USPS to Offer 2005 Inaugural Keepsake Set

Presidential campaign memorabilia, patriotism and the history of Old Glory will be highlighted Jan. 20 as the Postal Service commemorates the 2005 Presidential Inauguration by issuing an Inaugural Keepsake Set. The set includes a specially designed Inaugural envelope with photos of President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney along with a 26-page educational stamp booklet that recounts the colorful history of the United States flag through nearly 100 photographs, and includes twenty 37-cent stamps.

"Despite our nation's incredible capacity for innovation and change, tradition lies at the heart of our shared American heritage. And nothing says that better than Old Glory -- the red, white and blue," said Postmaster General John E. Potter in a USPS press release. "An important part of that tradition is the inauguration of our President, amid a sea of colorful flags, bunting and other symbols of patriotism. The Inaugural Keepsake Set, which includes the Old Glory Prestige stamp booklet, perfectly captures this exciting emotion that is at the heart of our democracy," explained Potter.

The colorful Inaugural Keepsake envelope is based on a Presidential campaign postcard from the early 1900s.

The Old Glory Prestige stamp booklet shows how parade decoration posters and other patriotic displays were used to communicate to Americans while giving us a look at how the Stars and Stripes were used to tell our nation's story.

Inaugural Keepsake Set: Envelope
The $11.95 Inaugural Keepsake Set, available Jan. 20, includes a special color Inaugural postmark on a full-color envelope bearing photographs of the President and Vice President set into a reproduction of a historic Presidential campaign postcard. To add historical color, each envelope bears an Old Glory prestige commemorative flag stamp and is packaged with an educational stamp set containing images of the flag throughout the nation's history, and twenty 37-cent stamps.

Inaugural Keepsake Set: Old Glory Prestige Booklet
Issued in 2003 and containing two pages of 10 stamps each (five designs), the Old Glory prestige booklet vividly illustrates examples of America's colorful patriotic heritage through nearly 100 photographs taken from collections at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, and other well-known collections. In addition to the photographs, a comprehensive narrative (follows release) describes the countless ways images of the flag were used as backdrops to promote everything from patriotism to political advertising to piggy banks.

The five stamp designs are:

a 19th-century hand-painted carving of a woman proudly holding aloft a sword and flag;

an 1888 presidential campaign badge with a photograph of Benjamin Harrison;

the top portion of a silk bookmark that was woven at the World's Columbian Exposition in 1893;

an example of 20th-century folk art featuring Uncle Sam riding a high wheel bicycle; and

a modern folding fan with a flag design.

The stamps were designed and art directed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ. Sheaff has been a design consultant to the Postmaster General's Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee and in that capacity has been responsible for the design or art direction of more than 200 U.S. postage stamps. Sheaff also designed the Inaugural color postmark and served as art director for the Inaugural envelope.

The Inaugural Keepsake Set can be purchased through USPS's Online Postal Store, through the Philatelic catalog by calling toll-free 1- 800-STAMP24 (1-800-782-6724), and at Post Offices that display select retail merchandise.