Window into how a U.S. postage stamp is selected

Philatelic Foreword by Jay Bigalke

It isn’t that often we get a window into what the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) looks like. This is the committee tasked with selecting the postage stamps the United States Postal Service issues.

In early July, the committee met and member Cheryl Ganz, with permission to do so, shared the photograph shown nearby. The committee meets behind closed doors, so a picture of the committee is rarely seen publicly.

As they stand with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who has the final say on approving stamps for issuance, it is great to be able to put faces with the names of those on the committee.

Shown in the photograph from left to right are Cheryl R. Ganz, Spencer Crew, Kevin Butterfield, Roger R. Ream, DeJoy, Graham Beck, Alicia Cheng, Mike Harrity, Trish Jackson, Gail Anderson, Ivan Cash, Peter Argentine and chairman Joseph L. Kelley.

The photo also serves as a great moment for me to remind collectors that all it takes is one suggestion for a stamp, so if you have something in mind, visit the CSAC criteria page online.

Then submit your suggestion by U.S. mail to the address below with “one topic per letter” as the Postal Service states on its website. Mail suggestions (mail being the only path for submitting suggestions) to Stamp Development, Attn: Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee, 475 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Room 3300, Washington, DC 20260-3501.

The Postal Service encourages you to “Include pertinent historical information and important dates associated with the subject in your proposal.”

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