With the 2023 U.S. Flag stamp, the U.S. Postal Service honors an important symbol of our nation.
The stamp, which is being issued in booklets of 20, panes of 20, and coils of 100, 3,000, and 10,000, bears a straightforward graphic design of the red, white, and blue. Providing a solid foundation for the flag are the word FREEDOM in a gray slab sans serif font and, below it, FOREVER / USA in a smaller sans serif font. The manner in which the text is positioned suggests the endurance of freedom as a core value.
The flag serves as a visual reminder of the array of freedoms that Americans enjoy. Its design dates to 1777 when the Continental Congress specified 13 horizontal stripes and 13 stars to honor the 13 original colonies. Various versions of the early flag continued to be used until, in 1818, the U.S. Congress standardized the design, mandating 13 stripes forever but a star for every state. Another act of Congress, in 1947, set the date for each new star’s official addition to the flag as the July 4 following the state’s admission to the Union. The last time the flag changed was July 4, 1960, after Hawaii achieved statehood the previous August.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp with existing art by Hong Li.
The 2023 U.S. Flag stamp is being issued as a Forever® stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.
Product Specification:
| Issue: | U.S. Flag Stamp |
| Item Number: | 122700 |
| Denomination & | First-Class Mail Forever |
| Type of Issue: | |
| Format: | Pane of 20 (1 design) |
| Series: | N/A |
| Issue Date & City: | April 10, 2023, Freedom, ME 04941 |
| Art Director: | Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA |
| Designer: | Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA |
| Existing Art: | Hong Li |
| Modeler: | Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn |
| Manufacturing Process: | Offset, Microprint |
| Printer: | Banknote Corporation of America |
| Press Type: | Alprinta 74 |
| Stamps per Pane: | 20 |
| Print Quantity: | 100000000 |
| Paper Type: | Phosphor Tagged, Block |
| Adhesive Type: | Pressure-sensitive |
| Processed at: | Banknote Corporation of America |
| Stamp Orientation: | Vertical |
| Image Area (w x h): | 0.73 x 0.84 in / 18.542 x 21.336 mm |
| Stamp Size (w x h): | 0.87 x 0.98 in / 22.098 x 24.892 mm |
| Pane Size (w x h): | 5.30 x 4.88 in / 134.62 x 123.952 mm |
| Colors: | Pantone 3546C, Pantone Cool Gray 5C, Pantone 7687C |
| Plate Size: | 320 stamps per revolution |
| Plate Number: | “B” followed by three (3) single digits |
| Marginal Markings: | |
| Front: | Plate number in four corners |
| Back: | ©2022 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (122700) • Plate position diagram (8) • Promotional text |