Commemorative issue Voyages of Columbus-Souvenir sheet
Claiming a new world
This is one of six souvenir sheets issued at one time, first to honor the 500th anniversary of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus to the New World, and second to reissue the first U.S. commemorative stamps, the Columbian Exposition issue of 1893. The stamps on these sheets are valid for postage. The sheets, produced in a very small quantity for a U.S. postal issue are of the same designs and colors of the original 1893 stamps. The only design change was the date in the upper right corner of each stamp, which was altered from "1892" to "1992." The sheets consist of stamps from the original series next to background images based on old engravings and illustrations. Venue for release of this set of souvenir sheets was World Columbian Stamp Expo '92, a large stamp exhibition in Chicago, venue of the 1893 extravaganza. The original Columbian Exposition series consisted of 16 stamps.