2012 U.S. stamp program loaded with landscapes

The United States Postal Service last week finished unveiling its 2012 stamp program, and it’s full of goodies for landscape collectors like myself.

The following stamps will feature images of landscapes across the U.S.:

• Louisiana Statehood (Flat Lake, Louisiana)
• Arizona Statehood (Cathedral Rock, Arizona)
• New Mexico Statehood (Cerro de Santa Clara, Cerro de Guadalupe, and Rio Puerco)
• Lancaster Country, Pennsylvania
• Glacier National Park (Logan Pass, Montana)

Several of the stamps from a planned “Earthscapes” sheet will also meet my requirements for consideration as landscape stamps.

Other notable commemoratives include the final 10-design coil in the long-running Flags of Our Nation series; a new set of five stamps honoring Pixar movies like Toy Story 2 and Finding Nemo; and a variety of stamps picturing individuals best known for their work in the fine arts.

Interestingly, the USPS has also announced multi-design issues at the 65¢ one-ounce non-machinable or two-ounce rate, and the 85¢ three-ounce rate.

In each case, the stamps in question depict animals, and may very well be popular with topical collectors. One could argue that the number of stamps being issued (five in each denomination) is a bit excessive, but such complaints are more likely to come from collectors rather than the general public, who have little reason to care whether a pane of 20 stamps contains 20 different designs or only a single design repeated 20 times.

Take a look at the entire 2012 stamp program, and then let me know: what do you think of this year’s stamps?

Published 2012-01-02