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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • 15c Benjamin Banneker single
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15c Benjamin Banneker single

Object Details

Description
The 15-cent Benjamin Banneker commemorative stamp was first placed on sale at Annapolis, Maryland, on February 15, 1980. A surveyor, astronomer, mathematician and craftsman, Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) worked to combat the misconception that blacks were inferior in the days of colonial and early America. As a member of the surveying team that laid out the plans for the new capitol, Washington, D.C., Banneker stepped up as chief architect when Pierre L'Enfant was fired. The first architect had taken the plans with him when he left so Banneker had to recreate the plans for the city from memory. In 1791 he published the first of his 11 almanacs utilizing his observations of astronomy. He used this publication to counter Thomas Jefferson's claim that the Negro was inherently intellectually inferior. Jefferson apologized for his earlier comment and forwarded the almanac to the French Academy of Sciences.
The stamp was designed by Jerry Pinkney and issued in sheets of fifty. This was the second stamp to be printed privately under the terms of a contract awarded by the Postal Service in 1978. It was printed by American Bank Note Company and J.W. Fergusson and Sons.
This stamp is part of the Black Heritage Stamp Series. Initiated in 1978, the USPS continues to issue a stamp featuring a notable Black American every February in conjunction with Black History Month and at other times during the year.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (December 27, 1979).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
February 15, 1980
Object number
1999.2004.108
Depicts
Benjamin Banneker, American, 1731 - 1806
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 1804
Topic
Space Exploration & the Universe
Science
The Cold War (1945-1990)
Black Heritage
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1999.2004.108
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8426cb8c2-fc74-46e6-a058-6fe886833790

Related Object Groups

  • Explore America: Maryland
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HomeSmithsonian National Postal Museum

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

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