: Multicolored

Note: #3830D is a minor variety of #3830, distinguished by microprinted "USPS" lettering on the bird's breast, rather than a separately issued stamp with its own issue date.

This stamp was part of a definitive series issued between 2003 and 2005, featuring artist Nancy Stahl's rendering of a snowy egret, a bird widely regarded as one of the most striking in North America. Designer Carl T. Herrman based the stamp art on photographs, capturing the head and upper body of the bird set against a solid blue background. The snowy egret is a slender white heron marked by black legs and bright yellow feet, and it makes its home in marshes, swamps, and other wetland habitats across the country.

The species faced a serious threat in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the egret's long, lacy plumes became a popular decoration for women's hats. Demand for these feathers drove hunters to kill snowy egrets in massive numbers, pushing the species to the brink of extinction. Conservation efforts led by the National Audubon Society and other organizations helped reverse this decline, allowing snowy egret populations to recover over the course of the twentieth century.

This particular version of the stamp, identified by collectors as the Micro USPS variety, includes tiny microprinted lettering as a security feature meant to help distinguish genuine stamps from counterfeits. Printed by Ashton Potter USA using the photogravure process, the design remained in production across several printings between 2003 and 2005, making the snowy egret series one of the longer running definitive issues of the early 2000s. The stamp's popularity endures in part because of Stahl's elegant rendering of the bird, capturing the same graceful curve of the neck that once made the egret's feathers so sought after, only this time preserved in a lasting tribute rather than a fashion trend that nearly wiped out the species.