Fishing Boat Postage Stamps | Mini-Scapes Series | Coastal Wedding Stamps | Nautical | Lake | Vintage Unused USPS Postage 19c

This vintage Fishing Boat stamp brings the quiet character of an East Coast waterfront to wedding invitations, letters, and special correspondence. Issued in 1991 as part of the short-lived USPS Mini-Scapes group, this stamp features the prow of a working fishing boat tied beside a wooden pier along a marshy shoreline. Its soft coastal colors and understated nautical setting make it especially appealing for waterfront weddings, coastal celebrations, harbor venues, fishing families, boating enthusiasts, and couples looking for vintage postage with an authentic maritime feel.

In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 19-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: Fishing Boat
• Stamp Series: Mini-Scapes
• Year Issued: 1991
• Face Value: 19-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Fishing Boat, Fishing Boats, East Coast, Waterfront, Harbor, Pier, Marsh, Coastal, Nautical, Boating, Oystering, Crabbing, Working Boats, Pierre Mion
• Color(s): Blue, Gray, Brown, Green, White, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Dates, Coastal Weddings, Waterfront Weddings, Nautical Weddings, Harbor Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Fishing Events, Boating Events, Thank You Cards, Letters, Special Correspondence
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 2529
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see adhesion instructions below)
• Stamp Size: 25 × 23 mm / 0.98 × 0.91 in
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: The 1991 Fishing Boat stamp was issued on August 8, 1991, in Washington, D.C., as a 19-cent definitive designed to satisfy the postcard rate. Artist Pierre Mion created the original gouache painting, depicting the prow of a fishing boat tied to a pier along a marshy shoreline. The boat resembles the working oyster and crabbing vessels traditionally found along the East Coast. Multi-Color Corporation printed the coil stamp for the American Bank Note Company using photogravure.

ABOUT THE FISHING BOAT: Working fishing boats along the Atlantic coast have long supported commercial fisheries, shellfish harvesting, and waterfront communities. Smaller vessels used for crabbing, oystering, and inshore fishing are typically designed for practical access to shallow coastal waters, bays, estuaries, and marsh-lined shorelines. Their utilitarian forms have become enduring symbols of American coastal life.

FISHING BOATS & COASTAL COMMUNITIES: Fishing vessels are closely tied to the history and identity of towns along the Chesapeake Bay, New England, the Carolinas, and other Atlantic coastal regions. Harbors, wooden piers, tidal marshes, and working boats have shaped both local economies and the visual character of these waterfront communities for generations.

FISHING BOATS & WEDDING STYLE: Soft blues, weathered browns, muted greens, and the quiet waterfront setting give this stamp a naturally relaxed coastal character. It pairs beautifully with navy, dusty blue, sea glass, ivory, kraft paper, driftwood neutrals, and botanical greens. For brides planning harbor, marina, waterfront, beach-adjacent, New England, Chesapeake, or coastal weddings, this stamp adds a personal maritime detail without feeling overly literal or novelty-driven.

BOATING, FISHING & FAMILY TRADITIONS: Boats often carry strong personal meaning for families with connections to fishing, sailing, coastal work, or time spent on the water. For couples who grew up around marinas, fishing communities, family boats, or waterfront destinations, this stamp can make an invitation envelope feel especially personal and connected to shared memories.

PIERS, MARSHES & COASTAL LANDSCAPES: The pier and marshy shoreline depicted on this stamp evoke estuaries and protected coastal waters where freshwater and saltwater environments meet. These productive habitats provide nurseries for fish and shellfish, feeding grounds for birds, and protection for shorelines while also supporting generations of coastal livelihoods.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Fishing Boat design symbolizes journey, livelihood, perseverance, independence, patience, and connection to place. The moored boat suggests both readiness and belonging, while the surrounding waterfront reflects calm, continuity, and a life shaped by natural rhythms. For weddings and meaningful correspondence, this stamp expresses shared adventure, steady partnership, and setting out together toward a new horizon.

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: The Mini-Scapes group was developed as a brief experiment in colorful, familiar definitive subjects that could remain visually appealing at a small scale. The designs focused on everyday scenes rather than monuments or portraits and included a beach umbrella, hot-air balloon, and fishing boat. Pierre Mion created the artwork for all three, giving the group a cohesive, approachable visual style.