U.S.Flag 2012 Sheets

Description

The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the Stars and Stripes with the issuance of Four Flags. This quartet of stamps features a bright U.S. flag against a white background. A single word appears on each of the four stamps in large letters: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice. The black typeface recalls the look of Colonial-era printing.

The current U.S. flag consists of 13 stripes and 50 stars. Congress passed legislation in 1818 stating that the number of stars on the flag should match the number of states in the Union. It also specified that new stars would be added to the flag on the July 4 after a state’s admission. The current flag’s 50th star was added on July 4, 1960, after Hawaiʻi became a state on August 21, 1959.

The Four Flags stamps are being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.