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The U.S. Postal Service recently announced that it is recalling its Legends of the West stamp sheet from post offices, after family members of cowboy Bill Pickett said the image did not resemble family photographs.
"Subjects selected for American stamps represent America's culture and heritage. To release a stamp that's less than our best would be a disservice," said Postmaster General Marvin Runyon.
"Bill Pickett was a leader in western culture whose efforts brought cowboy arts to millions of Americans," he added. "Our effort is to honor his memory and the memories of 15 other Legends of the West who made significant contributions to American society or American culture."
Runyon said all of the Legends of the West stamps will be destroyed and reprinted with a new image of Bill Pickett, a legendary black cowboy.
"We have a strong system to select stamp subjects," Runyon noted. "Unfortunately, in this case we found that the design, research and validation process was not followed thoroughly. We are now in the process of historically validating each of the subjects in the legends series to ensure accuracy."
The stamps had been set to go on sale late in March. A new issue date has not been set.
Stamp subjects and artwork...