USPS Humphrey Bogart Legends of Hollywood Stamp

Jul 24, 2010
Tim Rich

The U.S. Postal Service honored actor Humphrey Bogart with the 3rd collectible postage stamp in its Legends of Hollywood commemorative stamps series.

On 31 July 1997, the U.S. Postal Service added another collectible postage stamp to its Legends of Hollywood commemorative stamps series with their dedication of the first class 32-cent Humphrey Bogart stamp. Bogart appears on the 3rd stamp in the popular Legends of Hollywood stamp series.

The Career of Humphrey Bogart

According to the Internet Movie Database, Humphrey Bogart was born on 25 December, 1899, in New York City.

One of the most famous leading men in Hollywood history, Humphrey "Bogie" Bogart is perhaps best known for his roles as hard-boiled but noble detectives in movies such as The Maltese Falcon (1941) and The Big Sleep (1946). Over the course of his career, Bogie made some of the most memorable and oft-quoted movies in history, starring in such cinematic classics as The Petrified Forest (1936), High Sierra (1941), Casablanca (1942), Key Largo (1948), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The African Queen (1951), and The Caine Mutiny (1954). For his role in The African Queen, Bogie won an Oscar.

Humphrey Bogart died on 14 January, 1957, in Los Angeles, California.

USPS Humphrey Bogart Stamp Design

As told in the USA Philatelic: Beyond the Perf, Issue 008, for the stamp, artist Michael Deas painted a portrait of Bogart as he appeared in his prime on a photograph for The Big Sleep (1944).

The selvage art (or the art in the surplus margin around the sheet of stamps), portrays Bogie in Casablanca (1943). Deas based his work on a still photograph from the movie, but deleted the cigarette that was in Bogart's left hand. The selvage text reads: "Over the course of a career spanning a quarter of a century and 75 films, Humphrey Bogart rose to legendary status as one of America's most beloved "tough guys". Renowned for his roles in The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Casablanca (1943), he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in The African Queen (1951). "Bogie" became an international cult figure in the 1960s."

Stamps in the Legends of Hollywood Series

The USPS Legends of Hollywood series of United States stamps began in 1995 with the release of the Marilyn Monroe stamp and continues to be one of the longest-running and most popular stamp series in USPS history. As of 12 May, 2010, there are 16 stamps in the Legends of Hollywood series, with no end in sight. The current list of Legends of Hollywood stamp subjects can be found below. For those interested in postage stamp collecting, the Scott catalog number is listed beside each stamp.