Golden Stamps of Anniversary's

The game of basketball, which is depicted on this golden U. S. stamp, is an American invention. It was devised in 1891 by Dr. James Naismith, an instructor at the International Y.M.C.A. Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. A soccer ball and two peach baskets fastened to a gymnasium balcony gave the game its start. Naismith sought to create a team sport that could be played indoors during the winter. Basketball was launched as a professional sport in 1898 with the organization of the National Basketball League. Basketball has become the most widely played and watched sport in the world.

This stamp was first issued by The Postal Commemorative Society on August 18, 1991. The stamp was designed by Lon Busch of Ellisville, Missouri.

You will receive an envelope that includes the gold stamp along with a canceled postage stamp. It addition, you will receive an information card with facts as to why this Commencement stamp was created.

This golden U. S. stamp commemorates the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of Puerto Rico. The explorer sighted the island early on November 19, 1493. After following its shoreline for much of the day, he and his men went ashore at Boqueron Bay in the southwest to fish and replenish their water supply. Early efforts to colonize were only minimally successful. In the late 16th century, the Spanish turned Puerto Rico into the most fortified area in the West Indies. Spanish rule ended when the island was ceded to the United States in the wake of the Spanish-American War.

This stamp was first issued by The Postal Commemorative Society on November 19, 1993. The stamp was designed by Richard Schlecht of Arlington, Virginia.

You will receive an envelope that includes the gold stamp along with a canceled postage stamp. It addition, you will receive an information card with facts as to why this Commencement stamp was created.

Georgia's admission to the Union, celebrated on this golden U. S. stamp took place on January 2, 1788. It was the first such action by a southern state. The Georgia colony was barely 50 years old at the time of the Revolution. Statehood coincided with growing prosperity for Georgia, based largely on the planting of cotton. Georgia is the largest state east of the Mississippi, the 21st of all 50 states in area, and the 15th in population. Since it was rebuilt after the Civil War, the capitol of Atlanta has emerged as the principal center of transportation, commerce, and finance in the Southeast.

This stamp was first issued by The Postal Commemorative Society on January 6, 1988. The stamp was designed by Greg Harlin of Annapolis, Maryland.

You will receive an envelope that includes the gold stamp along with a canceled postage stamp. It addition, you will receive an information card with facts as to why this Commencement stamp was created.

North Carolina, which is honored on this golden U. S. stamp, was the twelfth of the original 13 colonies to officially join the Union. It achieved statehood on November 21, 1789. North Carolina was the site of the first English colony in North America. Before the settlements of Jamestown and Plymouth Rock were founded, a party of Englishmen landed at Roanoke Island, part of the present-day state. The settlements there included the famous Lost Colony, whose inhabitants mysteriously disappeared between 1588 and 1590.

This stamp was first issued by The Postal Commemorative Society on August 30, 1989. The stamp was designed by Bob Timberlake of Lexington, North Carolina.

You will receive an envelope that includes the gold stamp along with a canceled postage stamp. It addition, you will receive an information card with facts as to why this Commencement stamp was created.

This golden U. S. stamp honors the North Mariana Islands, which are marking their 15th anniversary as a self-governing commonwealth in the union with the United States. The territory is a 300-mile-long archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean. It consists of 16 islands, six of which are inhabited. The islands were named in honor of Mariana, a 17th century queen of Spain. U. S. forces seized the Islands from Japan during World War II. When Commonwealth status was granted in 1978, islanders became U. S. citizens. However, they are not represented in Congress and cannot vote in Presidential elections.

This stamp was first issued by The Postal Commemorative Society on November 4, 1993. The stamp was designed by Herb Kane of Captain Cook, Hawaii.

You will receive an envelope that includes the gold stamp along with a canceled postage stamp. It addition, you will receive an information card with facts as to why this Commencement stamp was created.