Lavender Herb Stamps (Herbs, Culinary, Flowers, Bridal, Purple) Vintage Unused USPS Postage 29c

Add a touch of timeless elegance to your save-the-date, bridal announcement, wedding invitations, and letters with this gorgeous vintage stamp from the “Herbs” series. Mint condition and unused, this beautiful stamp features a sprig of flowering lavender with its characteristic purple blooms and silvery green leaves. Lavender is one of the most famous herbal scents and has proven effective in relieving anxiety and depression.

Lavender is a small, aromatic, evergreen shrub with narrow, gray-green leaves and clusters of purple flowers that grow in spikes at the top of long stems. It is known for its strong, sweet, floral scent produced by tiny oil glands on the flowers, leaves, and stems, and is often used in aromatherapy and culinary applications. Its purple flowers arranged in spikes at the top of stems can range from light to dark purple. "English Lavender" (Lavandula angustifolia) is the most widely cultivated variety.

Lavender is thought to have originated in the Mediterranean, Middle East, and India around 2,500 years ago. The word "lavender" comes from the Latin word lavare, which means "to wash". Egyptians used lavender in the mummification process, and to make perfumes.The Phoenicians were the first to use lavender in cooking. Arabian women used lavender oil in their hair, while the Romans scented their public bathhouses with lavender. Greeks used lavender for its medicinal properties, to ease headaches, gastritis, and sore throats.

Lavender flowers represent purity, silence, devotion, serenity, grace, and calmness. Purple is the color of royalty and speaks of elegance, refinement, and luxury, too. The color is also associated with the crown chakra, which is the energy center associated with higher purpose and spiritual connectivity.

Part of the Herbs series, this 29-cent stamp was first issued by the United States Postal Ser­vice (USPS) on April 7, 2011, in New York, New York. These self-adhesive stamps were designed by Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Virginia. The five stamps in this series feature various flowering herbs used for fragrance, flavoring, med­icine, and/or decoration. Artist Teresa Fasolino of New York, New York, created the original oil paintings for each stamp in the series. Each stamp evokes a vintage-style and depicts a particular species in bloom, as well as a typical leaf and flower or seed capsule. The species featured on these elegant stamps are Origanum vulgare (oregano), Linum perenne (flax), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lavandula angustifolio (lavender), and Salvia officinalis (sage), however, only the common names for these plants appear on the stamps. 29-cents was the postcard rate the year these stamps were released.

These stamps are perfectly suitable for use as current postage for mailing with USPS, as long as you use the adequate amount of postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing.

** Please note that you may receive coil stamps for this order which will not have the perforation at the top and bottom like the stamps in the listing photos.