The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, to be issued in June, pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. Drawing some of the most remarkable athletes ever to play the sport, including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, the Negro leagues galvanized African-American communities across the country, challenged racist notions of athletic superiority, and ultimately sparked the integration of American sports.
In 1920, Andrew "Rube" Foster (1879/1930), who began his baseball career as a pitcher, established the Negro National League, the first successful league of African-American teams. Nicknamed "Rube" after defeating major-league pitcher George Edward "Rube" Waddell in 1902, Foster is considered the "father" of Negro leagues baseball.
The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. The two 44-cent stamps comprise one scene painted by Kadir Nelson.
{Info from USPS News Release}
I don't like baseball, but I really like this stamp set. I'd hate to break them up though. They look so nice as the pair.
My favorite postal clerk told me today that they'll be released June 4.
Posted by: Missive Maven | June 02, 2010 at 02:16 PM
I like this stamp very much and if you use it on international mail, combined with a 10¢ stamp, you don't have to break them up! It will equal 98¢
And, I learned at the National Postal Museum last weekend, this sort of stamp issue is called a "se-tenant."
Posted by: PostMuse | June 02, 2010 at 05:23 PM