Add feathered flair to your letters with these beautiful vintage unused North American Wildlife Series "Broad-tailed Hummingbird" 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: Broad-tailed Hummingbird
• Series: North American Wildlife
• Year Issued: 1987
• Face Value: 22-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Wildlife, Nature, Birds, Hummingbirds, Colibrí, Birdwatching, Western United States, Conservation
• Color(s): Purple, Pink, Green, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Thank You Cards, Snail Mail, and more
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 2289
• 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 showcases a detailed illustration of a Broad-tailed Hummingbird hovering near a purple flower, capturing the bird's iridescent plumage and the delicate nature of its feeding habits. This unused 22-cent gummed stamp celebrates the North American continent's rich biodiversity, showcasing this distinctive multicolored bird amidst flora typical of its environment, emphasizing the importance of habitat in wildlife conservation.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) is a striking and vibrant bird native to the mountainous regions of western North America. Known for its iridescent colors and distinctive wing sounds, this hummingbird is a symbol of vitality, beauty, and resilience. The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is known for the unique metallic trilling sound produced by its wings during flight, especially during courtship displays.

Found in the western United States, including Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and as far north as Wyoming, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird migrates into Mexico for the winter months. This small bird thrives in high-elevation environments (between 5,000 to 10,500 feet) such as mountain meadows, aspen groves, coniferous forests, and alpine shrublands.

Like many hummingbirds, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird symbolizes joy, energy, and the sweetness of life, encouraging you to savor the small moments. The male's vibrant pink gorget is often seen as a symbol of love and romantic energy, tying into its elaborate courtship rituals.

The hummingbird has been used as a mascot in some schools and organizations, although it's not as common as larger or more traditional animals. The University of California, Riverside’s sports teams are called the Highlanders, but their official mascot is a hummingbird named "Scotty the Hummingbird".

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The hummingbird holds significant cultural and spiritual meaning in Mexico, where it is seen as a symbol of life, love, and joy. In Aztec culture, the hummingbird was associated with Huitzilopochtli, the god of the sun and war. Huitzilopochtli was often depicted with a hummingbird, which was believed to be a messenger between the gods and humans. The bird’s energetic flight and vibrant colors were seen as a representation of the divine and the vital energy of life itself.

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.