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John Muir Postage Stamps and Covers
The links below the images lead to background history for each stamp, plus an online collection of First Day Covers for each issue. Click on the image of the stamp you would like to learn more about and to view our First Day and Special Event Cover collection for each stamp.
John Muir 1964 Postage Stamp
John Muir 1998 Postage Stamp
John Muir and Redwood Forest
This 5-cent stamp honoring the naturalist John Muir was issued through the Martinez, California, post office on April 29, 1964. Designed by Rudolph Wendelin, the stamp portrays a redwood forest with a shaft of light coming down at an angle through the trees to highlight Muir with a hiking staff. Superimposed on this background is a drawing of Muir’s face.
This stamp was printed on the Giori press and issued in panes of fifty stamps each. An initial printing of 125 million stamps was authorized. This 5 cent postage stamp was issued on April 29, 1964. Scott Number: 1245.
The Post Office Department announced that there were 446,925 first day covers canceled when the 5-cent John Muir commemorative stamp was first placed on sale at Martinez, California, on April 29,1964. In all, there were 67,963 stamps sold that day with a value of $33,998.15. [Source: U.S. Post Office Department Philatelic Release No. 34, May 22, 1964.]
This “Celebrate the Century” Issue stamp depicts preservationist John Muir and Yosemite Valley, California. Designed by Carl Herrman, of Laguna Niguel, California. The first day of issue for the stamp was February 3, 1998 in Washington, D.C. Scott Number: 3182j
The unveiling of this stamp was on Wednesday, January 7, 1998, at John Muir National Historic Site, in Martinez, California. The stamp is part of the U.S. Postal Service stamp and education program “Celebrate the CenturyTM.” The first day of issue for the stamp was actually nearly a month later, on Tuesday, February 3, 1998 in Washington, D.C., along with the other stamps of the “Celebrate the Century” 1900’s series.
The “Celebrate the Century” program provided a series of stamps for each decade of the 1900s. Here is the December 11, 1997 press release announcing the first 30 stamps in the “Celebrate the Century Program,” which included John Muir.
From June 9, 2016 – March 25, 2018, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum offered an exhibition named Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks, of which one section, Origins, includes the original John Muir Stamp Art from the 1998 Celebrate the Century Issue) on loan from the United States Postal Service, Postmaster General’s Collection. This stamp art is unique in that it just shows Muir with background of Yosemite, without the postal service postage markings. The National Portrait Gallery provided this descriptive text about John Muir in the exhibit:
“Scottish immigrant John Muir (1838-1914) first visited Yosemite in 1868 and was captivated by its magnificence. He lived in the valley for ten years, studying its wildlife, botany, and geology and preaching his “gospel of the mountains” to visitors. The remainder of his life was devoted to Yosemite’s preservation as a national park and to the Sierra Club, which he founded in 1892.”
Other Stamps and First Day Covers Featuring John Muir
Conservationist John Muir cachet on Commemorative cover for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness act of 1964.
Photo Gallery of Other Stamps and First Day Covers Featuring John Muir – There are several First Day Covers which have cachets featuring John Muir which do not use eitherCoverscape John Muir Cachet, Commemorative Cover for John Muir born 185 years ago, 21 April 2023.the 1964 nor the 1998 Muir postage stamps. This is in addition to the First Day Covers which use one of the John Muir stamps in combination with other stamps. The link goes to a forever.com photo album which includes only First Day or Commemorative Covers which feature John Muir in the cachet, but use a postage stamp other than one of the two John Muir stamps. For example, see Conservationist John Muir cachet on Commemorative cover for the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness act of 1964.John Muir 1964 and Lady Liberty 2011 – SS John Muir Liberty Ship Cachet Combination First Day Cover
See also the First Day Covers celebrating the Liberty Ship SS John Muir on John Muir Global Network.
From June 9, 2016 – March 25, 2018, the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum offered an exhibition named Trailblazing: 100 Years of Our National Parks, of which one section, Origins, includes the original John Muir Stamp Art from the 1998 Celebrate the Century Issue) on loan from the United States Postal Service, Postmaster General’s Collection. This stamp art is unique in that it just shows Muir with background of Yosemite, without the postal service postage markings. The National Portrait Gallery provided this descriptive text about John Muir in the exhibit:
