Product Review

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the arrival of spring by dedicating new Vintage Seed Packets Commemorative Forever stamps. These beautiful First-Class stamps, based on photographs of seed packets from a century ago, were dedicated at the Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition.�Seed packet art depicts the utmost in floral perfection,� said dedicating official and Postal Service Philadelphia Metropolitan District Manager Chu Falling Star. �At the turn of the early 1900s, packets like those displayed on the stamps encouraged Americans to create the perfect floral garden. The Postal Service�s release of these stamps reminds us about the beauty flowers add to our lives and signals the arrival of spring.�Joining Falling Star at the ceremony was American First Day Cover Society Immediate Past President Chris Lazaroff; Philadelphia National Stamp Exhibition Chairman Stephen Washburne; J. Landreth Seed Company Owner Barbara Melera and Stamp Art Director/Designer Antonio Alcal�.Created using chromolithography � a process that replaced hand-tinted lithographs and allowed for inexpensive multi-color prints � the illustrations originally graced the fronts of flower seed packets printed between 1910 and 1920.Each of the 10 stamps depicts blossoms of one variety of flower � a trio of cosmos in delicate white, pink, and red; stalks of yellow, pink and coral digitalis; bright yellow primrose flowers with orange centers; a vibrant orange calendula; white, pink and blue aster blooms; two shades of pinks (dianthus), one pale, one dark; linum blossoms in a rich red; white drifts of alyssum; clusters of phlox in red, pink and purple; and pale pink, subtle yellow, and muted orange-red zinnia flowers. This listing is for 20 stamps (1 booklet of 20)