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  • 29c Nat 'King' Cole single
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29c Nat 'King' Cole single

Object Details

Description
The Postal Service honored five American music legends with the issuance of the Popular Singer commemorative stamps on September 1, 1994, in New York at Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The stamps feature Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Ethel Waters, Nat "King" Cole, and Ethel Merman.
The Popular Singers stamps were an addition to the Postal Service's Legends of American Music Stamp Series. The series began in 1993 and ran for several years, featuring all generations of American music including jazz, blues, folk, classical, and gospel.
Nat "King" Cole (1919-1965) was born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, Alabama. He first came to prominence as a notable jazz pianist with his own King Cole Trio in the late 1930s. Cole later became a vocalist, lending his easy-going style of singing and a husky voice to songs such as "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "It's Only a Paper Moon," "For Sentimental Reasons," and "Mona Lisa." In the mid-1950s, his musical TV series broke color barriers and made history. Popular over two decades, Cole attained lasting acceptance by audiences throughout the world.
Designed by Chris Payne of Cincinnati, Ohio, the 29-cent stamps in panes of twenty were produced in the photogravure process by Stamp Venturers, Inc.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (August 18, 1994).
mint
10.1 horizontal perforations x 10.2 vertical perforations
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
September 1, 1994
Object number
1995.2075.42
Depicts
Nat Cole, American, 1919 - 1965
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored); adhesive / photogravure
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 2852
Topic
Music & Musicians
Black Heritage
Contemporary (1990-present)
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1995.2075.42
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm84ee17a48-8a72-4b18-ab44-0a550b8b8e88
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

Plan a Visit

Open daily 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Admission is always free!

2 Massachusetts Ave., N.E.
Washington, DC 20002

The museum's main entrance is located on the corner of First Street and Massachusetts Avenue NE. Other entrances have variable hours.

street map of Postal museum

Learn more
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