How Stamp Subjects Are Selected

Every year, new stamps celebrate uniquely American subjects. But why are some subjects chosen and others not? And what does that process look like?

Some 15,000 stamp suggestions pour in annually from the public, via the U.S. mail, using a stamp. (That is one of several requirements for recommending a stamp subject.) Each receives a response. A published list of general criteria winnows down that number considerably.

For example, “A lot of people write in about very important people who are doing important things, and they want to honor them,” says Claudia Daniels, copywriter and researcher in USPS Stamp Development. “The person may absolutely deserve the honor. Yet selection criteria require that a person be deceased for at least three years before appearing on a stamp. That’s often what people miss.”

After that first cut, the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) weighs in at quarterly meetings on a smaller set of suggested subjects. Noteworthy are the specialties of CSAC members — from art, design, and history to sports, technology, and Americana — that now come into play.

As the committee prepares its final 20–25 recommended stamp subjects for approval by the Postmaster General, they’re looking to mark anniversaries and to find balance between topics such as science, arts, history, and culture. “CSAC is the voice of the American public,” Daniels says. “And their different backgrounds and expertise are reflected in the diversity offered in each year’s stamp program.”

CSAC meetings rely on confidentiality and a democratic process. Not only are final votes anonymous, but each suggested topic also comes to the committee without bias. “CSAC does not know whether there are 10,000 letters supporting a subject, or just one,” Daniels says — “or whether a congressman recommended a subject or my grandmother. That way, all subjects have equal consideration.”

“We want to highlight what’s great about America,” says Joe Kelley, current chair of CSAC and an avid stamp collector. “The hope is to not only draw more people to the hobby of stamp collecting, but also encourage people to simply use stamps. With so much emphasis today on the popularity of all things ‘retro,’” Kelley says, “why not be retro yourself and write a letter?”

Find out how to submit your stamp idea, and read part two of this series on how stamps are made.