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Smithsonian sunburst Smithsonian National Postal Museum
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  • $3 Mars Rover Sojourner souvenir sheet
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$3 Mars Rover Sojourner souvenir sheet

Object Details

Description
The Postal Service issued a 3-dollar Priority Mail stamp, the Mars Pathfinder Souvenir Sheet, on December 10, 1997, in Pasadena, California. The stamp features the Sojourner rover resting on the Pathfinder with a panoramic view of the Ares Vallis region of Mars in the background.
A very limited run of only 15 million stamps were produced, and the stamps went on sale just for six months. The printing plates were immediately destroyed to ensure that no additional quantities of this unique stamp would be reprinted. As with previous stamps (specifically the 1997 Classic Movie Monsters, the 1997 Department of the Air Force, and the 1997 Padre Felix Varela), the Mars Landing stamp featured a hidden message, visible only through the USPS Stamp Decoder. Another unique feature of this stamp is the letters "USA" in the stamp perforation. It was also the largest stamp in size ever produced by the Postal Service.
Designed by Terry McCaffrey of the US Postal Service, in a water-activated pane of one, this gravure stamp was printed by Stamp Venturers, Inc.
Reference:
Postal Bulletin (November 20, 1997).
mint
Credit line
Copyright United States Postal Service. All rights reserved.
Data Source
National Postal Museum
Date
December 10, 1997
Object number
2004.2030.2
Printer
Stamp Venturers, Inc.
Type
Postage Stamps
Medium
paper; ink (multicolor / photogravure); gum
Dimensions
Overall: 8.3 x 14.6cm (3 1/4 x 5 3/4in.)
Place
United States of America
See more items in
National Postal Museum Collection
Title
Scott Catalogue USA 3178
Topic
Space Exploration & the Universe
The Cold War (1945-1990)
Technology & Inventions
U.S. Stamps
Record ID
npm_2004.2030.2
Usage
Usage conditions apply
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8ea5d1e6c-91f3-483e-b0c4-7dc06659f2b6
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.
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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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