The USPS issued the Have A Ball! stamps on June 14th 2017. The pane of 16 featuring eight different designs presents a special coating applied only to selected areas.  This gives the stamps a textured feel. Mike Ryan was the designer while Greg Breeding served as the art director for these beautiful textured stamps.

Ball games have been played around the world for thousands of years.  One of the first was called ōllamaliztli and was played by several pre-Columbian cultures including the Mayans and Aztecs. Like modern sporting events, ōllamaliztli matches were important social gatherings attended by people of many different backgrounds.

While other early ball games used leather balls, ancient Mesoamericans lived near rain forest and were able to make solid rubber balls from the Castilla elastica tree.  In ōllamaliztli, the ball (weighing up to nine pounds) was bumped with one’s hip with the goal of hitting it through a stone hoop 20 feet off the ground.  It was a dangerous sport that often resulted in both teams being covered in bruises from the heavy ball.


Ōllamaliztli became extremely popular and archaeologists have found evidence of ball courts from modern-day Nicaragua all the way to the state of Arizona.  While the official rules of the original game are lost to history, it made its mark on Central American culture.  Some native populations still play a modified version of ōllamaliztli today.


Modern U.S. sporting events have many similarities to those held by the Aztecs and Mayans thousands of years ago.  People bet on their favorite teams, have parties with friends, and share victory celebrations with complete strangers.  Sports bring people together to share in the thrill of victory and celebration of America’s athletic prowess.  They are more than just games, they are important parts of our culture.

These Forever®stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class MailR one-ounce rate.

Made in the USA.

Product Specs：

Issue: Have a Ball! Stamp
Item Number: 474900
Denomination & Type of Issue: Forever, First-Class Mail®
Format: Pane of 16 (8 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: June 14, 2017, Hartford, WI 53027
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Mike Ryan, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Daniel Nyari, Long Island City, NY
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Flexographic
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 16
Print Quantity: 80,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Spot Tag applied
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS Cool Gray #7
Stamp Orientation: Round
Image Area (w x h): 1.08 x 1.08 in/27.43 x 27.43 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.27 x 1.27 in/32.26 x 32.26 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.25 x 6.25 in/158.75 x 158.75 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 25.25 x 12.50 in/641.35 x 317.50 mm
Plate Size: 256 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by five (5) digits
Marginal Markings:
Back: ©2016 USPS • USPS Logo • two barcodes (474900) • Plate Position Diagram • Promotional Text


Shipping Information:

Shipping Method: USPS First Class & USPS Priority Mail.

Handling time: Usually around 2-3 business days.

Delivery time: Usually around 3-5 business days.

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