On September 5, 2010, the 13th anniversary of Mother Teresa's death, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 44-cent stamp commemorating Mother Teresa, the revered founder of the Missionaries of Charity and 1979 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mother Teresa was made an honorary U.S. citizen in 1996 by act of Congress and President Bill Clinton and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. She was only the seventh person in U.S. history to receive honorary U.S. citizenship; five of the other six have also honored on U.S. postage stamps. The Marquis de Lafayette has appeared on four stamps (1952, 1957, 1976, and 1977), William Penn on one (1932), Winston Churchill on two (1965 and 1991), Raoul Wallenberg on one (1997), and Gen. Casimir Pulaski on two (1931 and 1979). Hannah Callowhill Penn, the other honorary citizen, has never been honored on a U.S. postage stamp.
You can learn more about the Mother Teresa stamp and today's announcement here.
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local post office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
Mother Teresa Stamp
Special Cancellations
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20090-2282
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by Nov. 5, 2010.
Stamp Fulfillment Services also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first day of issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic Catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
There are four other philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
465161, First-Day Cover, 82 cents.
465165, Digital Color Postmark, $1.50.
465191, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
465199, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $10.95
(Image by Thomas Blackshear II; © USPS)