{"title":"2014","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-star-spangled-banner-first-class-postage","title":"Star-Spangled Banner 2014 Forever Stamps — 200th Anniversary, First-Class Postage","description":"\u003ch2\u003eIssue facts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssue Date: January 28, 2014\u003cbr\u003eCity: Independence, MO\u003cbr\u003ePrinted by: CCL Label Inc.\u003cbr\u003ePrinting Method: Photogravure\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe photograph\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGary Clark shot the flag flying over Fort McHenry during fireworks at the annual Defenders' Day celebration. Coordinating the two in a stiff wind was the hard part — the flag and the burst had to land in the same frame at the same instant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe flag itself\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDuring the War of 1812, officials commissioned Mary Pickersgill to make a flag large enough that the British could see it from a distance, to fly over Baltimore's Fort McHenry — a certain target.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe produced \"one American ensign, 30×42 feet, first quality bunting,\" plus a smaller storm flag for bad weather. It took over 400 yards of wool bunting, and the assembly was done on the floor of a nearby brewery after hours because nowhere else was large enough.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eSeptember 13, 1814\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe British bombardment ran 25 hours. Francis Scott Key watched from a ship in Chesapeake Bay, and given the heavy rain, what he saw at \"twilight's last gleaming\" was probably the smaller storm flag. Toward morning the oversized ensign went up over the fort, and Key started writing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt came closer to ending differently than most people realize. Only the fort's commander knew that the gunpowder magazine — which took some 2,000 shells over the course of the night — was not bombproof. One direct hit would have destroyed Fort McHenry outright.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Books)","offer_id":47100624404679,"sku":"2014GQ-C-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Books)","offer_id":47100624437447,"sku":"2014GQ-C-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Books)","offer_id":47100624470215,"sku":"2014GQ-C-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Books)","offer_id":47100624502983,"sku":"2014GQ-C-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Books)","offer_id":47100624535751,"sku":"2014GQ-C-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/star-spangled-banner-2014-forever-stamps-main-scaled-1-1-800x600_b08a8e56-cb59-42a6-85f0-a83bd5adffa4.jpg?v=1788604678"},{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-rudolph-the-red-nosed-reindeer-holiday-celebration-first-class-postage","title":"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 2014 Forever Stamps — 50th Anniversary Booklet","description":"\u003ch2\u003eIssue facts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssue Date: November 6, 2014 — the 50th anniversary of the special's premiere\u003cbr\u003eCity: Washington, DC\u003cbr\u003eCategory: Commemorative\u003cbr\u003ePrinted by: CCL Label Inc.\u003cbr\u003ePrinting Method: Photogravure in sheets of 120, six booklet panes of 20 per sheet\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe story\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMocked for his nose and shut out of the reindeer games, Rudolph leaves home. The 1964 television special expanded the tale by adding a second runaway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHermey is one of Santa's elves and fits in about as well as Rudolph does — no pointed ears, the only elf with hair on top of his head, and an ambition to be a dentist rather than a toymaker. Threatened with dismissal by his supervisor, he walks out of the workshop, meets Rudolph, and the two go on together. Yukon Cornelius, an arctic prospector hunting a peppermint mine, joins them shortly after.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe plot turns when the Abominable Snow Monster catches sight of Rudolph's nose and gives chase. The pursuit carries the three to the Island of Misfit Toys and ends with everyone home safe — the Snow Monster now tamed, and Hermey a practicing dentist.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eTwo versions\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEdits were made after the original broadcast. In later cuts Yukon is prospecting for silver and gold, and Santa pays a visit to the Misfit Toys. Both versions get watched every December.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Books)","offer_id":47100624601287,"sku":"ST14-A1-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Books)","offer_id":47100624634055,"sku":"ST14-A1-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Books)","offer_id":47100624666823,"sku":"ST14-A1-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Books)","offer_id":47100624699591,"sku":"ST14-A1-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Books)","offer_id":47100624732359,"sku":"ST14-A1-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/CB126444-DB93-455D-8D69-CCC624906AC0-1-1-800x800_cf34b772-b56e-4ea1-a12f-92edad301bd7.jpg?v=1788604404"},{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-winter-fun-holiday-celebration-first-class-postage","title":"Winter Fun 2014 Forever Stamps — Child Making a Snowman, Booklet of 20","description":"\u003ch2\u003eIssue facts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e66¢ Child Making Snowman, Winter Fun booklet stamp, issued at the first-class mail rate\u003cbr\u003eIssue Date: October 23, 2014\u003cbr\u003eCity: New York, NY\u003cbr\u003ePrinted by: CCL Label, Inc.\u003cbr\u003ePrinting Method: Photogravure in double-sided booklets of 20\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe design\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJing Jing Tsong sketched the artwork by hand, aiming at something specific: the feeling of fresh snowfall, and the fact that the joy of it does not last long.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat people build\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first snow of the year sends everyone into the yard. Buckets from the summer's beach trips get repurposed into fort molds and snowman shapes, finished with a carrot taken from the kitchen and whatever can be found in the coat closet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome take it further. Snowman competitions are held internationally, and elaborate forts flood the internet after any serious storm. At the far end is genuine snow architecture — at Japan's Sapporo Snow Festival, sculptors build structures large enough to require scaffolding and full teams.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFront-yard snowman or international competition, the medium is the same, and it is free.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Books)","offer_id":47100624797895,"sku":"ST14-A2-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Books)","offer_id":47100624830663,"sku":"ST14-A2-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Books)","offer_id":47100624863431,"sku":"ST14-A2-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Books)","offer_id":47100624896199,"sku":"ST14-A2-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Books)","offer_id":47100624928967,"sku":"ST14-A2-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/b-6-1-1_ff75655e-a1e0-4854-9f76-398f56a4558f.jpg?v=1788604484"},{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-winter-flowers-seasonal-blooms-first-class-postage","title":"Winter Flowers 2014 Forever Stamps — Indoor Blooms, Booklet Issue","description":"\u003ch2\u003eIssue facts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIssue Date: February 14, 2014\u003cbr\u003eCity: Little Rock, AR\u003cbr\u003ePrinted by: Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products\u003cbr\u003ePrinting Method: Lithographed\u003cbr\u003ePerforations: Serpentine Die Cut 11\u003cbr\u003eColor: Multicolored\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eGardening indoors\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn northern states and at higher elevations, winter puts the flower beds under snow and moves the whole enterprise inside for months. Fortunately a number of striking flowering plants adapt well to a windowsill.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe plants\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAmaryllis, cyclamen and paperwhites\u003c\/strong\u003e all grow from bulbs, like the daffodil. Amaryllis is a perennial and offers the widest range of color, pattern and bloom size, though it has no scent to speak of.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCyclamen\u003c\/strong\u003e is the fussy one — particular about watering and temperature — and rewards anyone who reproduces its native Mediterranean conditions with heavy, sustained flowering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperwhites\u003c\/strong\u003e are the opposite: they will grow in plain water and adapt to almost any container.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Christmas cactus\u003c\/strong\u003e, originally from South America, is the durable one. Plants routinely live for decades and get handed down through a family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll of them make good gifts, good projects to do with children, and good company through a dark month.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Books)","offer_id":47100624961735,"sku":"ST14-A4-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Books)","offer_id":47100624994503,"sku":"ST14-A4-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Books)","offer_id":47100625027271,"sku":"ST14-A4-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Books)","offer_id":47100625060039,"sku":"ST14-A4-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Books)","offer_id":47100625092807,"sku":"ST14-A4-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/43816_source_1742363746_514abde7-d60a-478b-ba24-66f8f32669f9.jpg?v=1788603404"},{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-christmas-magi-holiday-celebration-first-class-postage","title":"Christmas Magi 2014 Forever Stamps — Holiday Celebrations Series","description":"\u003ch2\u003eIssue facts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e66¢ Christmas Magi, issued at the first-class mail rate\u003cbr\u003eIssue Date: November 19, 2014\u003cbr\u003eCity: Washington, D.C.\u003cbr\u003ePrinted by: Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe story\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnly one of the four gospels mentions the Magi, and it is among the best-known passages in the Bible. Matthew describes visitors \"from the east\" following a rising star in search of a child prophesied to be the son of God. They find him in Bethlehem and present gold, frankincense and myrrh.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe three gifts\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll three were genuinely valuable at the time. Gold was wealth and status outright. Frankincense was a perfume with medicinal uses, including relief for arthritis. Myrrh served as anointing oil and as embalming fluid, and worked as a salve.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEach also carries a reading: gold for Jesus' divinity and kingship on earth, frankincense for his holiness, myrrh for the suffering and death ahead of him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat episode is where Western Christianity's tradition of Christmas gift-giving originates — a custom now observed by millions every December.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe stamp\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreated by Nancy Stahl, who also designed the 2012 Holy Family stamp. The Postal Service issued its first Christmas stamp in 1962 and added a traditional design alongside a contemporary one in 1966; both have been annual fixtures since.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Books)","offer_id":47100625158343,"sku":"ST14-A5-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Books)","offer_id":47100625191111,"sku":"ST14-A5-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Books)","offer_id":47100625223879,"sku":"ST14-A5-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Books)","offer_id":47100625256647,"sku":"ST14-A5-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Books)","offer_id":47100625289415,"sku":"ST14-A5-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/s-l1600_30fdff9c-4159-44e0-a380-33388e77f170.jpg?v=1788604666"},{"product_id":"forever-stamps-2014-where-dreams-blossom-wedding-invitation-first-class-postage","title":"Where Dreams Blossom 2014 Forever Stamps — Wedding Bouquet Design","description":"\u003cp\u003eEthel Kessler designed this stylized bouquet stamp using an illustration by Michael Osborne — the same pairing behind the \"Yes I Do\" Heart of Roses stamp. 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The first Wedding Cake stamp appeared in 2009.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eThe design\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePastry chef Peter Brett created and designed the cake shown on the stamp. Renée Comet photographed it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhat a wedding cake actually costs\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCatering absorbs more than a quarter of the total budget of a typical wedding — hors d'oeuvres, buffets, dinner, dessert. The cake is arguably the caterer's most visible assignment, and it is a surprisingly small line item.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCake, topper and cutting fees together frequently come in under $600, and the cost per slice tends to land near what a restaurant would charge for dessert. Intricate recipes and elaborate decorating can push that up quickly, but the baseline is modest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEither way it remains one of the fixed points of the day.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Forever Stamp Center","offers":[{"title":"100 Stamps (5 Sheets)","offer_id":47100625551559,"sku":"ST14-B26-5","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300 Stamps (15 Sheets)","offer_id":47100625584327,"sku":"ST14-B26-15","price":54.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500 Stamps (25 Sheets)","offer_id":47100625617095,"sku":"ST14-B26-25","price":89.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000 Stamps (50 Sheets)","offer_id":47100625649863,"sku":"ST14-B26-50","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5000 Stamps (250 Sheets)","offer_id":47100625682631,"sku":"ST14-B26-250","price":699.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/6250\/4647\/files\/2025-1-4-14-1-1-1_2bf738ce-c5b5-4589-9fe4-71289d07d86c.jpg?v=1788604010"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.foreverstampcenter.com\/collections\/2014.oembed","provider":"center","version":"1.0","type":"link"}