DNR - Michigan in Stamps

Michigan in Stamps

E-mail may be gaining in popularity, but people still use stamps. People who collect stamps are called philatelists. The U.S. Postal Service issues commemorative stamps that reflect our interests in nature, holidays, achievements, history, and other aspects of life.

We're partial to stamps about Michigan. Most of the stamps below were designed to commemorate special events in Michigan history. Clicking on most stamps will present a larger image to view.

The Michigan Centenary, 1835-1935 Issued for the state's 100th anniversary, the 1835 date actually notes the beginning of the struggle for statehood as Michigan officially became the 26th state in 1837. Designed by Alvin R. Meissner, the stamp was issued May 9, 1936, in New York City.	Land Grant Colleges Issue, 1855-1955 Issued February 12, 1955, at East Lansing, the stamp honors the nation's first two land-grant colleges, Michigan State University and Pennsylvania State University.
Soo Locks, 100th Anniversary, 1955 Issued June 28, 1955, in Sault Ste. Marie in conjunction with the Soo Locks Exposition, the stamp features a map of the Great Lakes and two ships.	Mackinac Bridge Dedication Issued June 25, 1958, at both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, this stamp designed by Arnold J. Copeland commemorated the dedication of the new Mackinac Bridge.
State Birds and Flowers Issue The 50 stamps of the State Birds and Flowers Issue designed by Arthur and Alan Singer were issued April 14, 1982.	St. Joseph Lighthouse Part of the 1995 Lighthouses Issue, the 32¢ stamp was one of five that featured lighthouses from different parts of the United States. The stamps were issued June 17, 1995.
American Bicentennial Issue, 1976 Designed by Walt Read, each of the 50 stamps of the American Bicentennial Issue featured a state's flag. The stamps were issued February 23, 1976.	Greetings From America - Michigan The 34¢ stamp is one of 50 state stamps in the 2002 "Greetings From America" commemorative issue. It depicts Detroit's Renaissance Center, the People Mover and Great Lakes fishing. The stamps were issued in the states' capitals on April 4, 2002. The Michigan issue was introduced at a ceremony in the galleries of the Michigan Historical Museum in Lansing.
Michigan Sesquicentennial, 1837-1987 This first-day-of-issue cover shows the stamp honoring Michigan's sesquicentennial (1837-1987), a picture of the American flag with 26 stars, and a cancellation noting its issue date, January 26, 1987.

Other stamps we've seen that were issued to commemorate Michigan-related people and events include:

Regular Postal Issues

Ralph J. Bunch. The 20¢ stamp honors the Michigan-born 1950 Nobel Peace Prize winner (issued January 12, 1982).
Henry Ford. A 12¢ stamp portrays Henry Ford and his Model T (issued July 30, 1968).

Commemoratives

Tiger Stadium, Detroit. The 34-cent stamp is one of the "Baseball's Legendary Playing Fields" stamps that commemorate 10 classic American ballparks. The stamp depicts the original Tiger Stadium, which opened in 1912 as Navin Field at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull in Detroit. The stadium closed after the 1999 baseball season. The stamp shows a view of the field and grandstands from behind home plate (issued June 27, 2001, at New York and Boston).
Legends of Baseball. This set of 20 players honored on 33¢ commemorative stamps includes Ty Cobb, the "Georgia Peach." Cobb played for the Detroit Tigers for 22 years and won 9 straight American league batting titles (issued July 6, 2000, at Atlanta, and nationally on July 7, 2000).
Malcolm X. Malcolm X (Malcolm Little, El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz), who lived in Lansing and Mason, Michigan, as a youth was honored on a 33¢ stamp, the 22nd stamp in the Black Heritage series (issued January 21, 1999).
1912 Tri-Motor. The Ford-built plane was one of 20 planes featured in the Classic American Aircraft Issue of 32¢ stamps (issued July 19, 1997).
Joe Louis Issue. The 29¢ stamp, issued on the 55th anniversary of his knockout win over Max Schmeling, honors Detroit's "Brown Bomber" (issued June 22, 1993).
Walk-in-the-Water. Part of the Steamboats Issue, this 25¢ stamp commemorated the first Great Lakes steamboat. Launched at Buffalo, New York, it made trips from Buffalo to Detroit and, after 1819, to Mackinac Island. It was wrecked in 1821 (issued March 3, 1989).
Lacemaking Issue. Four 22¢ stamps of the American Folk Art series featured four different lace corners, each made by a different Michigan lace maker (issued August 14, 1987).
Sojourner Truth Issue. The 22¢ stamp, one in the Black Heritage series, honors the advocate for abolition and woman suffrage who made Battle Creek, Michigan, her home (issued February 4, 1986).
Father Jacques Marquette Issue. The 6¢ stamp honors Marquette, the missionary who had established Michigan's oldest settlement 300 years earlier. It features a painting of Marquette, Louis Joliet and voyageurs in canoes (issued September 20, 1968).
Detroit Issue. The 3¢ stamp honored the 150th anniversary of the landing of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac at what would become Detroit. The stamp shows a painting of the landing of Cadillac with the skyline of modern Detroit in the background (issued July 24, 1951).
Northwest Territory Issue. The 3¢ stamp commemorated the 150th anniversary of the adoption of the Ordinance of 1787 and the organization of the Northwest Territory. The Alvin R. Meissner design has an outline map of the original U.S. states and the Northwest Territory in the center. On the left is a portrait of Manasseh Cutler, who drafted the Ordinance of 1787 and helped form the Ohio Company to help colonize the new territory. On the right is a portrait of Rufus Putnam, one of the founders of Marietta, Ohio, and a member of the Ohio Company (issued July 13, 1938, in New York City and Marietta, Ohio).
Navigation on the Great Lakes. The 1¢ stamp portrays the S.S. City of Alpena. It was part of the Pan-American Issue to illustrate engineering achievements of the age and was sold only at the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, NY, May 1 to October 31, 1901. (Some of these stamps were printed with inverted centers; that is, the ship was printed upside-down.)
Canal Locks, Sault Ste. Marie. The 8¢ stamp was also part of the 1901 Pan-American Issue.

Airmail
- Harriet Quimby Issue. The 50¢ airmail stamp honored the Michigan-born journalist, first licensed American woman pilot and first woman to fly solo over the English channel (issued April 27, 1991).
Postal Cards
- Frederic Baraga, Michigan, 1835. The preprinted 13¢ postal card honored the Slovenian who established Indian missions and became the first Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Upper Michigan (issued June 29, 1984).

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Thanks: to stamp collector Michael T. Lamond for sharing his Michigan stamps with us and to the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council for the St. Joseph Lighthouse stamp.

Contact the Michigan Historical Center.

Updated 07/07/2010