SYD KRONISH | Stamps 2004 debuts honor a variety of interests

And the beat goes on for the second half of the 2004 U.S. stamp program.
Earlier I reviewed the first segment of the USPS schedule -- from January to May. Now the remainder -- June to December of 2004. The first June issuance will hail the Summer Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece. It will feature a pane of 20 stamps portraying athletes in action. Another June stamp will commemorate the 300th anniversary of Harriton House in Bryn Mawr, Pa., in the Historic Preservation series.
The July stamp honors R. Buckminster Fuller, an inventor, artist and philosopher, on the 50th anniversary of his patent for the geodesic dome. Other stamps will later be added to the July list.
In August, there will be a stamp that pays tribute to James Baldwin, one of America's foremost writers and a leader in the civil rights movement. It is the 20th stamp in the Literary Arts series. Another August release marks the 50th anniversary of the USS Constellation, the last all-sail-powered warship built by the U.S. Navy and the last Civil War era naval vessel still afloat.
Fall features
September will feature a pane of 10 stamps with photos of American Indian artifacts. The issuance will coincide with the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian at the National Mall in Washington. The sickle cell disease awareness stamp in September continues a tradition by the USPS of raising public awareness of health and social issues.
October is the busiest month. Included in the lineup are a set of 15 stamps picturing cloudscapes; a stamp hailing award-winning dramatist and director Moss Hart; four stamps featuring painted glass ornaments as decorations for the Christmas holidays; a religious stamp illustrating "Madonna and Child" by Lorenzo Monaco; plus new versions of the Kwanzaa and Hanukkah celebration stamps.
Yes, 2004 is not only the "Lunar Year of the Monkey," it also will be a sweet year for candy hearts, humor for Dr. Seuss, music by Mancini and athletes in action -- a picturesque potpourri for everyone.
To new and longtime collectors: You can call the Postal Service at (800) Stamp-24 for the latest information as to availability of issuances.