Commemorative Postage Appraisal

Collection of United States Commemorative Postage Stamps

This image displays a small collection of United States commemorative postage stamps, housed within what appears to be a stamp album or stock book, indicated by the visible white pages and transparent protective strips. The primary stamp in focus is a 'Circus' themed stamp, featuring a colorful and detailed illustration of a clown's face. The clown has a prominent red nose, rosy cheeks, a wide, smiling mouth, and reddish, perhaps curly, hair around the edges of its bald head. The word 'CIRCUS' is visibly printed above the clown's head in a somewhat stylized typeface, and below the clown's chin, the words 'UNITED STATES' are discernible, albeit partially obscured and reversed, suggesting it might be viewed through a transparent mount. This stamp exhibits a perforated edge, indicative of standard postage stamp manufacturing. Directly above the circus stamp, another commemorative stamp is visible, featuring a depiction of Olympic swimmers and the iconic Olympic rings logo. This stamp also has perforated edges. The stamps are likely made from paper, printed with multi-color inks. Given their nature, they are generally small in size, typically around 1 to 2 inches in length or width. The condition of the stamps is difficult to assess definitively from the image's blurriness and angle, but they appear to be in generally good, unstamped condition, likely preserved within protective mounts. No overt damage, such as tears, creases, or major discoloration, is immediately apparent. The visible portion of the album pages suggests a clean storage environment, important for philatelic preservation. These stamps likely date from the mid to late 20th century, a period when such commemorative issues were common for postal services.