The votes are in!
In a “stampede” of competition between stamps that are iconic images tied to the United States, the Moon landing stamp was voted top slot and will represent the USA in the International Gallery Exhibit of the new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery at the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.
The public poll ended at Midnight EST on January 20, 2011. The Moon landing stamp swamped other candidates with 6,497 votes – licking the competition.
The new William H. Gross Stamp Gallery is scheduled to open in 2012 and will include the International Collections Exhibit. That exhibit will explore geography, ancestry, history, culture, the environment, and other global topics and themes through interpretive displays of stamps and other philatelic items from around the world.
The winning stamp is a $2.40 Priority Mail stamp honoring the 20th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing that was issued July 20, 1989 in Washington, DC. The dedication ceremony for the stamp was held in conjunction with gala anniversary celebrations at the National Air and Space Museum.
The stamp, which features two astronauts planting the Stars and Stripes on the lunar surface, enjoyed a legacy of its own.
The stamp’s designer, Christopher Calle, of Ridgefield, CT, was the son of Paul Calle, the veteran illustrator who produced the first Moon Landing tribute, a 10-cent airmail stamp issued September 9, 1969.
By Leonard David