the john muir exhibit - stamps - 1998 stamp
John Muir 1998 Postage Stamp
and First Day Covers
While most of the links on this page were last updated in 2000, an updated (2022) and expanded, regularly updated version of John Muir Stamps and First Day Covers may be found on the Planet Patriot John Muir Postage Stamps and Covers website. That site is regularly updated by American First Day Cover Society member Harold Wood, and features a more visual approach with a photo gallery of John Muir First Day Covers.
Reverse side of stamp reads:
"Often referred to as a father of national parks,
John Muir
was a naturalist who championed
the wilderness and its preservation."
This Celebrate the Century Issue stamp depicts preservationist John Muir and Yosemite Valley, California. Designed by Carl Herrman, of Laguna Niguel, California. The first day of issue for the stamp was February 3, 1998 in Washington, D.C. Scott Number: 3182j
Background on the Stamp
The unveiling of this stamp was on Wednesday, January 7, 1998, at
John Muir National Historic Site, in Martinez, California. The stamp is part of the U.S. Postal Service stamp and education program "Celebrate the CenturyTM." The first day of issue for the stamp was actually nearly a month later, on Tuesday, February 3, 1998 in Washington, D.C., along with the other stamps of the "Celebrate the Century" 1900's series.
The "Celebrate the Century" program provided a series of stamps for each decade of the 1900s. See the USPS Press Release of December 11, 1997: POSTAL SERVICE ANNOUNCES FIRST 30 STAMPS IN CELEBRATE THE CENTURY PROGRAM.
From June 9, 2016 – March 25, 2018, the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum is offering an exhibition named Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks, of which one section, Origins, includes the original John Muir Stamp Art from the 1998 Celebrate the Century Issue) on loan from the United States Postal Service, Postmaster General's Collection. This stamp art is unique in that it just shows Muir with background of Yosemite, without the postal service postage markings. The National Portrait Gallery provided this descriptive text about John Muir in the exhibit:
"Scottish immigrant John Muir (1838-1914) first visited Yosemite in 1868 and was captivated by its magnificence. He lived in the valley for ten years, studying its wildlife, botany, and geology and preaching his "gospel of the mountains" to visitors. The remainder of his life was devoted to Yosemite's preservation as a national park and to the Sierra Club, which he founded in 1892."
First Day Covers
You can scroll through each of the covers below by starting with the beginning item.
It is unknown how many First Day Covers exist for this issue. Below is a sampling of those we have found so far. If you know of others, please send us a scan of it in JPEG format, or a color photocopy, for addition to this virtual collection.
Combination Covers
Other Philatelic Collectibles
Muir was first featured on a 5 cent postage stamp in 1964.
See also:
130th Anniversary of the Sierra Club with John Muir Cachet by Coverscape (2022)
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