Skip to main content
Smithsonian main website

Search

Donate

EnglishEnglish
EnglishEnglishAfrikaansAfrikaansAlbanianAlbanianAmharicAmharicArabicArabicArmenianArmenianAzerbaijaniAzerbaijaniBasqueBasqueBelarusianBelarusianBengaliBengaliBosnianBosnianBulgarianBulgarianCatalanCatalanCebuanoCebuanoChichewaChichewaChinese (Simplified)Chinese (Simplified)Chinese (Traditional)Chinese (Traditional)CorsicanCorsicanCroatianCroatianCzechCzechDanishDanishDutchDutchEsperantoEsperantoEstonianEstonianFilipinoFilipinoFinnishFinnishFrenchFrenchFrisianFrisianGalicianGalicianGeorgianGeorgianGermanGermanGreekGreekGujaratiGujaratiHaitian CreoleHaitian CreoleHausaHausaHawaiianHawaiianHebrewHebrewHindiHindiHmongHmongHungarianHungarianIcelandicIcelandicIgboIgboIndonesianIndonesianIrishIrishItalianItalianJapaneseJapaneseJavaneseJavaneseKannadaKannadaKazakhKazakhKhmerKhmerKoreanKoreanKurdish (Kurmanji)Kurdish (Kurmanji)KyrgyzKyrgyzLaoLaoLatinLatinLatvianLatvianLithuanianLithuanianLuxembourgishLuxembourgishMacedonianMacedonianMalagasyMalagasyMalayMalayMalayalamMalayalamMalteseMalteseMaoriMaoriMarathiMarathiMongolianMongolianMyanmar (Burmese)Myanmar (Burmese)NepaliNepaliNorwegianNorwegianPashtoPashtoPersianPersianPolishPolishPortuguesePortuguesePunjabiPunjabiRomanianRomanianRussianRussianSamoanSamoanScottish GaelicScottish GaelicSerbianSerbianSesothoSesothoShonaShonaSindhiSindhiSinhalaSinhalaSlovakSlovakSlovenianSlovenianSomaliSomaliSpanishSpanishSudaneseSudaneseSwahiliSwahiliSwedishSwedishTajikTajikTamilTamilTeluguTeluguThaiThaiTurkishTurkishUkrainianUkrainianUrduUrduUzbekUzbekVietnameseVietnameseWelshWelshXhosaXhosaYiddishYiddishYorubaYorubaZuluZulu
Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
  • Visit
    Visit
    • Info en Español
    • Plan Your Visit
    • Location and Directions
    • Calendar of Events
    • Public Programs
    • Floor Plan
    • Tours and Itineraries
    • Amenities
    • Accessibility
    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
  • Exhibitions
    Exhibitions
    • Current Exhibitions
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Virtual Exhibitions
    • Upcoming Exhibitions
    The museum's Atrium
  • Learn
    Learn
    • For Researchers
    • For Educators
    • National History Day
    • Topical Reference Pages
    • Oral History
    • Research Articles
    • Stamp Collecting
    • Social Media
    • Activities
    Front windows showing stamp images at night
  • Collections
    Collections
    • Search the Collection
    • Collection History
    • Donating Objects
    • Object Loans
    • Collection Projects
    • Object Spotlight
    • Digital Asset Collections
    • Rights and Reproductions
    • Preservation
    People in front of log post office building
  • About
    About
    • About the Museum
    • About Us
    • FAQs
    • Support the Museum
    • Host an Event
    • National Postal Museum Gala
    • Philatelic Achievement Award
    • Press
    • Site Map
    Historic Lobby
  • Blog
  • Home
  • Collections
  • Search the Collection
  • 20c National Archives single
Click to view social media share links

20c National Archives single

Object Details

Description
A 20-cent commemorative stamp honoring the 50th anniversary of the National Archives was issued April 16, 1984, in Washington, DC. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held in the National Archives building.
Since 1934, the National Archives has been responsible for examining and sorting billions of items and analyzing, organizing, and describing the 2-3 percent of this material judged each year to have enough significant and lasting value to be preserved in the National Archives. In addition to housing the three Charters of Freedom -- the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights -- the National Archives also preserves over 70,000 sound recordings, thousands of important official documents, and 80,000 reels of film dating from President McKinley's inauguration in 1897.
The stamp, designed by Michael David Brown of Rockville, Maryland, and modeled by Clarence Holbert, captures the spirit of our nation's heritage as preserved by the National Archives, using silhouettes of Presidents Washington and Lincoln in the design. Also appearing in the design is the motto of the Archives, "What Is Past Is Prologue."
The stamp was printed in the photogravure process, with fifty stamps per pane.
The production approach taken for this issue represented a departure from the normal four positions for plate numbers. Four commemorative issues were printed simultaneously on a single press sheet. The panes of National Archives stamps were printed in the lower left quadrant of the sheets, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation stamps in the upper left quadrant, Soil and Water Conservation stamps in the upper right quadrant, and Federal Credit Union Act of 1934 stamps in the lower right quadrant. After printing, the sheets were quartered into conventional panes for distribution to post offices.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (March 15, 1984).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
April 16, 1984
Object number
1999.2004.343
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolored); adhesive / photogravure
Place
District of Columbia
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 2081
Depicts
National Archives and Records Administration
Topic
Political Figures
Education & Teaching
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_1999.2004.343
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm863ecaa2f-24d0-4f63-ad17-0a4716d603b7
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

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

Learn more
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Press
  • Site Map
  • e-News
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
  • Flickr

Have you signed up for our monthly e-newsletter?

Owney, the Railway Mail Service Mascot

Back to Top