In 2012, the U.S. Postal Service completes its Flags of Our Nation series with the issuance of the Flags of Our Nation (Forever®) Set 6 stamps. These stamps feature the flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the state flags of Texas through Wyoming, and the Stars and Stripes, the last stamp in this series that began in 2008. In all, the Flags of Our Nation series features sixty stamps issued in six separate sets of ten designs.

In the aggregate, the sixty stamps in the Flags of Our Nation series include four depicting the Stars and Stripes, fifty featuring official state flags, and one for each of the following: the territories of American Samoa and Guam, the commonwealths of the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In addition to the flag art, each stamp design includes artwork that provides a “snapshot view” of the state or other area represented by that flag. In most cases, an everyday scene or activity is shown, but occasionally the view is of something less commonplace — rare wildlife, perhaps, or a stunning vista. Unlike some previous multi-stamp issuances, this series was not limited to official animals, flowers, or products, nor was it meant to showcase well-known buildings, landmarks, or monuments.

These Flags of Our Nation (Forever®) Set 6 stamps are issued as a Roll of 50 and feature the following:

- The Texas flag dates back to the Republic of Texas. Snapshot art depicts a field of cotton, a major cash crop in the “Lone Star State.”

- Utah's flag features the state seal; the beehive represents hard work and industry. Blooming cactus and a highly stylized arch formation form the background.

- The dark blue Vermont flag depicts the state coat of arms with a pine tree at the center. Snapshot art depicts a great horned owl.

- Centered on the white flag of the U.S. Virgin Islands is a simplified United States coat of arms. Snapshot art features a leaping sailfish.

- The blue field of Virginia's flag features its coat of arms. Three ships in the background evoke those that brought English settlers to Jamestown in 1607.

- The Washington flag depicts the state seal at the center of its dark green field. Snapshot art evokes the state's evergreen forests.

- The white field of West Virginia's flag includes the state coat of arms and a wreath of rhododendron. A flock of wild turkeys is shown in the background.

- The Wisconsin flag features the state coat of arms and “1848,” the year the state joined the Union. Snapshot art depicts dairy cattle.

- The state seal and a silhouette of a bison appear on Wyoming's blue flag. Snapshot art features two bighorn sheep.

- Snapshot art for the Stars and Stripes depicts “the fruited plain” from the lyrics of “America the Beautiful,” by Katharine Lee Bates.

Art director Howard E. Paine collaborated with award-winning artist Tom Engeman on the 60 stamps in this series.

The ten stamps in the Flags of Our Nation Set 6 series are being issued as Forever stamps in self-adhesive coils of 50 (5 of each design). Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce rate.

Made in the USA.

Issue Date: August 16, 2012

SKUs featured on this page: 788604