Ohio Postage Stamps | State Bird and Flower Issue | Cardinal & Red Carnation | Vintage Unused USPS Postage 20c

Add bright Buckeye State beauty and Ohio charm to your letters with these vintage unused “Ohio State Bird and Flower” postage stamps! This colorful commemorative design is perfect for adding Cardinal imagery, Scarlet Carnation floral detail, regional history, garden character, and classic botanical elegance to save-the-dates, wedding invitations, thank you cards, graduation announcements, travel-themed mailings, Ohio correspondence, and other snail mail. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 20-cents. These authentic USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your mailing.

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Stamp Name: Ohio State Bird and Flower
• Stamp Series: State Birds and Flowers
• Year Issued: 1982
• Face Value: 20-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Ohio, State Bird, State Flower, Cardinal, Northern Cardinal, Scarlet Carnation, Red Carnation, Birds, Flowers, Wildlife, Botanical, Buckeye State, U.S. States
• Color(s): Red, Green, Brown, Black, Yellow, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save-the-Dates, Ohio Weddings, Garden Weddings, Carnation Weddings, Floral Weddings, Bird-Themed Mailings, Botanical Correspondence, Graduation Announcements, Thank You Notes, Travel Mail, Everyday Correspondence
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 1987
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see adhesion instructions below)
• Stamp Size: 40.0 mm x 25.0 / 1.57 in x 0.98
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: The 1982 Ohio State Bird and Flower stamp was issued as part of the State Birds and Flowers se-tenant pane of 50 stamps, with one design representing each U.S. state. The Ohio stamp features a watercolor illustration of a Cardinal paired with a Scarlet Carnation, Ohio’s official state bird and flower. The pane of fifty 20-cent commemorative stamps was issued on April 14, 1982, in Washington, DC, with pictorial cancellations available in each state capital. The issue celebrated each state’s natural identity through official bird-and-flower artwork.

BIRD DESCRIPTION: The Northern Cardinal is a beloved songbird known for the male’s vivid red plumage, pointed crest, black face mask, and clear whistled song. Often seen in gardens, woodland edges, hedgerows, and backyard landscapes, the Cardinal brings brilliant color and familiar Midwestern warmth to this stamp. It symbolizes devotion, vitality, protection, love, remembrance, and a heartfelt connection to home.

FLOWER DESCRIPTION: The Scarlet Carnation is a ruffled, richly colored flower known for its vivid red petals, spicy fragrance, and long association with affection, admiration, and remembrance. As Ohio’s state flower, the Scarlet Carnation reflects beauty, devotion, and historic state pride. Its red blooms are especially associated with love, courage, gratitude, distinction, and enduring affection.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Cardinal evokes love, loyalty, vitality, remembrance, and devoted presence, while the Scarlet Carnation symbolizes admiration, affection, gratitude, courage, and enduring romance. Together, the bird and flower imagery creates a distinctly Ohio expression of home, love, warmth, and heartfelt celebration. This stamp is especially fitting for Ohio weddings, red-accented stationery, garden celebrations, floral correspondence, graduation announcements, thank you notes, travel mail, and messages celebrating love, roots, or meaningful new beginnings.

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: The State Birds and Flowers issue was a 50-stamp se-tenant pane released in 1982 to celebrate the official birds and flowers of every U.S. state. The project began after Fleetwood commissioned original paintings from father-and-son wildlife artists Arthur and Alan Singer, whose artwork impressed U.S. Postal Service officials. Each stamp featured unique watercolor artwork, making the issue the first set of its size to feature original artwork for every individual stamp, and it became one of the most popular issues in U.S. postal history.