1、Order Code RS20221Updated April 15,2003CRS Report for CongressDistributed by Penny Hill Presshttp:Commemorative Postage Stamps: History,Selection Criteria, and Revenue PotentialNye StevensSpecialist in American National GovernmentGovernment and Finance DivisionSummaryMore than 1,700 commemorative st
2、amps have been issued since the first in 1893.In recent years they have been marketed to attract non-collectors and children. In 2002,the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) issued 121 different commemorative stamps.In considering subjects for commemorative stamps, the USPS Citizens StampAdvisory Committee,
3、guided by 12 basic criteria, reviews and appraises theapproximately 50,000 proposals submitted for commemoration each year. ThePostmaster General (PMG) has the exclusive and final authority to determine bothsubject matter and design. A number of resolutions are introduced in Congress eachyear urging
4、 that consideration be given to a particular subject for commemoration, butfew are passed, and the advisory committee accords them no special status.The commemorative stamp program contributed an estimated $174 million inretained revenues for the USPS in fiscal year 2002. According to postal officia
