US Stamps
Commemoratives of 1950-1951
Seventeen commemorative US stamps were issued between 1950 and 1951, making an average output of about eight commemorative stamp issues per year. This was a nice respite from the onslaught of new stamps issued during 1948 and 1949.
During this period, there were important anniversaries of people and events that led to the birth of the United States of America, along with an impressive set of stamps celebrating the establishment of the District of Columbia, as the Capitol of the United States.
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The four 3 C. denomination commemorative US stamps shown above (Sc. #989-92) were issued between April and November, 1950 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Establishment of the National Capitol at Washington, D.C.
The designs of these US stamps feature:
- 03 C. - Statue of Freedom on the Capitol Dome. The eighteen foot tall Statue of Freedom, a bronze sculpture by Thomas Crawford (1814-1857), was actually not placed on the Capitol Dome until 1863.
- 03 C. - Executive Mansion or The White House. Constructed between 1792 and 1800. It's first resident was President John Adams.
- 03 C. - United States Supreme Court. Constructed in 1935.
- 03 C. - United States Capitol. Constructed between 1793 and 1800.
The site of the District of Columbia, along the Potomac River, was originally selected as the location of the United States Capitol by President George Washington (1732-1799). The rationale, put forth by James Madison (1751-1836) in the Federalist Papers, was that the Federal District, or National Capitol, of the United States should be distinctly separate from the states themselves. The United States Constitution stipulated that the District of Columbia, which is NOT a state, be placed under the jurisdiction of the United States Congress.
Work began in about 1791, and in 1800, the seat of government was relocated from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to the new city of Washington in the District of Columbia.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #987), was issued on January 3, 1950 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Formation of the American Bankers Association.
The design features a coin, symbolizing the various fields of banking services.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #993), was issued on April 29, 1950 to honor the Railroad Engineers of America.
The design features locomotives of 1900 and 1950, along with the portrait of John Luther (Casey) Jones (1864-1900), the famous engineer, memorialized in song, that was killed in a train wreck near Vaughn, Mississippi.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #994), was issued on June 3, 1950 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Incorporation of Kansas City, Missouri.
The design of these US stamps shows images of Kansas City in 1850 and in 1950. Originally called the Town of Kansas, the name was changed to the City of Kansas in 1853.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #995), was issued on June 30, 1950 to honor the Boy Scouts of America, on the occasion of the National Jamboree, held in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #996), was issued on July 4, 1950 to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Indiana Territory.
The design features a portrait of Governor William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) and the first Territorial Capitol at Vincennes, Indiana.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #997), was issued on September 9, 1950 to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of California Statehood.
The design features the S.S. Oregon, a gold miner, and pioneers.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #998), was issued on May 30, 1951 for the Final Reunion of the United Confederate Veterans (UCV) at Norfolk, Virginia.
The UCV or United Confederate Veterans
was an association of military veterans of the Confederate States of America, founded in New Orleans in 1889. In 1951, only one living veteran, 98-year-old James Moore (1852-1951) of Selma, Alabama, was able to attend.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #999), was issued on July 14, 1951 to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Settlement of Nevada.
The design of these US stamps shows a view of the Carson Valley in 1851. With the vast gold and silver deposits in California and Nevada, Nevada became an important center of commerce in the West, justifying the opening of a branch of the United States Mint in Carson City, Nevada in 1870.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #1000), was issued on July 24, 1951 to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the Landing of Cadillac at Detroit.
Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1658-1730) was a French explorer and adventurer in New France, a territory that stretched from present-day Eastern Canada to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1701, he founded Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit, that would become the modern-day city of Detroit, Michigan.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #1001), was issued on August 1, 1951 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Colorado Statehood.
The design features the State Capitol in Denver, Colorado.
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The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the left (Sc. #1002), was issued on September 4, 1951 to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the formation of the American Chemical Society.
The design features the ACS emblem and symbols of chemistry.
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above, at the right (Sc. #1003), was issued on December 10, 1951 to commemorate the 175th Anniversary of the American Revolutionary War Battle of Brooklyn.
The design of these US stamps depicts General George Washington evacuating his army, along with the Fulton Ferry House.
The Battle of Brooklyn (August 27, 1776), also known as the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was the first major battle of the American Revolutionary War, following the Declaration of Independence. It was actually a defeat for the inexperienced Continental Army, giving the British control of New York City. General George Washington managed to evacuate his entire army and retreat, without a single loss of life.
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Commemoratives of 1950-1951
The 3 C. denomination stamp shown above (Sc. #988) was issued on January 27, 1950 to honor Samuel Gompers, the British-born American labor leader.
Samuel Gompers (1850-1924) was a key figure in the history of American labor, and he was the founder of the American Federation of Labor (AFL), serving as its president from 1886 to 1924.