Add feathered flair to your letters with these beautiful vintage unused North American Wildlife Series "Blue Jay" postage stamps! This classic wildlife design is perfect for adding a touch of nature's splendor to your save-the-dates, wedding invitations, thank you cards, shower invites, birth announcements, and other snail mail correspondence. 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 mailing. 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: Blue Jay
• Series: North American Wildlife
• Year Issued: 1987
• Face Value: 22-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topics and Themes: Wildlife, Nature, Birds, Songbirds, Birdwatching, Blue Jays, Mimicry, Toronto Blue Jays, Conservation, Provincial Bird of Prince Edward Island in Canada
• Color(s): Blue/Purple, Lavender, White, Black, Green, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Thank You Cards, Snail Mail, and more
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 2318
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see below for adhesion instructions)
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: Part of the North American Wildlife series, this vintage postage stamp features a detailed illustration of a Blue Jay, showcasing its striking blue and white plumage with black accents. The bird is depicted perched gracefully, capturing its lively and intelligent demeanor. This unused 22-cent gummed stamp celebrates the North American continent's rich biodiversity, showcasing this iconic bird amidst flora typical of its environment, emphasizing the importance of habitat in wildlife conservation. Designed with meticulous detail to reflect the bird's natural beauty and characteristic alert posture, often perched or mid-call, symbolizing the Blue Jay's reputation as a vocal and social bird.

Found in forests, woodlands, and suburban areas across eastern and central North America, the Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is known for its intelligence, loud calls, and complex social behaviors. Blue Jays are excellent mimics and often imitate hawk calls to scare off other birds.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Blue Jay holds rich mystical and spiritual significance across various cultures, often seen as a powerful symbol of clarity, communication, and determination. Its striking blue feathers and bold personality make it a notable spirit guide in folklore and spiritual traditions. Known for its complex calls and mimicry abilities, the Blue Jay symbolizes clear communication and the power of voice. In spiritual terms, seeing or hearing a Blue Jay can be a reminder to speak your truth, express your ideas confidently, and not shy away from difficult conversations. Its strong association with the throat chakra emphasizes honest expression and eloquence.

The Blue Jay is a popular mascot for several schools, sports teams, and organizations: Johns Hopkins University’s mascot is the "Blue Jay”; University of Saint Joseph’s mascot is "The Blue Jay”; Canada’s McGill University’s mascot is the “Blue Jays”; The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team in the MLB, with the blue jay as their team name and mascot; many high schools across the U.S. also use the Blue Jay as a mascot, often because of its strong presence and recognizable characteristics.

STAMP 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.