Hanukkah stamp facts for kids
A Hanukkah stamp is a special postage stamp that celebrates the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Since 1996, many Hanukkah stamps have been made. Sometimes, two countries work together to release the same stamp. This is called a joint issue.
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History of Hanukkah Stamps
Stamps from Israel
The United States Postal Service (USPS) and Israel Post worked together to release a Hanukkah stamp in 1996. This stamp showed a menorah. A menorah design was also used in 2008 for a special stamp called a forever stamp. In 2012, a sheet of stamps celebrating Hanukkah was released jointly with India Post.
Stamps from the United States
The United States Postal Service has released several stamps that celebrate Hanukkah.
1996 Hanukkah Stamp
The United States Postal Service (USPS) released its first Hanukkah stamp in 1996. This stamp cost 32 cents. It was a joint issue with Israel. This first printing made over 103 million stamps. The stamp was printed again in 1997.
This 1996 stamp was very important. It was the first time the U.S. Postal Service recognized a Jewish holiday with a stamp. Both the U.S. and Israeli stamps had the same design. The U.S. stamp said "Hanukkah" in English. The Israeli stamp used the Hebrew spelling.
The stamp was designed by Hannah Smotrich. She used pieces of colored paper to create the design. She chose bright colors to show the happy feeling of Hanukkah.
The 1996 stamp was reissued several times. It was printed again in 1999 for 33 cents. In 2001, it cost 34 cents, and in 2002, it cost 37 cents.
2004 Hanukkah Stamp
For eight years, the USPS kept using the menorah design. But in 2004, they released a new Hanukkah stamp. This stamp showed a dreidel design. It cost 37 cents. The dreidel design was used until 2008. Its price changed to 39 cents in 2006, 41 cents in 2007, and 42 cents in 2008.
2008 Forever Stamp
In 2008, a menorah design was used for a forever stamp. This stamp was released jointly with Israel Post. A forever stamp can always be used to mail a letter, no matter how much postage costs in the future.
2009 Hanukkah Stamp
The 2009 Hanukkah stamp showed a photograph of a menorah with nine lit candles. This stamp cost 44 cents. Lisa Regan designed the menorah. Ira Wexler took the photograph. The stamp was made available across the country after a special event in New York City.
2011 Hanukkah Stamp
In 2011, the Hanukkah stamp got a new look. The word "Hanukkah" was broken into eight boxes. One of the boxes, the second "K," was shaped like a dreidel. This stamp also cost 44 cents.
2013 Hanukkah Stamp
In 2013, the USPS released a new menorah design for a Hanukkah forever stamp. It had a brown background. The stamp was redesigned and issued again in 2016. The 2016 version had a blue background.
