1c Margaret Mitchell stamp

Born in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 8, 1900, author Margaret Mitchell grew-up in an environment permeated by the Old South. Her father, president of the Atlanta Historical Society, along with the family's servants, held her spellbound with stories about the Civil War and Reconstruction.

In 1922 Mitchell won a job as a reporter for The Atlanta Journal Sunday Magazine, a major accomplishment for a woman of her era. She worked at the Journal until a severe ankle injury forced her to leave. It was during her convalescence that she began to recall the stories of her youth, transforming them into the pages of a blockbuster novel, Gone With the Wind. When Gone With the Wind was published in 1936, it became a publishing phenomenon, reaching a sales record of 50,000 copies in one day.

The 1-cent Great Americans Series stamp honoring author Margaret Mitchell was issued on June 30, 1986, in Atlanta, Georgia.

The stamp was designed by Ron Adair of Richardson, Texas. Art director was Jack Williams, Postal Service manager for philatelic design; typographer was Bradbury Thompson, design coordinator, Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee; modeler was Frank J. Waslick, Bureau of Engraving and Printing; engravers were Gary Chaconas (vignette) and Gary Slaught (lettering and numerals), Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The intaglio process was used. The stamps were issued in panes of 100.

Reference: Postal Bulletin (May 29, 1986).

Scott Catalogue USA: 2168
mint

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Museum ID: 1999.2004.452