The Distinguished Americans series is a set of definitive stamps issued by the United States Postal Service which was started in 2000 with a 10¢ stamp depicting Joseph Stilwell.[1] The designs of the first nine issues are reminiscent of the earlier Great Americans series, but less austere. The first nine issues were done with black lines on a white background, but in 2008, with the James A. Michener issue (#10), the USPS added color toning. Like the Great Americans series, the first twelve issues measured 0.84 inches by 0.99 inches overall,[2] and were all designed by Mark Summers of Waterdown, Ontario.[3][4] In 2011, with the Oveta Culp Hobby stamp, the series went to a larger format with full color images and colored backgrounds.[2][5]
The 2004 Rudolph stamp is the only one in the series to have been issued in both a sheet (pane) and booklet format.[6] Both the 2001 Caraway issue and the 2002–2003 Ferber issues have perforation differences.[7]
The stamps issued in this series include the following (rank, date of issue, denomination, depicted person):[2][3]
- 2000, August 24. 10¢. General Joseph W. Stilwell.[1]
- 2000, September 7. 33¢. Senator Claude Pepper.
- 2001, February 21. 76¢. Senator Hattie W. Caraway.
- 2002, July 29. 83¢. Author Edna Ferber. Reissued in 2003 with 11¼ x 11¼ perforations.
- 2004, July 14. 23¢. Athlete Wilma Rudolph[8]
- 2006, March 9. 63¢. Medical scientist Jonas Salk.
- 2006, March 9. 87¢. Virologist Albert Sabin.
- 2007, June 13. 58¢. Senator Margaret Chase Smith.[9]
- 2007, June 13. 75¢. Author Harriet Beecher Stowe.[10]
- 2008, May 12. 59¢. Author James A. Michener.[4]
- 2008, May 12. 76¢. Physician Edward Trudeau.[4]
- 2009, May 15. 78¢. Philanthropist Mary Lasker.[11]
- 2011, April 15. 84¢, first-class mail, three-ounce rate stamp. Stateswoman Oveta Culp Hobby.[5]
- 2012, April 26. Forever.[12] Actor José Ferrer.[13]
- 2014, March 13. 70¢, first-class mail, two-ounce rate stamp. Aviator C. Alfred "Chief" Anderson.[14]
- 2017, April 11. 70¢, first-class mail, two-ounce rate stamp. Teacher, pioneer of deaf studies Robert Panara.[2][15]