On July 16, 2010 the U.S. Postal Service celebrated five iconic American newspaper comic strips with their dedication of the Sunday Funnies postage stamps. The 44-cent first-class commemorative stamps honor Archie, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace , Garfield and Calvin and Hobbes.
Archie Comic Strip History
According to Don Markstein's Toonopedia.com, Archie made its first appearance as a filler in the December, 1941 issue of Pep Comics, with his only supporting characters being his girlfriend Betty Cooper and his best friend Jughead Jones. Other characters, such as Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle, Principal Weatherby, Dilton Doily, Big Ethel, and Moose made appearances in later issues and quickly gathered fans of their own.
By 1945, Archie had taken over Pep Comics, prompting the publishing firm to change its name from MLJ Comics to Archie Comics.
In 1947, Archie artist Bob Montana started writing and drawing Archie as a newspaper comic strip. Following the death of Montana in 1975, the strip was continued at first by Dan DeCarlo and later by several other writers and artists.
USPS Archie Stamp
The Archie Sunday Funnies stamp features Archie sharing a chocolate shake with his long-time love interests Betty and Veronica. USPS Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland selected the Archie image that appears on the stamp.
U.S. Postal Service Eastern Area Vice President Megan Brennan dedicated the Sunday Funnies stamps at The Ohio State University, home of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum. Joining the dedication were OSU Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto and OSU Libraries Director Carol Pitts Diedrichs. Also in attendance as special guests were various creators, artists, and writers from the honored comic strips. These guests included Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker, Garfield creator Jim Davis, Dennis the Menace artists Marcus Hamilton and Ron Ferdinand, Archie Comics newspaper strip writer Craig Goldman, and Calvin and Hobbes Editor Lee Salem.
Ordering Archie First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
The USPS offers first-day-of-issue postmarks on Archie stamps. According to the USPS, customers have 60 days after the stamps go on sale to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. Customers should purchase stamps at any local Post Office, at The Postal Store website, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. Once acquired, the U.S. Postal Service instructs that stamps should be affixed to an envelope of the customer's choice and the envelope should then be addressed to the customer or another party. The envelope (or envelopes) should then be placed in a large envelope and mailed to:
- Sunday Funnies Stamp
- 850 Twin Rivers Drive, Retail - Rm. 416
- Columbus, OH 43216-9653
First-day-of-issue postmarks are a free service offered by the USPS. The U.S. Postal Service will apply the first-day-of-issue postmark and then return the envelopes through the mail. All orders must be postmarked by Sept. 17, 2010.
Ordering Archie First-Day Covers
The Stamp Fulfillment Services department of the USPS is offering first-day covers of the Archie Sunday Funnies stamp postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. The Archie first-day cover can be found in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
- Information Fulfillment
- Dept. #6270
- U.S. Postal Service
- PO Box 219014
- Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Archie Sunday Funnies Philatelic Products
Several Sunday Funnies philatelic products are available from the USPS website:
- First-Day Cover Set of 5, $4.10
- Digital Color Postmark Set of 5, $7.50
- Uncut Press Sheet, $79.20
- Ceremony Program, $6.95
- Cancellation Keepsake (Pane of 20 & Digital Color Postmark Set of 5), $16.95.
