Add nostalgic flair to your holiday letters with these vintage unused Gingerbread Man postage stamps! This festive holiday design is perfect for adding a touch of whimsy to your holiday cards and letters or winter save-the-dates and weddings. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 44-cents. These USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your correspondence. Embrace the charm of winter with this enchanting postage stamp!

Includes a total of TEN (10) unused vintage “Gingerbread Man” postage stamp shown in the photos.

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Name: Winter Holidays Gingerbread Man
• Series: Contemporary Christmas
• Year Issued: 2009
• Face Value: 44-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Christmas, Holidays, Winter, Gingerbread, Snowflakes, Wrapping Paper, Baking, Cookies, Icing
• Color(s): Red, Multicolored
• Printing Method: Lithographed
• Scott Number: 4427
• Adhesion Type: Self-Adhesive
• Condition: Genuine Unused USPS Postage Stamps, Ready to Use for USPS Mailings, Mint Condition

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 postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates on the USPS website.

STAMP HISTORY: This 44c “Winter Holidays” Gingerbread Man postage stamp is a United States Postal Service (USPS) commemorative issue from 2009 released as part of a set of four Contemporary Christmas stamps. Issued on October 8, 2009, in New York, NY, this stamp is part of a series celebrating popular holiday figures seen in decorations and gift wrap designs. The artwork, created by Joseph Cudd in his first stamp project for the Postal Service, features a smiling gingerbread man set against a red background with white snowflakes, decorated with festive green, red, and white icing, with green holiday wreaths top and bottom.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The first documented instance of human-shaped gingerbread cookies dates to the 16th-century court of Queen Elizabeth I. She famously had her bakers create gingerbread figures resembling her important guests and dignitaries and served them at her royal dinners. During the same period, folk-medicine practitioners would create gingerbread men as love tokens for young women. A woman who could convince her chosen suitor to eat one would, according to superstition, cause him to fall madly in love with her. The modern-day image and story of the gingerbread man were solidified by the popular fairy tale, first published in 1875 in “St. Nicholas Magazine”. The tale of a rebellious gingerbread boy who escapes from the oven only to be outsmarted and eaten by a fox carries a moral about trusting the wrong people. The association of gingerbread with Christmas is partly practical and partly historical. In colder climates, the warming spices in gingerbread, like ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg, were a comforting treat during the winter months. Additionally, as a once luxurious delicacy, gingerbread became naturally linked with special occasions, with the guild requirements for baking being lifted around Christmas and Easter, allowing everyone to bake and decorate with it. Queen Elizabeth I's gesture of giving gingerbread figures as gifts established an early connection between gingerbread and goodwill. In some interpretations, the act of baking and giving gingerbread cookies to friends and family symbolizes love and generosity during the holidays. Historically, gingerbread figures were believed to bring good luck. Medieval knights were given gingerbread tokens for success in tournaments. Conversely, in the 17th century, gingerbread figures were sometimes associated with witchcraft, with some rulers even enacting anti-witchcraft laws involving gingerbread. Ultimately, the modern gingerbread man, with his candy eyes and icing smile, represents the joy and innocence of childhood and the warmth and nostalgia of the winter holidays.

SERIES HISTORY: The 44-cent Contemporary Christmas “Winter Holidays” stamps are a series of four USPS postage stamps issued on October 8, 2009, in New York, NY, that celebrate popular figures from the holiday season. The stamp art, created by artist Joseph Cudd in his first project for the United States Postal Service, depicted a reindeer, a snowman, a gingerbread man, and a toy soldier with festive borders of evergreens, stars, wreaths, and holly. Cudd owned a gift wrap and print design firm. To create these stamps under the direction of designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ, Cudd first sketched the designs by hand and then finished them on the computer using a graphics tablet. The series was designed to add a festive touch to holiday correspondence, featuring figures commonly seen in holiday decorations and gift wrap designs from Thanksgiving to New Year's.

QUESTIONS? We love hearing from our customers and replies to inquires are usually sent the same day. Need more of this stamp? Looking for a particular stamp not found on our website? Want a curated postage set for your special life event?

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.


Product Specifications

Length: 1.22 in.
Height: 0.01 in.
Width: 0.94 in.
Weight: 0.01 lbs.