A block of four 20-cent commemorative stamps featuring Winter Olympic events was issued January 6, 1984, in Lake Placid, New York, on a date that coincided with the Biathlon National Championships and the US Olympic team tryouts there. The First Day of Issue ceremony was held at the Lake Placid Resort.
The stamps were designed by Robert Peak of Scottsdale, Arizona, and modeled by Ronald C. Sharpe.
Highlighted on the block of four stamps are the following: men's Alpine skiing, an event in which contestants maneuver over a difficult downhill course marked by flags; ice dancing, which consists of a combination of complex and intricate skating; ice hockey, which became an Olympic sport in 1920; and Nordic skiing, which includes both cross-country and jumping events.
The stamps were printed in the photogravure process, with fifty stamps per pane.