Object Details
Description
To open National Stamp Collecting Month on October 1, 1992, the Postal Service issued a colorful booklet of Wild Animals 29-cent commemorative stamps, featuring five of nature's most beloved creatures: the giraffe, giant panda, king penguin, flamingo, and white Bengal tiger.
The giraffe is the tallest of all living land animals. Adult males weigh as much as 3,000 pounds and stand as high as eighteen feet. The name "Giraffa" comes from the Arabic word "zurafa," which means 'one who walks swiftly or creature of grace.'
Although the giant panda is often referred to as the panda bear, it is more closely related to the raccoon than to bears. Giant pandas are found mainly in the mountainous forests of southwestern China, where they feed largely on bamboo.
King penguins are second largest of the seventeen species of the penguin family. They are flightless birds, but it is believed they evolved from ancestors that could fly.
Its long, distinctive neck helps make the flamingo the most recognized bird in the world. Six different kinds of flamingos exist today and can be found in the Caribbean region, from southern Florida to northern South America, Africa, and Asia.
The white Bengal tiger is one of more than a half dozen distinct races of tiger, each distinguished by the color pattern of its coat. Most can be found in forests of eastern India and Bangladesh.
The stamps were designed by Robert Giusti and printed in the photogravure process by Stamp Venturers, Inc.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (August 20, 1992).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Date
October 1, 1992
Object number
1993.2070.237
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored)/photogravure
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Topic
Animals
U.S. Stamps
Link to Original Record
Record ID
npm_1993.2070.237