Add distinctive desert beauty to your letters with these striking vintage unused Desert Plants series “Saguaro” postage stamps! This classic botanical design is perfect for adding Southwestern style and natural elegance to wedding invitations, save-the-dates, thank you cards, shower invites, travel-themed mailings, nature-inspired correspondence, and other snail mail correspondence. In pristine mint condition and valid for current postage use, each stamp holds a face value of 20-cents. These authentic USPS postage stamps are suitable for current mailing when used with the total required postage based on the weight of your mailing.

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

STAMP INFORMATION:

• Stamp Name: Saguaro Cactus
• Stamp Series: Desert Plants
• Year Issued: 1981
• Face Value: 20-cents (USD) per stamp
• Topic(s): Saguaro, Cactus, Desert Plants, Botanical, Southwestern, Nature
• Color(s): Green, Blue, Brown, Multicolored
• Mailing Occasions: Wedding Invitations, Save-the-Dates, Southwestern Weddings, Desert-Themed Events, Nature Mailings, Travel Correspondence, Thank You Notes, Garden Club Mailings, Everyday Correspondence
• Printing Method: Lithographed and Engraved
• Scott Number: 1945
• Adhesion Type: Gummed (see adhesion instructions below)
• 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 additional postage to achieve standard postage rates according to the weight of your mailing. Check current postage rates at USPS.com.

STAMP DESCRIPTION & HISTORY: The 1981 Saguaro stamp features a tall, iconic cactus design that captures the bold silhouette and rugged beauty of the American desert. Issued as part of the Desert Plants set, this stamp honored plant species adapted to survive extreme heat, limited rainfall, and harsh desert conditions. The Saguaro stamp paid the then-current 20-cent first-class postage rate and was first issued on December 11, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona. It was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing using lithographed and engraved methods.

DESERT PLANT DESCRIPTION: The saguaro is the largest cactus native to North America and is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Sonoran Desert. Saguaros can grow to impressive heights, develop branching arms as they mature, and live for many decades. They are native primarily to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, southeastern California, and northwestern Mexico, where they grow in hot, dry desert landscapes. Their pleated stems store water, their waxy surface helps reduce moisture loss, and their shallow roots quickly absorb rainfall. Saguaro flowers bloom near the top of the cactus and provide food for desert wildlife, including bats, birds, and insects.

STAMP MEANING & SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE: The saguaro often symbolizes endurance, patience, protection, strength, and survival through difficult conditions. Its towering form and ability to thrive in harsh desert environments make this stamp especially meaningful for correspondence connected to resilience, travel, Southwestern beauty, nature, and new beginnings. The saguaro’s quiet strength also gives this stamp a grounded, dignified quality for refined botanical mailings.

STAMP SERIES HISTORY: The Desert Plants set was issued on December 11, 1981, in Tucson, Arizona, and featured four 20-cent commemorative stamps honoring plants adapted to desert environments: Barrel Cactus, Agave, Beavertail Cactus, and Saguaro. The set highlighted the remarkable survival strategies of desert plants and their ability to flourish despite extreme heat, dry conditions, and limited rainfall. Printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the stamps were produced using lithographed and engraved methods.

GUMMED STAMPS: These postage stamps have a traditional moisture-activated gum on the back. These stamps require licking or wetting to adhere to envelopes or other surfaces. To ensure good adhesion, apply vintage gummed stamps to your mailings with a glue stick (we recommend using Elmer's "Re-Stick" glue sticks).

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.


Product Specifications

Length: 2.01 in.
Height: 0.01 in.
Width: 1.02 in.
Weight: 0.01 lbs.