Rudbeckia Postage Stamps | Black-eyed Susan | Fall Garden Flowers | Garden Flowers Series | Vintage Unused USPS Postage 32c

Add floral flair to your letters with these stunning vintage unused Garden Flowers Series "Fall Garden Flowers: Rudbeckia" (aka “Black-eyed Susan”) postage stamps! This classic botanical design is perfect for adding a touch of nature’s beauty 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 32-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: Fall Garden Flowers: Rudbeckia (aka “Black-eyed Susan”)
• Series: Garden Flowers
• Year Issued: 1995
• Face Value: 32-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Flowers, Gardening, Floral, Botanical, Fragrant, Fall, Autumn, Nature
  
• Color(s): Orange, 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: Intaglio
• Scott Number: 2997
• Adhesion Type: Gummed
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: Released on September 19, 1995 in Encinitas, California, the 32-cent "Fall Garden Flowers: Rudbeckia" postage stamp is part of the USPS Garden Flowers series, a beloved botanical program highlighting familiar ornamental blooms found in American gardens throughout the seasons. This stamp belongs to the Fall Garden Flowers subset of the Garden Flowers series. The series was created to showcase popular seasonal flowers that thrive in home landscapes, emphasizing both their visual appeal and their role in marking the rhythms of the year. Rudbeckia—commonly known as Black-eyed Susan—was chosen as a quintessential late-summer and fall bloom, symbolizing endurance and warmth as the growing season transitions toward autumn.

Designer Ethel Kessler’s understated, elegant layout allows the flower to command attention, while botanical artist Thomas R. Hipschen’s detailed illustration captures both accuracy and expressive color. The stamp features a bold, close-up illustration of Rudbeckia blossoms, characterized by golden-yellow petals radiating from a deep brown central cone. The petals are slightly irregular, giving the flower a natural, sunlit vitality, while subtle shading adds depth and texture. Set against a soft, neutral background, the composition highlights the flower’s strong contrast and iconic form. The overall effect is warm, cheerful, and distinctly autumnal—evoking garden borders glowing in late-season light.

FLOWER INFORMATION: Rudbeckia, commonly known as Black-eyed Susan, is native to North America with around 30 species. They can be found in both damp woodlands and dry prairies. The most well-known species is Rudbeckia hirta, which is native to the Eastern and Central parts of the continent and has naturalized in the Western part and China. The flower's Latin name, Rudbeckia hirta, comes from Swedish botanist Olof Rudbeck, a mentor of Carl Linnaeus, who named the genus in his honor. Hirta means "rough" or "hairy". The flower's common name may come from a ballad by English poet John Gay about a lovelorn woman named Black-eyed Susan. The seeds of the North American Rudbeckia were sent to Europe by John Bartram, a botanist, where they reached Carl Linnaeus.

Some species of Black-eyed Susans have other names, such as daisies, sunflowers, or coneflowers. They are pioneer plants, meaning they are the first to grow in areas damaged by natural disasters or fire. They are also the host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot butterfly caterpillar. Native American tribes used the plant to treat various ailments, including snake bites, sores, swellings, worms, and colds. 

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: Part of the Garden Flowers series, the Fall Garden Flowers postage stamps were released on September 19, 1995 at the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, California. The selected fall blooms were the aster, chrysanthemum, dahlia, hydrangea, and the rudbeckia. The Garden Flowers series is a long-running floral theme issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS), created to celebrate the beauty, familiarity, and emotional resonance of flowers commonly found in American gardens. Spanning multiple issues and denominations from the late 20th century into the early 21st century, the series reflects USPS’s enduring commitment to botanical art as a bridge between fine design and everyday life. The Garden Flowers series emerged from USPS’s broader effort to feature accessible, nature-based subjects that would appeal to a wide audience. Rather than spotlighting rare or exotic blooms, the series focuses on beloved garden staples—flowers people recognize from backyards, bouquets, and seasonal displays.

GUMMED STAMPS: These postage stamps have a traditional moisture-activated gum on the back. These stamps require licking or wetting to adhere to envelopes or other surfaces. To ensure good adhesion, apply vintage gummed stamps to your mailings with a glue stick (we recommend using Elmer's "Re-Stick" glue sticks).

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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