Vintage Unused Chrysanthemum Flower Stamps (The Seasonal Garden), USPS Postage 32c

Product Description

• Minimum Quantity: 10 (buy more and save)
• Vintage Unused/Uncanceled U.S. Postage Stamp
• Chrysanthemum, Flower, The Seasonal Garden, Yellow/Orange/Green, Multicolored
• Topic: Flowers, Gardening, Nature, Seasons, Fall, Fall Garden Flowers
• Size: 1¾ x 1 inches (approx.)
• Condition: mint, unused/uncanceled
• Adhesive Type: gummed
• Face Value: 32 cents each (USD) 

Flower Information

Chrysanthemums have a history that is as colorful as the flowers themselves. First cultivated centuries ago in China, the chrysanthemum was used primarily as a culinary herb. Its petals and young shoots found their way to the table in salads; its flowers and leaves were taken and brewed into teas. 

The Japanese subsequently adopted the flower and were so enamored with it that they gave it the status of royalty. The flower is used on the Emperor’s official seal and crest, and the highest level of decoration that can be awarded to an individual for distinguished service to the nation is the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum. The Japanese have a National Chrysanthemum Day, the Festival of Happiness, which is one of five ancient festival days in the country. Kiku is the Japanese word for chrysanthemum.

The chrysanthemum was introduced into European culture in the 17th century. Some European countries gave the flower a markedly different meaning, adopting it as a symbol of death, using it for funerals and graves.

The name chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum) is derived from the Greek chryos meaning gold and anthemon meaning flower. Early depictions of chrysanthemums show them as small, yellow, daisy-like flowers.

Chrysanthemums belong to the Asteraceae or daisy family. It is one of the largest families in the botanical world. In evolutionary terms, it is considered one of the more advanced families because of its complex flower structure. Members of this family include chrysanthemums, asters (Aster), coneflowers (Echinacea) and zinnias (Zinnia).

Stamp History

Illustrated for the United States Postal Service (USPS) by Ned Seidler, this stamp is part of the The Seasonal Garden series. In 1992, the USPS issued a pane of 50 stamps, each depicting a different American wildflower. This series proved to be so popular that the USPS followed up with a colorful stamp booklet for each season honoring American garden flowers. Starting with the spring issue, the booklets were produced from 1993 to 1996. The artwork for each of these beautiful garden scenes depicts five seasonal flowers clustered together in bouquet format.

"Chrysanthemum" is one of five stamps in the Fall Garden Flowers series that was released on May 15, 1993. The selected fall blooms were the aster, chrysanthemum, dahlia, hydrangea, and the rudbeckia. Including hydrangea as a fall flowering plant illustrates the difficulty of seasonal categories, since this flower is sometimes regarded as a late spring or summer bloom. Unlike the other seasonal issues, here the artist allowed for space between the individual flowers.

Stamp History Courtesy of Smithsonian National Postal Museum