29c Chief Joseph stamp

The Postal Service ventured westward with the issuance of a sheet of twenty 29-cent Legends of the West commemorative stamps on October 18, 1994, on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyoming. They were also issued out on the streets of Old Tucson in Tucson, Arizona, and at Fort Sill in Lawton, Oklahoma.

The Legends of the West stamps feature Buffalo Bill (1846-1917), Jim Bridger (1804-1881), Annie Oakley (1860-1926), Chief Joseph (c. 1840-1904), Bill Pickett (1870-1932), Bat Masterson (1853-1921), John Fremont (1813-1890), Wyatt Earp (1848-1929), Nellie Cashman (c.1849-1925), Charles Goodnight (1826-1929), Geronimo (1823-1909), Kit Carson (1809-1868), Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876), Jim Beckwourth (c.1798-1866), Bill Tilghman (1854-1924), and Sacagawea (c.1787-1812). Four additional stamps honor Native American Culture, Western Life, the Overland Mail, and the American Cowboy.

These stamps were the first in the new Classic Collection Series that featured Americana-themed subjects. The unique twenty-stamp format has a banner on the selvage portion of the sheet and descriptive text on the back of each stamp. The text was printed before the glue was applied since both the ink and glue were approved food-grade materials and completely safe for use.

Designed by Mark Hess of Katonah, New York, the stamps were produced in the photogravure process by Stamp Venturers, Inc.

Reference:
Postal Bulletin (October 13, 1994).

Scott Catalogue USA: 2869f
mint

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Museum ID: 1995.2075.91