The U.S. Postal Service's new Pony Cars Forever stamps are now available, after the USPS issued the stamps during last week's Great American Stamp Show. The collection consists of five stamps featuring some of the most iconic muscle cars on the road: the 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 302, the 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28, the 1967 Mercury Cougar XR-7 GT and the 1969 AMC Javelin SST.
Credit: USPS/PR Newswire.
“My mother had a 1970 Mustang with a 351 cubic inch V8,” said Scott Bombaugh, the Postal Service’s chief technology officer and executive vice president, who served as the dedicating official. “My brother learned to drive in that car, but by the time I was ready to drive, my parents sold the Mustang and had a Pinto wagon. Is it any wonder I have bought two Mustang GTs since then?”
The stamp's art director, designer and artist were all on hand at the dedication service. Painted using oil paint on panels, the stamp artwork, with bold colors and dramatic light, the USPS says they capture the energy and mystique of pony cars.
“If you don’t collect cars on stamps today, the Pony Cars Forever stamps will be a great way to start,” Scott English, executive director of the American Philatelic Society said. “Since the 1960s, the Camaro, Mustang and Challenger have been at the top of the dream car list for generations of young drivers. The Pony Cars Forever stamps will let you relive one of the most exciting eras of cars or fulfill the dream of owning one.”
“The USPS team was incredible to work with,” said stamp artist Tom Fritz. “Having had the keys thrown at me to create a second-stamp series was humbling. My challenge was to create five jewel-like, descriptive portrayals that every person who fell in love with this era can appreciate. The adventure isn’t just painting the cars' details but capturing their emotion and power – cars don’t just 'sit there'. They hunker down, they lurch, they shake, they shimmy and skitter. Those are the thrilling moments I look for.”
The Pony Cars Commemorative Forever pane of 20 stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1- ounce price. They're available now at Postal offices everywhere or you can order them on the USPS postal store. The USPS says it relies on the sale of postage stamps and products to fund operations since it generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses.
Photo Credit: USPS. Source: Press Release via PR Newswire.