Add a touch of timeless elegance to your save-the-dates, bridal announcements, wedding invitations, letters, and other correspondence with this gorgeous vintage stamp from the "Herbs" Series. Mint condition and unused, this beautiful self-adhesive postage stamp features a sprig of flowering flax with its characteristic five-petaled cup-shaped blue bloom and silvery green leaves. The flax plant has been adapted for an amazing number of uses, from preserving mummies to making linen cloth that dates back some 30,000 years.

Purchase includes a total of TEN (10) mint condition postage stamps shown in the product listing photos.

Ordering Note: Please note that you may receive the coil version of these stamps which will not have the perforation at the top and bottom like the stamps in the listing photos.

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: Flax
• Series: Herbs
• Year Issued: 2011
• Face Value: 29-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Herbs, Medicinal, Culinary, Cooking, Flowers, Wildflowers, Floral, Botanical, Fragrant, Mediterranean
• Color(s): Blue, Green, Beige/Neutral, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save the Date Announcements, Shower Invitations, Birth Announcements, Thank You Cards, Snail Mail, and more
• Printing Method: Photogravure
• Scott Number: 4506
• Adhesion Type: Self-adhesive
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: Part of the Herbs Series, this 29-cent self-adhesive postage stamp was first issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on April 7, 2011, in New York, New York. This series was conceived to highlight common culinary herbs that are deeply rooted in American kitchens and global food traditions, presented with clarity and elegance suitable for everyday correspondence.

The stamp features a delicate illustration of flax in bloom, characterized by slender green stems and airy, five-petaled flowers. The blossoms are rendered in soft blue tones, a hallmark of flax flowers, with subtle shading that conveys their thin, almost translucent quality. Fine linework emphasizes the plant’s lightness and natural movement, while the clean, pale background allows the floral form to stand unobstructed.

FLOWER DESCRIPTION: Flax plants are delicate and paper-like, and can grow up to 3 feet tall. It is a broadleaf plant with narrow leaves and produces blue flowers and small, flat glossy brown or golden seeds. Flax flowers evoke purity, perseverance, and rebirth. They can also represent family, heart, and faith.

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) originated in the Mediterranean region and was first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. The earliest evidence of flax cultivation dates back to the fifth millennium BC in Mesopotamia and Egypt. Flax was cultivated in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India. Flax was used as a medium of exchange and a measure of wealth in ancient times. Alexander the Great wore linothorax armor made of linen soaked in flaxseed oil. In the United States, flax was first cultivated in the Pennsylvania colony in the 17th century. Flax has been used for rope, string, cloth, sails, mummy wrapping, food, and medicine. Flaxseed oil is used for domestic, medicinal, and religious applications, while flax protein is used to support the immune system and prevent heart disease.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: Across many cultures, flax has long been associated with clean beginnings and spiritual clarity, largely because its fibers were traditionally transformed—through patience and labor—into linen used for ceremonial garments, sacred cloths, and rites of passage. This process mirrors a spiritual journey: raw material refined into something meaningful through intention and care.

The flax flower itself, delicate and sky-blue, symbolizes truth, openness, and quiet resilience. Its brief bloom reminds us of the fleeting nature of life and the importance of living with mindfulness and integrity. Spiritually, flax also represents alignment between work and spirit—the idea that everyday labor, when done with purpose, becomes sacred. In this way, the stamp honors not just the plant, but the human values of stewardship, craftsmanship, and service.

SERIES HISTORY: The Herbs Series was first issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS) on April 7, 2011, in New York, New York. These self-adhesive stamps were designed by Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Virginia. The five stamps in this series feature various flowering herbs used for fragrance, flavoring, medicine, and/or decoration. Artist Teresa Fasolino of New York, New York, created the original oil paintings for each stamp in the series. Each stamp evokes a vintage-style and depicts a particular species in bloom, as well as a typical leaf and flower or seed capsule. The species featured on these elegant stamps are Origanum vulgare (oregano), Linum perenne (flax), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lavandula angustifolio (lavender), and Salvia officinalis (sage), however, only the common names for these plants appear on the stamps. 29-cents was the postcard rate the year these stamps were released.

GENUINE USPS POSTAGE: These unused vintage postage stamps are perfectly valid for use as current postage for mailing with USPS as long as you use the adequate amount of additional postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates at USPS.com.

TELL YOUR STORY IN STAMPS: We’ve worked with hundreds of couples and their stationers to custom design highly stylized personalized postage sets based on our customer’s life stories. We can help you curate personalized vintage postage sets to commemorate your save-the-date, wedding, shower, announcement, and other special occasions in a truly unique fashion. Drawing on our encyclopedic knowledge of every stamp ever issued by the USPS, and sourcing from our extensive inventory of collectable unused vintage stamps, we’ll help you tell your unique story in stamps!

ABOUT HERITAGE POST HOUSE: Jennifer Kramer is the founder of Heritage Post House, a boutique vintage postage house located in Northern California. Jennifer sources the most beautiful unused vintage postage stamps ever issued by USPS and artfully arranges them into curated postage sets that are sure to add a special touch to your invitations, announcements, and special mailings. In addition to creating pre-arranged postage sets, Jennifer also works with couples (and their stationers) to create one-of-a-kind custom postage arrangements for wedding invitations, save the dates, and other special occasions.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE: This product description text and product photos are copyrighted by Heritage Post House – All Rights Reserved


Product Specifications

Length: 0.98 in.
Height: 0.01 in.
Width: 0.85 in.
Weight: 0.01 lbs.