If you love Elvis and the Happy Days Rock 'n Roll he brought us, click here to go to a wide selection of the most and best selections of that old time rock 'n roll...

 Elvis still reigns as King in Most Popular Stamp Ranking

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- While the 1993 Elvis

stamp continues to hold court as the most popular stamp of all time with more than 124 million collected, three sets of stamps issued during 2006 rank among the top 10, Postmaster General John E. Potter announced today.

 

"Stamp collecting continues as one of the world's most popular educational hobbies that the entire family can enjoy," Potter said in announcing the 25 most popular stamps of all time. "Three stamp subjects issued this year were extremely popular: Wonders of America, Land of Superlatives, came in at number two for all time with more than 87 million collected; DC Comics Super Heroes hit number five with 73 million; and, Art of Disney: Romance was number eight with more than 57 million."

 

Since 1988, the Postal Service has annually surveyed more than 10,000 households to determine the number and types of stamps purchased versus stamps saved.

   

The Postal Service receives stamp ideas from about 50,000 people every

year, yet only 20 to 25 subjects make the cut. To narrow down the

selection, the Postmaster General's Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee -- a cross section of designers, historians and academics -- reviews the

suggestions and make recommendations to the Postmaster General for final approval.

 

"The fact that 10 of the top 25 were issued in the last three years

serves as a testament to the Committee's expertise in selecting dynamic

subjects and America's continued interest in the hobby," he added.

 

This year proved to be the best ever for stamp shows. The Washington

2006 World Philatelic Exhibition -- as the world's largest stamp show and

held only once every decade in the U.S. -- attracted nearly 140 postal

administrations and more than 200 stamp dealers to showcase the world's

rarest stamp collections worth hundreds of millions of dollars to nearly a

quarter of a million visitors.

   

The Postal Service encourages individuals with stamp ideas to submit

their suggestions in writing to:

    Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee

    Stamp Development

    U.S. Postal Service

    1735 North Lynn St Rm 5013

    Arlington VA 22209-64322209-64322209-6432

   

To see the top 25 most popular stamp subject images, visit:

http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2006/sr06_055.htm

   

To see the 2007 Commemorative stamp program and learn more about the stamp selection process, visit this link:

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2007stamps/.

                   Top 25 Most Popular Commemorative Stamps

    Stamp Subject                    Year           Stamps Saved

    1)  Elvis                        1993           124.1 million

    2)  Wonders of America           2006           87.5 million

    3)  Wildflowers                  1992           76.1 million

    4)  Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues   1993           75.9 million

    5)  DC Comics Super Heroes       2006           73.0 million

    6)  Greetings From America       2002           71.4 million

    7)  Insects and Spiders          1999           61.0 million

    8)  Art of Disney: Romance       2006           57.2 million

    9)  Legends of Baseball          2000           53.9 million

    10) Art of Disney: Celebration   2005           52.8 million

    11) Baseball Playing Fields      2001           49.0 million

    12) Art of Disney: Friendship    2004           47.7 million

    13) Civil War                    1995           46.6 million

    14) Legends of the West          1994           46.4 million

    15) Marilyn Monroe               1995           46.4 million

    16) Advances in Aviation         2005           45.8 million

    17) Bugs Bunny                   1997           44.1 million

    18) Lunar New Year SS            2005           42.7 million

    19) Comic Strip Classics         1995           40.8 million

    20) Jim Henson: Muppets          2005           40.6 million

    21) Cloudscapes                  2004           40.1 million

    22) Stars and Stripes            2000           40.0 million

    23) Baseball Sluggers            2006           39.5 million

    24) Summer Olympics              1992           39.5 million

    25) Lucille Ball                 2001           38.7 million

   

Since 1775, the United States Postal Service and its predecessor, the

Post Office Department, have connected friends, families, neighbors and

businesses by mail. An independent federal agency that visits more than 146 million homes and businesses every day, the Postal Service is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. It receives no taxpayer dollars for routine operations, but derives its operating revenues solely from the sale of postage, products and services. With annual revenues of $72 billion, it is the world's leading provider of mailing and delivery services, offering some of the most affordable postage rates in the world. The U.S. Postal Service delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume -- some 213 billion letters, advertisements, periodicals and packages a year -- and serves ten million customers each day at its 37,000 retail locations nationwide.

 

 

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service