Value: 2-ounce Mail Rate
First Day of Issue: March 24, 2022
First Day City: Lawrence, Kansas
Printed by: Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method: Offset, Microprint
Format: Panes of 20
The Stamp’s Purpose: Meeting the 2-Ounce Mail Rate
Issued to cover the 2-ounce mail rate for heavyweight invitations such as those for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, oversized greeting cards, or other small packages requiring extra postage.
Design Aesthetics: Capturing the Beauty of Blooms
Showcasing vibrant orange and yellow sunflowers alongside irises, dahlias, echinacea, and small red, purple, white, and pink flowers. The stamp, created using digital photography by Harold Davis, shares similarities with the Tulips Forever design from 2022.
First Day City: Lawrence, Kansas
While lacking an official First Day of Issue Ceremony, the stamp’s First Day of Issue Postmark originates from Lawrence, Kansas, home to the renowned Grinter’s Sunflower Farm.
Representing Floral History: The Popularity of Sunflowers
Sunflowers, globally beloved blooms, symbolize summer with their bright colors. Available in various colors and sizes, they suit any occasion. Despite the common image of towering sunflowers, North America’s native wild sunflowers can be smaller, reaching up to six feet in height with three to four-inch-wide flower heads. These wild sunflowers, easily grown in backyards, attract beneficial pollinators, especially butterflies and hummingbirds.
The Versatility of Wild Sunflowers: Ideal for Bouquets
Wild sunflowers’ smaller size makes them perfect for delicate bouquets, as depicted on the 2022 two-ounce-rate stamp. Paired with other colorful blooms, the design serves as a cheerful, year-round reminder of summer. Given the universal appeal of sunflowers, it is an excellent choice for mailing greeting cards, wedding invitations, and other heavier letters.
