This article discusses Elvis Presley on stamps, beginning with the famous 1993 issue from the USPS. Elvis, of course, was the King of rock and roll. Apparently, he is also the King of postage stamps. The United States issued a stamp featuring the “King” in 1993 that became the most popular postage stamp ever produced. The postal service sold more than 500 million copies of the stamp. Further, it is estimated that more than 124 million of those stamps were never used, but instead were saved as collectible items.
Sometimes, things that are so important don’t get the appreciation that they deserve. As a collector who specializes in music-themed post stamps, the Elvis stamps have never held much interest for me. They are so ubiquitous that I have never valued them as items, perhaps missing the point. The most popular postage stamp ever issued featured a musical theme.
First Day Cover, Scott Number 2724
I was too young to be a real Elvis fan, but as a music-themed stamp it is obviously an important piece to have in my collection. I do own it in a couple of versions. My favorite is the cover with a Memphis cancellation featured above. I also have it as a single stamp and as a part of a strip of stamps featuring rock and roll musicians that was a part of the Legends of Music series.
A few years ago, I did have the opportunity to visit Graceland and it gave me a greater appreciation for Elvis and for his place in American culture and music.
The Story
The story of the Elvis stamp might be more interesting than the stamp itself. To be eligible to appear on a postal stamp, a person had to be dead for at least ten years. That was the rule in the United States until 2007. Elvis died on August 16, 1977 at Graceland, his home in Memphis, Tennessee. Theoretically, Elvis could have appeared on a stamp as early as 1987. However, there had long been a controversy about whether Elvis was in fact dead. Silly, but it was only one controversy about Elvis appearing on a stamp. His death from a drug overdose was a much more serious problem. Remember, stamps are political documents, and morality is an issue that some governments. The Reagan administration particularly made their “Just Say No,” campaign against drugs a major focus the Elvis stamp creation was in conflict with that message.
After millions of Elvis fans wrote to the postal service requesting an Elvis stamp, the USPS decided in 1992 that they would in fact issue such a stamp. The next step was as amazing as it was unusual. The post office commissioned two different designs: a “young” Elvis and a “mature” Elvis. Then they requested that the public vote on which version of the stamp would actually be produced. More than 1.2 million ballots were returned to the post office and the overwhelming majority chose to commemorate the younger Elvis for the extraordinary contributions that he made to American music. You can read more about this process on an excellent blog from the Smithsonian’s Postal Museum.
The Elvis Stamp
The final design was a watercolor painting of a youthful Elvis that was made by Mark Stutzman and it was issued on January 8, 1993, which would have been Elvis’ 58th birthday. The release of the stamp caused a nationwide furor and there are many articles and news stories from the time about the musician and about the stamp.
One of the best was a 2 1/2 minute piece that appeared on CBS News, including an interview with a psychic who was trying to contact him in the afterlife.
I have the stamp in several forms in my collection. First, as you can see at the top of this article, I have a first day cover by Richard DeSpain that shows Elvis singing and has a postmark with the gates of Graceland. I also have a sheet of the Elvis stamps, which were sold in a sleeve with an oval cutout – like a record sleeve.
The stamp would later also be part of the Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues musicians set that launched the Legends of American Music stamp series. That set became available on June 16th of 1993. One interesting fact is that on the original stamp only Elvis’ first name is used. On those included in the sheets for the Legends set the stamps say Elvis Presley, as the other stamps in the series use both names for musicians. So you can tell the difference between the first issue and the second issue by whether Elvis’s last name appears or not.
In my collection, I have a strip from the Rock & Roll and Rhythm & Blues stamps and you can see below what the Elvis stamp looks like from that set – with both his first and last names.
Elvis Presley single stamp, Scott Number 2724
A Forever Stamp
It is extraordinarily rare for the USPS to issue more than one stamp featuring a person. Outside of famous national figures such as presidents, it just does not happen. In fact, this is one of my criticisms of the Legends of American Music series. There were musicians that should have been part of the project, but were excluded because they were previously depicted on stamps.
As a sign of the importance of Elvis to American culture, in 2015, the USPS created another Elvis stamp, the so-called Elvis forever stamp. It was part of the Music Icon series of stamps. The design for this stamp was is by Antonio Alcala and Leslie Badani and based on a 1955 photograph of Elvis by William Speer. On the right side of the stamp is Elvis’ signature in gold.
Music Icons Series
Scott Number US 5009a
An International Icon
Of course, Elvis was not just popular in the United States. His music and movies are beloved by millions of fans across the globe, even decades after his death. Due to this, Elvis remains one of the most popular people on stamps. Certainly, most of the stamps featuring Elvis are made to appeal to western stamp collectors and Elvis Presley fans, many of whom are not savvy about philately. Check out this slide show below to see some of the many stamps from across the globe to feature Elvis Presley.
2023 Update – Memorabilia
Amazingly, the postage stamp of Elvis has itself now become iconic. The image of the stamp (and not just an image of Elvis) appears on all kinds of memorabilia. For example, I recently travelled to Memphis, Tennessee and there found a coffee mug featuring the Elvis stamp. Of course, it is now a part of my collection!
I also happened to find a belt buckle featuring the Elvis stamp. Seriously, and although I don’t use it as a belt buckle, I did have to buy it for my collection too.
Even more fascinating (at least to me), I recently visited an exhibition dedicated to music of the Lower East Side – or at least Punk and other music of the 1970s through 1990s. In the exhibition was the vest of musician and New York personality David Peel. The vest, which he was seen wearing constantly for years, features a whole bunch of buttons. Peel was an advocate for the legalization of marijuana and many of the buttons are about legalizing drugs. There are also buttons for other musicians and bands – such as The Rolling Stones. On the vest is also a button depicting the Elvis Presley postage stamp.
What does the postage stamp button represent? Well it could just be representing Elvis as a favorite musician like others on the vest. The stamp has come to represent Elvis as an iconic image. However, it could also reference the drug controversy about the release of the stamp. It is impossible to know, but interesting that it appears in this context.
