About This Stamp
The Postal Service commemorated the 500th anniversary of Columbus landing in Puerto Rico with the issuance of a commemorative stamp on November 19, 1993, at the Centro de Bellas Artes in Washington, D.C. The stamp features two caravel ships approaching land.
In addition to the First Day of Issue ceremony, selected post offices in Puerto Rico participated in local stamp ceremonies and offered special 500th anniversary pictorial cancellations.
Designed by artist Richard Schlecht of Arlington, Virginia, the stamps were printed in the photogravure process by Stamp Venturers, Inc., and issued in sheets of 50.
Stamp Designer
Richard Schlecht
Richard Schlecht grew up in Colorado and graduated from the University of Denver with a degree in journalism. He came to art as an illustrator of military subjects during his service in the Army, and worked at commercial graphics studios before embarking on a freelance career in 1967. A specialist on the subjects of underwater archaeology, maritime history, and the visual reconstruction of historic and prehistoric archaeological sites, he has worked extensively with National Geographic, the National Park Service, Time-Life Books, and Colonial Williamsburg. He has created imagery for twenty-one United States postage stamps and spends several months each year in Italy painting for exhibition and pleasure.