“Get your kicks on Route 66.” Nat King Cole’s iconic song is one that has endured through the ages. Even those of us born after the heyday of the famous route not only have nostalgia for a less complicated time, but can also probably sing the entire song from memory right now. I’m not sorry I just got it stuck in your head for the next week.
Route 66 was and remains a national iconic symbol of freedom, promise, open roads, and limitless possibilities. And to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the legendary highway, the United States Postal Service released a set of eight commemorative Forever Stamps celebrating everything Route 66 represents.
Lisa Bobb-Semple, director of stamps at the USPS, sat down to chat with us about the release of these stamps — and the printing process behind official stamps, which are still offset printed. In this case, she notes, “a lot of times we try to commemorate anniversaries through our stamp program. With it being the 100th anniversary of Route 66, that was kind of the idea there.”
How that came to be is an interesting window into how any commemorative stamp is produced. Bobb-Semple explains, “There’s a group called the Citizen Stamps Advisory Committee (CSAC). They are appointed by the Post Master General, and they are from multiple disciplines. We have people on the CSAC that have a historical background, a creative arts background, a sports background, a medical background, philanthropic backgrounds, etc. We really try to find people who have different backgrounds to lend their knowledge into the discussion.”
Every quarter, she explains, the CSAC meets to take a look at subjects that might be worth commemorating — anniversaries, events, historical figures, etc. There are, she explains, usually thousands of topics that are sifted through to find the right fit for a stamp.
“It’s a pretty difficult process. They’re having vigorous debates around the why, the why not?,” Bobb-Semple says. “Is this the best of America? Why is it? What’s the positive? What’s the negative?”
Read this full article on Printing Impressions, a publication of PRINTING United Alliance, ASI’s strategic partner.
