Add coastal flair to your letters with these beautiful vintage unused North American Wildlife Series "California Sea Lion" postage stamps! This classic wildlife design is perfect for adding a touch of nature's splendor to your cards and letters or save-the-dates and wedding invitations. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 22-cents. These USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your correspondence. Embrace the call of the wild with this captivating postage stamp!

Purchase includes a total of TEN (10) mint condition postage stamps shown in the product listing photos.

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: California Sea Lion
• Series: North American Wildlife
• Year Issued: 1987
• Face Value: 22-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Wildlife, Nature, Marine Life, Sea Life, Sea Lions, California Wildlife, Pacific Coast, Coastal Wedding, California Wedding, California Save the Date, Marine Biology, Conservation
• Color(s): Black, Natural, Neutral, Beige, Light Blue, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Thank You Cards, Snail Mail, and more
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 2329
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see below for adhesion instructions)
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP HISTORY: Part of the North American Wildlife series, this vintage postage stamp depicts a California Sea Lion, a highly intelligent and social marine mammal. The stamp’s artwork shows the sea lion on a rocky Pacific shoreline, showcasing its sleek body, external ear flaps, and powerful flippers. This unused 22-cent gummed stamp celebrates the North American continent's rich biodiversity, showcasing this species in its typical environment, emphasizing the importance of habitat in wildlife conservation.

The California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) is a playful, intelligent, and highly social pinniped found along the Pacific coast of North America, from Alaska to Mexico. It is well known for its agility in water and distinctive barking sounds. Fast and agile swimmers, sea lions can reach speeds of 25 mph using their front flippers. Sea lions are highly social, forming large colonies and use vocalizations for communication. Intelligent and trainable, California Sea Lions are frequently used in marine research and entertainment (circuses, aquariums, and military operations).

The sea lion has been used as a mascot for sports teams, businesses, and conservation efforts. The St. Louis Sea Lions, a Women’s Premier Soccer League team, uses a sea lion mascot to symbolize strength, agility, and teamwork. The San Francisco Sea Lions were a Negro League Baseball Team in the 1940s. The California Maritime Academy has ”Salty the Sea Lion" as its mascot.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The sea lion is a symbol of playfulness, intelligence, balance, and communication in spiritual traditions. Sea lions are known for their energetic, playful nature, representing happiness, adaptability, and embracing life’s joys. As a spirit animal, it encourages fun, laughter, and breaking free from unnecessary stress. Sea lions move effortlessly between land and sea, symbolizing harmony, adaptability, and navigating different aspects of life. Spiritually, they remind us to stay flexible and balanced in our emotional and physical worlds. Sea lions use barks, growls, and body language to express themselves. They symbolize clear communication, confidence, and the power of one’s voice. Their problem-solving skills and ability to learn tricks represent mental sharpness, wisdom, and quick thinking. They remind us to stay curious and open to new knowledge. Living in large colonies, sea lions emphasize teamwork, family, and social connections. They encourage people to value relationships and support systems.

SERIES HISTORY: On June 13, 1987, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued the North American Wildlife postage stamp series, a commemorative sheet featuring 50 different gummed 22-cent stamps. This release celebrated the rich diversity of North American fauna, showcasing species from various regions, including Alaska and Hawaii. Renowned wildlife artist Chuck Ripper illustrated the series, capturing the essence of each species with remarkable accuracy and detail. The stamps not only highlight the animals but also incorporate elements of their natural habitats, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation. USPS and The Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) originally hoped to represent the State Animal of all 50 states. However, many states do not have a State Animal or share a State Animal with another state. Instead, USPS and CSAC opted to include avifauna, mammals, amphibians, and invertebrates from across the continent. Notably, the First Day of Issue ceremony took place at the Canadian Philatelic Exhibition (CAPEX) in Toronto, Canada, marking the third time a U.S. stamp issue had its inaugural event outside the United States. The North American Wildlife stamp series remains a favorite among collectors and nature enthusiasts, serving as a vivid reminder of the continent's rich and varied wildlife heritage.

GUMMED STAMPS: These postage stamps have a traditional moisture-activated gum on the back. These stamps require licking or wetting to adhere to envelopes or other surfaces. To ensure good adhesion, apply vintage gummed stamps to your mailings with a glue stick (we recommend using Elmer's "Re-Stick" glue sticks).

GENUINE USPS POSTAGE: These unused vintage postage stamps are perfectly valid for use as current postage for mailing with USPS as long as you use the adequate amount of additional postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates at USPS.com.

TELL YOUR STORY IN STAMPS: We’ve worked with hundreds of couples and their stationers to custom design highly stylized personalized postage sets based on our customer’s life stories. We can help you curate personalized vintage postage sets to commemorate your save-the-date, wedding, shower, announcement, and other special occasions in a truly unique fashion. Drawing on our encyclopedic knowledge of every stamp ever issued by the USPS, and sourcing from our extensive inventory of collectable unused vintage stamps, we’ll help you tell your unique story in stamps!

ABOUT HERITAGE POST HOUSE: Jennifer Kramer is the founder of Heritage Post House, a boutique vintage postage house located in Northern California. Jennifer sources the most beautiful unused vintage postage stamps ever issued by USPS and artfully arranges them into curated postage sets that are sure to add a special touch to your invitations, announcements, and special mailings. In addition to creating pre-arranged postage sets, Jennifer also works with couples (and their stationers) to create one-of-a-kind custom postage arrangements for wedding invitations, save the dates, and other special occasions.


Product Specifications

Length: 1.57 in.
Height: 0.01 in.
Width: 0.98 in.
Weight: 0.01 lbs.