Circus Stamps

Vintage Circus Posters
Sheet of 16 Stamps in 8 Designs | Forever $0.49

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, companies such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey used posters to let people know that the circus was coming to town.

The U.S. Postal Service® is excited to celebrate the large, colorful pieces of art that showcased eye-catching imagery of stunts, performers, and animals.

This sheet of 16 self-adhesive stamps features reproductions of eight vintage circus posters. Each stamp features one vintage circus poster. The sheet's verso text includes a brief discussion of the history and purpose of circus posters. The selvage features an image of a circus entrance shot by photographer Edward J. Kelty in 1937.

These posters are now part of the Tibbals Digital Collection at the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art.

Art director Greg Breeding worked on the stamp sheet with designer Jennifer Arnold.

The 2014 Vintage Circus Posters stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.

Made in the USA. Issue Date:
May 05, 2014
Art Director/Designer:
Greg Breeding, Jennifer Arnold