Iris Postage Stamps | Beautiful Blooms Series | Purple Flowers | Vintage Unused USPS Postage 41c

Add floral style to your letters with these stunning vintage unused Beautiful Blooms series "Iris" postage stamps! This classic botanical design is perfect for adding a pop of color to your save-the-dates, wedding invitations, thank you cards, shower invites, birth announcements, and other snail mail correspondence. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 41-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. Deliver floral elegance with this exquisite vintage postage stamp!

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: Iris
• Series: Beautiful Blooms
• Year Issued: 2007
• Face Value: 41-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Flowers, Floral, Botanical, Fragrant, Gardening
• Color(s): Purple, Violet, Yellow, Green, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Birth Announcements, Thank You Cards, Valentine’s Day, Snail Mail, and more…
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 4178
• Adhesion Type: Self-adhesive
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: The 41-cent “Iris” postage stamp is part of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Beautiful Blooms series, a modern floral program introduced to showcase flowers as expressive works of art rather than strict botanical studies. Issued by the USPS on August 10th, 2007, in Portland, Oregon, the series reflected a mid-2000s design shift toward bold color, painterly style, and emotionally resonant imagery suitable for everyday correspondence.

The design features a purple iris blossom shown in close-up, with elegantly ruffled petals unfolding outward in rich shades of violet and lavender. Subtle tonal transitions and delicate shading emphasize the flower’s sculptural form and velvety texture, while hints of lighter highlights add dimension and softness. The background is understated and unobtrusive, keeping the viewer’s focus on the bloom itself. The overall effect is poised and contemplative—capturing the iris’s long-standing associations with wisdom, faith, and hope.

FLOWER INFORMATION: Purple irises are perennial plants with six-petaled flowers that bloom in late spring and early summer. A fragrant flower, they come in many varieties, including the purple flame iris, purple Louisiana iris, and giant purple iris. The petals of a purple iris resemble the fleur-de-lis symbol.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: Purple irises symbolize royalty, wisdom, dignity, respect, strength, and courage. Purple is a color that has historically been associated with royalty because it was expensive and rare to dye. Purple irises are often given as gifts for birthdays and anniversaries. They can also be used to convey respect or to honor someone who has achieved something great. Named for Iris, the mythological messenger between heaven and earth, the iris flower has long symbolized communication between the spiritual and human realms—making it a flower associated with insight, intuition, and messages of hope. Spiritually, the iris’s upright posture and unfolding petals suggest awakening and revelation. Its layered form reflects the gradual opening of understanding: truth revealed not all at once, but through patience, reflection, and lived experience. The flower’s poised symmetry conveys balance between mind and spirit, encouraging clarity and discernment in times of transition.

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: The “Beautiful Blooms” series is a set of 10 different flowers designed by artist Carl T. Herrman of Carlsbad, California, and was first issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on August 10, 2007 in Portland, Oregon. Photographer Mark Laita of Culver City, California, created the artistic images of the beautiful blooms featured on these stamps. Unlike botanical or garden-specific programs that focused on realism or seasonal cycles, this series highlighted bold, decorative blossoms presented almost as portraits—lush, close-up views that emphasize color, texture, and visual impact. These magnificent flowers may be seen coast to coast, not only in gardens, but floating on ponds, and adorning trees. The flowers featured were popular, widely recognized blooms commonly associated with bouquets and celebrations. The ten flowers depicted on the Beautiful Blooms series stamps are echinacea (also known as the purple coneflower), tulip, water lily, poppy, spider chrysanthemum, orange gerbera daisy, iris, dahlia, vulcan magnolia, and red gerbera daisy.

GENUINE USPS POSTAGE: These unused vintage postage stamps are perfectly valid for use as current postage for mailing with USPS as long as you use the adequate amount of additional postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates at USPS.com.

QUESTIONS? We love hearing from our customers and replies to inquires are usually answered the same day. Need more of this stamp? Looking for a particular stamp not found on our website? Want a curated postage set for your special event?  Contact us with questions about vintage postage stamps and our services… 

TELL YOUR STORY IN STAMPS: We’ve worked with hundreds of couples and their stationers to custom design highly stylized personalized postage sets based on our customer’s life stories. We can help you curate personalized vintage postage sets to commemorate your save-the-date, wedding, shower, announcement, and other special occasions in a truly unique fashion. Drawing on our encyclopedic knowledge of every stamp ever issued by the USPS, and sourcing from our extensive inventory of collectable unused vintage stamps, we’ll help you tell your unique story in stamps!

ABOUT HERITAGE POST HOUSE: Jennifer Kramer is the founder of Heritage Post House, a boutique vintage postage house located in Northern California. Jennifer sources the most beautiful unused vintage postage stamps ever issued by USPS and artfully arranges them into curated postage sets that are sure to add a special touch to your invitations, announcements, and special mailings. In addition to creating pre-arranged postage sets, Jennifer also works with couples (and their stationers) to create one-of-a-kind custom postage arrangements for wedding invitations, save the dates, and other special occasions.

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