About This Stamp
A stamp honoring love was issued January 31, 1984, in Washington, D.C. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held at the Capital Children's Museum.
Although the Love stamp was issued in time for use on Valentine's Day mail, it was intended to enhance cards and letters on many other special occasions throughout the year such as weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries.
Credit for designing the 1984 Love stamp went to Bradbury Thompson of Riverside, Connecticut. His design featured a repetition of the word LOVE using a heart in the place of the letter V. Each of the five hearts was a different color. The modeler of the stamp was Esther Porter.
This issuance marked the third time the U.S. Postal Service issued a special stamp honoring love. The first Love stamp, issued in 1973, proved so popular that a second stamp was issued in 1982. As with the previous Love stamps, this one was printed in larger than normal quantities and was available for a longer period of time than a standard commemorative postal issue.
The stamp was printed in the photogravure/intaglio process and issued in panes of 50.