Life Magnified

First Day of Issue Date: August 10, 2023

First Day of Issue Location: Cleveland, OH

With 20 otherworldly images, this issuance explores life on Earth, as few have ever seen it. The pane features images taken using microscopes and highly specialized photographic techniques to capture details of life undetectable by the human eye.

The stamps include vivid images of red blood cells, the feather of a macaw parrot, a knotted strand of human hair, moss leaves, diatom shells (photosynthesizing algae), freshwater protozoans, an acorn barnacle, a moth’s antenna, the front foot of a diving beetle, neurons from a mouse’s brain, bone tissue from a starling, scales on the wing of a Madagascan sunset moth, a juvenile zebrafish, mushroom gills, the tongue of a freshwater snail, a blue button (an organism similar to a jellyfish), mold spores, the legs (known as cirri) of a barnacle, flame lily pollen, and the surface of a southern live oak leaf.

For hundreds of years, scientists have held deep fascination with making the invisible elements of our world visible. The images that result from microscope-based research show, in exquisitely fine detail, the phenomena of life. While stunning on their own as works of art, these images also hold scientific significance.

Microscopists, both professional and amateur, use a variety of techniques to capture the beauty of their subjects. A scanning electron microscope (SEM), which directs beams of electrons at a sample and then records the electrons emitted by that sample, can provide an extended depth of field giving the impression of a three-dimensional subject. SEMs produce black-and-white images that are often colorized by scientists.

Confocal microscopy is a process that scans a specimen to create several optical sections of the subject. Scientists then stack these images to provide an extended depth of field giving the impression of a three-dimensional reconstruction of the subject.

Many more techniques and equipment exist for capturing specimens in ever greater detail.

Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps and the stamp pane using existing photographs.

The Life Magnified stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce price.

Sheet of 20 Stamps

$13.20

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Digital Color Postmark

Zoom into the phenomena of life with this new set of 20 Life Magnified Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers. Each #6 ¾ envelope bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

Captured with microscopes and highly specialized photographic techniques, the details in these stamps feature life undetectable by the human eye. While stunning on their own as works of art, these images also hold scientific significance.

The digital color postmark includes a colorful depiction of the up-close diatom shells from one of the stamp images. Also included is the stamp title, as well as the date and location of stamp issuance: August 10, 2023, Cleveland, OH, 44101.

$41.20

Purchase

First Day Covers

Zoom into the phenomena of life with this new set of 20 Life Magnified First Day Covers. Each #6 ¾ envelope bears an affixed Forever® stamp cancelled with an official First Day of Issue postmark.

The postmark features the stamp name surrounded by microorganisms, as well as the date and location of stamp issuance: August 10, 2023, Cleveland, OH, 44101.

$24.20

Purchase

Press Sheet with Die-Cuts

Explore life on Earth as few have seen it with this new 14.75(w) x 22.5(h)-inch press sheet, containing six sheets of Life Magnified Forever® stamps positioned two across by three down.

$79.20

Purchase

Press Sheet without Die-Cuts

Explore life on Earth as few have seen it with this new 14.75(w) x 22.5(h)-inch press sheet, containing six sheets of Life Magnified Forever® stamps positioned two across by three down.*

*The stamps on these sheets do not contain perforations for mail use.

$79.20

Purchase

Framed Stamps

Zoom into the phenomena of life with this new 14.5(w) x 11.5(h)-inch framed piece, which features art from the Life Magnified stamps, plus a mounted pane of 20 Forever® stamps and the First Day of Issue details.

Showcased in a classic black frame, the piece also includes a clear dust cover, protective felt bumpers, and a sawtooth hanger on the back for easy display.

$39.95

Purchase

Stamp Ceremony Memento

Zoom into the phenomena of life with this new Life Magnified Stamp Ceremony Memento.

This new collectible contains the First Day of Issue Ceremony Invitation, the First Day of Issue Ceremony Program, 20 Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers, and a pane of 20 Life Magnified Forever® stamps.

$69.95

Purchase

American Commemorative Panel®

Explore life on Earth as few have seen it with this new two-page American Commemorative Panel®. One of the 8 ½ x 11 ¼-inch panels, printed on sturdy card stock, features a narrative about the stamps and the images captured with microscopes, and includes an intaglio-printed component designed explicitly for the American Commemorative Panels® program. The second panel is accompanied by a pane of 20 Life Magnified Forever® stamps in a protective acetate mount.

Quantities are limited.

$18.95

Purchase

New “Life Magnified” USPS stamp series features Tagide deCarvalho’s images of microscopic life

umbc.edu

Life Magnified

Stamp Brief

First Day of Issue Ceremony

Stamp Art Director

Derry Noyes