Greetings From Iowa – Goldfinches & Wild Roses.

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(P-0197) Circa 1980’s – Welcome to Iowa!
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(S-0067) 1982 – State Birds & Flowers of the U.S. The story of these stamps actually begins in 1978, when Fleetwood – a popular first-day-cover stamp company – hired the father-and-son wildlife artists – Arthur and Alan Singer – to create some original paintings of birds and flowers for a set of Fleetwood covers. When U.S. Postal Service officials saw their work, they decided to issue this 50-stamp sheet showcasing the Singer’s watercolor paintings. The Singers labored for over a year on this beautiful philatelic masterpiece with Arthur creating the birds, while son Alan painted the flowers. Each stamp is unique – making it the first series of its size to feature original artwork for each different stamp. At the time of their issue, these stamps were the most popular commemoratives in U.S. Postal history.

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(C-0161) 1982 Iowa State Bird & Flower from 50-stamp US Birds & Flowers Issue.  This stamp features a watercolor picturing an Eastern Goldfinch and a Wild Prairie Rose, Iowa’s state bird and flower. (C-0162) (S-0048)
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(P-0170) March 22, 1933 – The Iowa Legislature votes to make the ‘Eastern Goldfinch’ Iowa’s state bird. Also known during the time as the ‘wild canary’ and ‘American Goldfinch,’ the suggestion to make the goldfinch Iowa’s official bird came from the Iowa Ornithological Union. When the IOU started brainstorming potential state bird candidates in 1926, the Western Meadowlark seemed to stand as the favorite. The group hatched a plan to have all the school children of Iowa vote from a list of possible birds, however, the plan never got off the ground and for another five years Iowans suffered on without a state bird. However, during the IOU’s 1932 meeting in Des Moines, a new vote found in favor of the Goldfinch. Soon after, IOU member and state representative J. Wilbur Dole introduced a successful motion in the Iowa House.
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(P-0171) Below (P-0172) (P-0320)
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On March 13, 1961, Iowa Governor Norman A. Erbe signed a bill officially designating the oak as Iowa’s official tree. Beloved for wide-spreading branches twisting into Iowa skies, many Iowans hold memories made under the state’s official trees.
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(P-0169) (P-0217) Celebrating our Two State Capitols: Iowa City: 1840-1857 and Des Moines: 1857-present. 

(S-0070) (S-0050) (C-0181) In 2002, the U.S. Postal Service picked up on this popular “Greetings” travel card theme and issued a set of 50 stamps with each one offering the familiar phrase from each state.

(S-0051) (C-0274) (C-0183) These commemoratives were very popular, so when postage rates changed mid-year, the 34¢ sheet, issued in April, was replaced with a 37¢ sheet in October. (P-0178) (C-0182)

(P-0177) Greetings from Iowa. We love artist David Luebke’s “Greetings from Iowa” design from 1988 (below).

March 22, 1933 – The Iowa Legislature votes to make the ‘Eastern Goldfinch’ Iowa’s state bird.

March 13, 1961 – Iowa Governor Norman A. Erbe signs a bill officially designating the oak as Iowa’s official tree.

Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.

Oak Tree (March 13,1961) & Goldfinch (March 22, 1933), Iowa History Daily, Notes on Iowa

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