By Denise McCarty

Around Valentine’s Day, heart designs begin to multiply, appearing on clothes, candy, cards and more, including postage stamps.

While most of these stamps are specifically intended for Valentine’s cards or other messages of love, some convey another message altogether.

For example, four heart shapes can be seen on Spain’s recent commemorative celebrating the selection of Almeria as the Spanish capital of gastronomy for 2019.

Almeria also is known for its tomatoes, and a heart-shaped tomato is featured in the center of the stamp design.

Spain’s postal administration, Correos, said: “The tomato, the star product of the Almeria garden, is also the protagonist of a stamp full of images of shrimp, watermelons and other ingredients that make Almeria worthy of this distinction.”

The stamp design also includes the logo of the year, the multicolor double hearts shown to the left of the large tomato, and a similar image in blue and white on the tomato itself.

The stamp was issued Jan. 23. It is nondenominated, with the inscription “A2 tarifa” in the upper right designating that it pays the rate for domestic mail weighing between 20 grams and 50 grams, currently €0.70.

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