Will an iStamp inspire people to craft handwritten letters again? Perhaps that is what the U.S. Postal Service is wishing for, as it approves the creation of a collectible stamp in honor of the late technology visionary and Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.
In a document obtained by The Washington Post, the USPS lists a Jobs stamp that will be rolled out in 2015. The document that has the mark of The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, appears to have been created or updated in January. The usually top-secret file indicates that the design of the Steve Jobs stamp is still in works.
"Although the list has been made and some work has started, Susan McGowan, the Postal Service's executive director for stamp services and corporate licensing, said the subjects 'are subject to change' at any time," reported The Washington Post.
The 2015 lineup of collectible stamps also includes music icons Elvis Presley and James Brown, Hollywood star Ingrid Bergman, legendary comic strip Peanuts, television host Johnny Carson, and African American architect Robert Robinson Taylor. There are also generic designs such as that of baskets, five fishes, Christmas carols, and letter writing, among others.
Stamp collectors can expect this year's release of stamps to include music icons Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, actor and activist Charlston Heston, basketball superstar Wilt Chamberlain, celebrity chefs, hot rods, medal of honor for the Korean War, pioneers of graphics design, vintage circus posters, and a host of others.
The approved list includes subjects on the most important figures of literature, historical and cultural symbols, and things about American life.
The USPS has been featuring newer subjects that are more familiar to the younger generation in the hopes of attracting some interest. The annual revenue of the mail delivery service has been steady with the 2013 figures pegged at $67.3 billion. However, the agency has trimmed down its workforce significantly from almost 705,000 in 2005 to just roughly 490,000 last year.
The volume of mail has also significantly dwindled from 211.7 billion in 2005 to 158.4 billion (but yes that is still a lot of mail to be sorted and delivered). Another sign that less and less people are depending on the service are the declining number of delivery routes now at 225,152 from 243,000 in 2005. The total number of vehicles used by the USPS also dropped to 211,654 from 214,146.
While it is an honor for personalities to be featured on the USPS stamp, there might be a big difference between the appreciation of the generation that had the habit of checking mail boxes (and maybe collecting stamps) and the current generation that checks inboxes and cloud storage.
Check out below the full list of planned postage stamps this year through 2016.
