1972 US Air Mail Stamp Commemorating the XI Olympic Winter Games in Sapporo

This is a United States Air Mail postage stamp issued in 1972 to commemorate the XI Olympic Winter Games held in Sapporo, Japan. The stamp features a stylized graphic of a downhill skier in a tuck position, with trailing abstract colorful streaks in yellow, blue, red, and green representing motion and the Olympic colors. In the top left corner, the 'US 11c' denomination is combined with the Olympic rings logo. The bottom of the stamp contains the text 'XI OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES SAPPORO 1972'. Physically, the stamp is rectangular with perforated edges. This particular specimen is used, as evidenced by the thick, black wavy-line postal cancellation marks across the face of the stamp which obscure some of the central design. The color saturation appears slightly aged but the vibrant primary colors remain distinct against the white background. There is a secondary blue 4-cent US stamp visible at the top right of the frame, indicating this was part of a larger envelope or philatelic collection. These 11-cent Air Mail stamps were part of the standard postal rate of the early 1970s for international mail.