Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jim Morrison to Appear on Postage Stamps

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Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, Jim Morrison to Appear on Postage Stamps
Michael Jackson, Janis Joplin, James Brown stamps also in the works
By KORY GROW
FEBRUARY 21, 2014

Philatelists rejoice: The U.S. Postal Service will unravel several lines of celebrity-adorned stamps over the next two years, with subjects ranging from Apple founder Steve Jobs to gay rights activist Harvey Milk. It will also be offering numerous music-related stamps, including Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix this year and a James Brown stamp next year. 2015 will also see a re-release of Elvis Presley's 29-cent tribute from 1993 — the Postal Service's best-selling stamp ever — according to The Washington Post. A stamp for John Lennon has been planned for an as-yet-unannounced date.

As published in a missive by the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (via the Post), this year will also see the arrival of stamps honoring NBA champ Wilt Chamberlain, undisclosed celebrity chefs, "America's Most Loved Pets" and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Next year, the Postal Service will release stamps for Johnny Carson, Ingrid Bergman and the gang from Peanuts.

The document also names a number of people and characters who will be honored with stamps sometime in the future. Among them are general music-related stamps honoring guitars and hip-hop, as well as several new entries in the U.S.P.S.'s Music Icons series, including Lennon, Bill Monroe, Jim Morrison, Sam Cooke, Tammy Wynette, "Fats" Waller, Freddie Fender, Roy Orbison, Sarah Vaughan and Willie Dixon. Michael Jackson will also be getting his own stamp that is not part of the Icons series.

Other stamps planned for a later date include Barack Obama, both Bush presidents, Bill Clinton, 20th Century humorists, Ansel Adams, a Black Heritage series, science fiction writers, pro football, Hanna-Barbera characters, Dora the Explorer and more.

A U.S.P.S. rep told the Post that stamp subjects may change at any time. The Postal Service is looking to attract younger stamp collectors with some of these new additions; because some of these proposed stamps betray previous stamp guidelines (such as the subject being American, in the case of John Lennon), this new direction has become controversial among older philatelists.


Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon.
Photoshot/Getty Images; Jan Olofsson/Redferns