回國禮品——來自美國的問候

Greeting From America

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閱讀了不少有關回國禮品的文章和介紹，參照著買了這套“來自美國的問候“（Greeting From America）紀念郵票，應該說，這是我個人最喜歡的禮品之一。

郵票發行於2002年，全套50張，代表著美國的的50個州，是自1976以來，美國發行的第五套有關50個州的紀念郵票，前幾套為50個州的州旗、花鳥、野生動物題材，這套郵票構思和設計借鑒了美國30-40年代甚受旅遊者喜愛的明信片“來自美國的問候”，以大號字體突出了各個州的州名，背景設計為各個州著名的曆史、風景、文化、花鳥標記，每張郵票後麵簡要介紹了該州的州鳥、州花、州樹、首府以及建州日期。

郵票為整版的50張和各個州的單型張兩種，就美觀的角度而不是從收藏的意義來看，整版的看上去不如單型張效果好，把每個州的每張票分開來看，真是特色各異很值得品味，比如我所在的州賓西法尼亞（下圖），畫麵上的自由鍾是濱州費城的著名曆史景點，大炮則代表的是美國南北戰爭期間賓州的曆史重鎮 Gettysburg，背景為賓州的著名休閑勝地 Pocono Mountains。

郵票發行於2002年4月，而醞釀和設計卻早已開始，比如紐約的背景設計原本是著名的世貿雙子大廈，911事件突發，設計者不得不在原有的基礎上緊急修改，現在的背景是曼哈頓上空的天際線。

紐約的自由女神和尼亞加拉瀑布自是眾所周知了。

一一瀏覽下來，對於熟悉的州，有著某種親切感；對於不太熟悉的，可以一目了然的對其特色有個初步的認識，本意是地域特色的禮品，自己卻從中學習了不少未知的東西。我本人並不集郵，還是愛不釋手的多買了一套留給自己，希望這是份令人喜愛的禮品吧。

因為整版的圖片看上去不理想，便花了點時間把每一張分開來貼，並且將網上讀來的每張郵票的設計介紹列在了下邊，由於自己對有些州不太熟悉，翻譯起來恐生硬而不準確，歡迎讀到這個貼的朋友們補充，以便大家共同學習分享。

	Alabama Bird: Yellowhammer Flower: Camellia Tree: Southern Longleaf Pine Capital: Montgomery Statehood: Dec. 14, 1819
In the background is the state capitol in Montgomery; in the foreground, the battleship USS Alabama in port at Mobile. The camellia, the state flower, is at the lower left.
	Alaska Bird: Willow Ptarmigan Flower: Forget-me-not Tree: Sitka Spruce Capital: Juneau Statehood: Jan. 3, 1959
A brown bear wading in a rushing river seizes a salmon in his mouth. In the distance are seen Mount McKinley (Denali) and other peaks of the Alaska Range.
	Arizona Bird: Cactus Wren Flower: Saguaro blossom Tree: Paloverde Capital: Phoenix Statehood: Feb. 14, 1912
Up front are a saguaro cactus and saguaro blossom, the state flower, based on source photos made in the Sonoran Desert. Behind are sandstone monoliths of Monument Valley, a place familiar to fans of John Ford's classic 1939 film Stagecoach and other movies about the Old West.
	Arkansas Bird: Mockingbird Flower: Apple blossom Tree: Pine Capital: Little Rock Statehood: June 15, 1836
The Buffalo River and Gunner Pool, both in Ozark National Forest, are seen in the foreground. Overlooking the scene at the rear, flanked by trees, is the Ozark Baths building on Bath House Row in Hot Springs National Park.
	California Bird: California Quail Flower: California Poppy Tree: California Redwood Capital: Sacramento Statehood: Sept. 9, 1850
The design features the Bay Bridge at dusk, its suspension cables outlined in lights, with the San Francisco skyline in the distance. The dark crowns of two palm trees from Santa Catalina Island hang overhead. In the lower left corner are two blossoms of the California poppy, the state flower.
	Colorado Bird: Lark Bunting Flower: White/Lavender Columbine Tree: Blue Spruce Capital: Denver Statehood: Aug. 1, 1876
A male skier in red plunges down a snowy slope on the right, against a backdrop of two mountains in Aspen, a popular Colorado ski resort. The source photo for the skier was made by David Madison, a sports photographer from Portola Valley, California.
	Connecticut Bird: Robin Flower: Mountain Laurel Tree: White Oak Capital: Hartford Statehood: Jan. 9, 1788
A harbor scene in Mystic Seaport, with a moored sailing ship, docks and buildings, occupies the foreground. At the rear is a white Connecticut church, not further identified, surrounded by autumn foliage.
	Delaware Bird: Blue Hen Chicken Flower: Peach blossom Tree: American Holly Capital: Dover Statehood: Dec. 7, 1787
A rear view of Legislative Hall, the state capitol in Dover, is seen in the background. In front is a beach scene at Fenwick Island State Park, with colorful beach umbrellas sheltering their owners from the sun.
	Florida Bird: Mockingbird Flower: Orange blossom Tree: Sabal Palm Capital: Tallahassee Statehood: Mar. 3, 1845
At the left is a beach and palm trees in St. Petersburg, with a colorful sail visible on the water in the distance. At the right, the space shuttle Discovery lifts off its launching pad at Cape Canaveral.
	Georgia Bird: Brown Thrasher Flower: Cherokee Rose Tree: Live Oak Capital: Atlanta Statehood: Jan. 2, 1788
The portico of an unnamed antebellum plantation occupies the right rear of the montage, with Spanish moss hanging overhead and the trunks of bald cypress trees from the Okefenokee Swamp in the left foreground. Two peaches, the Georgia state fruit, are at the lower right.
	Hawaii Bird: Nene Flower: Yellow Hibiscus Tree: Kukui (Candlenut) Capital: Honolulu Statehood: Aug. 21, 1959
The design comprises a panoramic view of Waikiki Beach with its hotels lined up behind the strip of sand and the extinct volcano Diamond Head in the distance, and a blossom of yellow hibiscus, the Hawaii state flower, in the foreground.
	Idaho Bird: Mountain Bluebird Flower: Syringa Tree: Western White Pine Capital: Boise Statehood: July 3, 1890
A thrill-seeker in a yellow kayak plunges through white water on the left. A view of Shoshone Falls on the Snake River is at the right, while the Sawtooth Range of mountains is seen against the sky at the rear.
	Illinois Bird: Cardinal Flower: Violet Tree: White Oak Capital: Springfield Statehood: Dec. 3, 1818
Illinois' division between "upstate" and "downstate" is represented by Chicago's skyline at the lower right, with the Sears Tower, the nation's tallest skyscraper, readily recognizable, and ears of golden corn representing the state's rich agricultural economy at the upper left.
	Indiana Bird: Cardinal Flower: Peony Tree: Tulip Poplar Capital: Indianapolis Statehood: Dec. 11, 1816
The Hoosier State's own contrast between urban and rural areas is depicted by views of the skyline of the capital, Indianapolis, and of a covered bridge in Parke County in west central Indiana.
	Iowa Bird: American Goldfinch Flower: Wild Rose Tree: Oak Capital: Des Moines Statehood: Dec. 28, 1846
Iowa's agricultural richness is represented by a barn, silo and farm field. In the foreground are the silhouettes of several American black ducks, which winter on Iowa's waterways, including one just dropping in for a landing.
	Kansas Bird: Western Meadowlark Flower: Wild Native Sunflower Tree: Cottonwood Capital: Topeka Statehood: Jan. 29, 1861
Farming also is the theme of the Kansas montage, which depicts a combine harvester working in a wheat field and a grain elevator in Danville. Sunflowers, the state flower, are seen in the foreground.
	Kentucky Bird: Cardinal Flower: Goldenrod Tree: Tulip Poplar Capital: Frankfort Statehood: June 1, 1792
In the foreground, three thoroughbred horses race side by side at Churchill Downs in Louisville, site of the annual Kentucky Derby. At the rear is a cabin near Carlisle, Kentucky.
	Louisiana Bird: Brown Pelican Flower: Magnolia Tree: Bald Cypress Capital: Baton Rouge Statehood: Apr. 30, 1812
A horse draws a tourist carriage past an iron fence, a scene evocative of New Orleans' French Quarter. A great blue heron, a common bird in Louisiana, is seen against an orange moon.
	Maine Bird: Chickadee Flower: White Pine cone/tassel Tree: White Pine Capital: Augusta Statehood: Mar. 15, 1820
A moose, a common animal in Maine, stands in the foreground. At the rear, a lighthouse in Portland sends a beam across the night sky.
	Maryland Bird: Baltimore Oriole Flower: Black-eyed Susan Tree: White Oak Capital: Annapolis Statehood: Apr. 28, 1788
A yellow-sailed skipjack sailboat, of the kind that has carried oystermen on the Chesapeake Bay for more than a century, is shown plying the waters off Harford County, above Baltimore. Spanning the design at the rear is the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge near Annapolis. A blue crab, a Maryland culinary specialty as well as the state crustacean, is seen at the upper left.
	Massachusetts Bird: Black-capped Chickadee Flower: Mayflower Tree: American Elm Capital: Boston Statehood: Feb. 6, 1788
This montage blends scenes from eastern and western Massachusetts into an almost seamless whole: the harbor at Rockport on Cape Ann and the ridges of Mount Greylock in the Berkshire Hills.
	Michigan Bird: Robin Flower: Apple Blossom Tree: White Pine Capital: Lansing Statehood: Jan. 26, 1837
Buildings and the people-mover monorail of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit are combined in the design with a sport-fishing boat of a kind seen on the Great Lakes.
	Minnesota Bird: Common Loon Flower: Pink/White Lady Slipper Tree: Norway Pine Capital: St. Paul Statehood: May 11, 1858
The skyline of Minneapolis is seen against a red, almost mauve, sky and a large orange moon. In the foreground is a common loon, the state bird.
	Mississippi Bird: Mockingbird Flower: Magnolia Tree: Magnolia Capital: Jackson Statehood: Dec. 10, 1817
A Gulf of Mexico shrimp boat with its net deployed is shown at the right against the partial disc of a huge golden moon. On the left is a mansion, similar to the one on the Georgia stamp, but with the addition of a balcony.
	Missouri Bird: Eastern Bluebird Flower: White Hawthorn Blossom Tree: Flowering Dogwood Capital: Jefferson City Statehood: Aug. 10, 1821
This illustration shows the St. Louis skyline and Gateway Arch, a lake scene in the Ozarks and white hawthorn blossoms.
	Montana Bird: Western Meadowlark Flower: Bitterroot Tree: Ponderosa Pine Capital: Helena Statehood: Nov. 8, 1889
In the foreground is a cowboy riding a bucking horse at a Montana rodeo. At the rear is a vista of the Rocky Mountains in Glacier National Park.
	Nebraska Bird: Meadowlark Flower: Goldenrod Tree: Cottonwood Capital: Lincoln Statehood: Mar. 1, 1867
The design recalls the days in the mid-19th century when the state was crossed by thousands of migrants heading west on the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail to make new lives beyond the Rocky Mountains. Scotts Bluff, the 800-foot-high promontory on the Platte River that was a landmark to the travelers, is seen rising above a covered wagon typical of those they used.
	Nevada Bird: Mountain Bluebird Flower: Sagebrush Tree: Single-leaf Piñon and Bristlecone Pine Capital: Carson City Statehood: Oct. 31, 1864
The contrast between Nevada's natural landscape and the glittering urban playground superimposed upon it is the theme of this design, which combines images of desert plants and hills with the well-known neon horse and rider sign in Las Vegas.
	New Hampshire Bird: Purple Finch Flower: Purple Lilac Tree: White Birch Capital: Concord Statehood: June 21, 1788
Two male white-tailed deer, a species common in New Hampshire and other parts of the Eastern Seaboard, face the viewer in the foreground. At the rear are buildings in the city of Portsmouth.
	New Jersey Bird: American Goldfinch Flower: Violet Tree: Red Oak Capital: Trenton Statehood: Dec. 18, 1787
A lone sunbather sits beside a propped umbrella on the Jersey Shore contemplating the surf. In the background is the skyline of Atlantic City.
	New Mexico Bird: Roadrunner Flower: Yucca Tree: Piñon Pine Capital: Santa Fe Statehood: Jan. 6, 1912
The design depicts a church in Santa Fe and the Taos Pueblo north of the city of Taos.
	New York Bird: Eastern Bluebird Flower: Rose Tree: Sugar Maple Capital: Albany Statehood: July 26, 1788
This montage depicts three of the state's best-known attractions: the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and Niagara Falls.
	North Carolina Bird: Cardinal Flower: Flowering Dogwood Tree: Pine Capital: Raleigh Statehood: Nov. 21, 1789
The design features the biplane built by Orville and Wilbur Wright that made the first manned flight by a heavier-than-air machine December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hill on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Dune grass native to the Outer Banks is shown beneath the plane's wings. At the left is the distinctive candy-striped lighthouse of Cape Hatteras.
	North Dakota Bird: Western Meadowlark Flower: Wild Prairie Rose Tree: American Elm Capital: Bismarck Statehood: Nov. 2, 1889
Two photographs taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park were the basis for this montage, which comprises three galloping wild horses and badlands hills and rock formations.
	Ohio Bird: Cardinal Flower: Red Carnation Tree: Ohio Buckeye Capital: Columbus Statehood: Mar. 1, 1803
The stamp depicts the skyline of Cleveland, including the well-known Terminal Tower, with the city's Veterans Memorial Bridge over the Cuyahoga River in the foreground. The sun hangs low in the sky behind the buildings, casting a pink glow on billowing cumulus clouds at the side.
	Oklahoma Bird: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Flower: Mistletoe Tree: Redbud Capital: Oklahoma City Statehood: Nov. 16, 1907
A mounted cowboy herding cattle, symbolic of Oklahoma's ranching tradition, is in the foreground. The skyline of Oklahoma City, the state's capital and largest city, is at the rear.
	Oregon Bird: Western Meadowlark Flower: Oregon Grape T ree: Douglas Fir Capital: Salem Statehood: Feb. 14, 1859
Mount Hood in the Cascade Range, Oregon's highest peak, rises behind a depiction of two windsurfers in the Columbia River Gorge between Oregon and Washington.
	Pennsylvania Bird: Ruffed Grouse Flower: Mountain Laurel Tree: Hemlock Capital: Harrisburg Statehood: Dec. 12, 1787
Two reminders of Pennsylvania's major role in American history are the Liberty Bell and a cannon on the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, both pictured in this stamp design. On the horizon are the Pocono Mountains, a popular resort area in the state's northeast.
	Rhode Island Bird: Rhode Island Red Flower: Violet Tree: Red Maple Capital: Providence Statehood: May 29, 1790
A sailboat with vividly colored sails skims the water in the foreground. At the rear is the Southeast Lighthouse on Block Island, as it looked before it was moved back from an encroaching cliff edge in 1994.
	South Carolina Bird: Carolina Wren Flower: Carolina Jessamine Tree: Palmetto Capital: Columbia Statehood: May 23, 1788
Beachgoers sit beneath a row of identical blue-and-yellow umbrellas on the sands of Myrtle Beach. At the rear is Rainbow Row, a row of multicolored buildings in Charleston.
	South Dakota Bird: Ring-necked Pheasant Flower: Pasqueflower Tree: Black Hills Spruce Capital: Pierre Statehood: Nov. 2, 1889
South Dakota's best-known landmark, the sculpted heads of four presidents on Mount Rushmore, overlooks a lone bison in a field of golden grass in Badlands National Park.
	Tennessee Bird: Mockingbird Flower: Iris Tree: Tulip Poplar Capital: Nashville Statehood: June 1, 1796
Tennessee's distinction as the home of country music is represented by an acoustic guitar in the foreground. Behind it is the night skyline of Nashville, the capital, and the Cumberland River that loops through the city, and in the distance are the Great Smoky Mountains.
	Texas Bird: Mockingbird Flower: Bluebonnet Tree: Pecan Capital: Austin Statehood: Dec. 29, 1845
This design depictes the Alamo in San Antonio and a yellow rose, the state flower.
	Utah Bird: California Gull Flower: Sego Lily Tree: Blue Spruce Capital: Salt Lake City Statehood: Jan. 4, 1896
The rock formation known as the Wall of Windows in Bryce Canyon National Park provides the background. A crouching mountain lion, based on a photograph also made in Bryce Canyon National Park, and a sego lily, the Utah state flower, complete the design.
	Vermont Bird: Hermit Thrush Flower: Red Clover Tree: Sugar Maple Capital: Montpelier Statehood: Mar. 4, 1791
The design features the second skier to appear on a Greetings from America stamp, this one a female (a male skier is shown on the Colorado stamp). Behind the snowy slope which she is descending is an aerial view of a white church building surrounded by fall foliage.
	Virginia Bird: Cardinal Flower: Flowering Dogwood Tree: Flowering Dogwood Capital: Richmond Statehood: June 25, 1788
A cannon on display in the state capital, Richmond, is shown in a field with a rail fence of a kind often seen in the Virginia countryside. At the rear is the Oatlands Plantation, a National Trust for Historic Preservation property outside Leesburg, Virginia.
	Washington Bird: American Goldfinch Flower: Coast Rhododendron Tree: Western Hemlock Capital: Olympia Statehood: Nov. 11, 1889
The Seattle skyline, dominated by the Space Needle that was built for the Century 21 International Exposition in 1962, is in the foreground. At the rear, against a red sky, rises Mount Rainier, the state's best-known physical feature.
	West Virginia Bird: Cardinal Flower: Big Laurel Tree: Sugar Maple Capital: Charleston Statehood: June 20, 1863
This design consists of views of white-water rafters on a West Virginia river and a vintage grist mill on Glade Creek.
	Wisconsin Bird: Robin Flower: Wood Violet Tree: Sugar Maple Capital: Madison Statehood: May 29, 1848
With former Governor Tommy Thompson now holding a Cabinet job in Washington, Terry McCaffrey felt it was politically safe to include a group of dairy cows in the design, despite Thompson's earlier ban on "cows, cheese and cold" images on the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial stamp. In the background is a country scene with farm buildings.
	Wyoming Bird: Western Meadowlark Flower: Indian Paintbrush Tree: Plains Cottonwood Capital: Cheyenne Statehood: July 10, 1890
Wyoming's rugged Grand Teton mountains provide the backdrop in this montage, which also includes two elk, a species commonly seen in Grand Teton National Park.

[海川京美]

好主意！正有國內的朋友問郵票的事。在哪買到？

[sweetchi]

很不錯啊，尤其適合青少年小朋友
禮物不一定要貴重，最主要的是心意

[carpediem]

This is a great gift, esp. to Kids!

BTW, according the logic of somebody here, the best gift will be money or rare metal.

[luckylv]

this is not a very good gift:
1) not everyone is a stamp collector
2)even if you are giving the gife to a stamp collector, that is not really worth of collecting the U.S. stamps, because they issued lots of them, and it is very easy to buy them, unlike China or Hong Kong, if you want to buy any back dated stamps, it not easy to find all of them, and if you do find them, you have to pay more then the face value, in the other hand, you can buy lots of the back dated stamps from the USPS via mail order for the same face value.

[沒落貴族]

to zWiserman: 為什麽不好？

[big-guy]

Very nice, thanks!