Negro League Baseball - 2010

July 15, 2010 Kansas City, Mo - official cancel

The US Postal Service issued a 44c se-tenant issue commemorating Negro League Baseball. The stamps were designed by Howard E. Paine (Deplane, Va) pays tribute to the all-black professional league that operated from 1920 to 1960. Considered the "father" of the Negro League baseball, Andrew "Rube" Foster (1879-1930) established the Negro National League in 1920, the fist successful league of African-american baseball teams.

Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier of the all-white Major Leagues in 1947, when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Larry Doby would follow shortly after joining the Cleveland Indians. Slowly the integration of black players into the Major Leagues diminished the need for segregated baseball leagues. 

The original design of the stamp featured a ball player overlooking the field of play. The final artwork displayed on the stamp was painted by Nadir Nelson (San Diego, Ca) show Rube Foster dominating one portion of the stamp, and a "Safe at Home" play on the other.. 

Special Dedication Postmark - The USPS provided the above design for use by individual post offices, to be used as  a temporary station.

This postmark has been used:

July 15 - Louisville, Ky

July 18 - Sacramento, Ca

August 5 - Queenstown, Md

August 22 - Highland Park, Il

October 15 - Dearborn Heights, Mi

USPS official issue with pictorial postmark

Unofficial Indianapolis hand cancel (eBay find)

Some additional commemorative postmarks used for the Negro Leagues issue

July 2 - Washington, NC

July 15 - San Francisco, Ca

July 20 - Greenville, SC

Home of the Greenville Drive, Class A-affiliate of the Boston Red Sox

Smithsonian Institute Baseball Exhibit.