On 25 June, 2011, the U.S. Postal Service added another collectible postage stamp to its long-running Literary Arts series of commemorative stamps with their release of the Forever Mark Twain stamp.
Mark Twain / Samuel Clemens Biography
According to his Biblio.com biography, Samuel Clemens, who later took the name Mark Twain as a pseudonym, was born in Florida, Missouri on 30 November, 1835.
The early life of Samuel Clemens was spent in a household of meager means, with young Samuel eventually working with his older brother to run a local newspaper.
Eventually, Clemens grew restless and set out for the horizon, spending time in New York, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati before finally settling on the trade of riverboat pilot. As reported in USA Philatelic: Beyond the Perf, Clemens' time as a pilot led to his selection of "Mark Twain" as a pseudonym. Steamboats on the Mississippi needed water at a depth of 12 feet (2 fathoms) in order to float safely. The leadsman who measured the river's depth would cry out "mark twain" or "mark two (fathoms)" to indicate the river's depth was safe for travel.
The U.S. Civil War ended Clemens' career as a riverboat pilot, causing him to embark on several more adventures before, fortunately, the world finally discovered his talent with the 18 November, 1865 Saturday Press publication of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
Samuel Clemens died on 21 April, 1910 in Redding, Connecticut.
Mark Twain Literary Works
Most famous for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1872), The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889), Twain was the author of more than 60 books, articles, speeches, and articles. His irreverent style and factual depiction of times and events often led to trouble, with several famous attempts to ban Huckleberry Finn from school libraries due to its accurate racial colloquialisms.
Some of Twain's other celebrated works include The Prince and the Pauper (1882), A Tramp Abroad (1880), Roughing It (1899), and Life on the Mississippi (1883).
USPS Mark Twain Stamp
The Forever Mark Twain stamp was issued during a ceremony in Hannibal, Missouri. The first-day-of-issue ceremony took place at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum.
With this 27th release in the Literary Arts series, a long-running series which began with the issuance of the 15-cent John Steinbeck stamp in 1979, the USPS has now featured Twain or his works on no less than 5 separate commemorative stamp issues.
The Literary Arts Mark Twain commemorative stamp takes the form of a portrait painted by Gregory Manchess. The portrait is based on a 1907 photograph of Twain in the Library of Congress. Manchess added a steamboat to the background of his portrait, an image often associated with Twain’s works.
The Mark Twain Forever Stamp is part of the USPS Forever stamp program. Each Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate.
Ordering Mark Twain First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
The USPS offers first-day-of-issue postmarks on Mark Twain stamps. Collectors have 60 days after the stamps go on sale to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. Customers may purchase stamps at a local Post Office, may buy stamps online at The Postal Store website, or may call 800-STAMP-24. Once acquired, 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 larger envelope and mailed to:
Mark Twain Stamp
U.S. Postal Service
801 Broadway Street
Hannibal, MO 63401-9998
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 25 November, 2011.
Ordering Mark Twain First-Day Covers
The Stamp Fulfillment Services department of the USPS is offering first-day covers of the Mark Twain stamp postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. The Mark Twain 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 FulfillmentDept. #6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Mark Twain Philatelic Products
For stamp collectors who prefer to buy postage stamps online, Mark Twain products may be purchased at USPS.com. In addition to individual stamps, other items are available include First Day of Issue covers and First Day of Issue Ceremony programs.
