The Postal Service released its first self-adhesive Love stamp with the Love Sunrise, issued at Loveland, Ohio. It was issued on January 27, 1994, in ample time for use on envelopes for Valentine's Day cards.
Designed by Peter Goode, it was the last of about thirty design concepts submitted to the Citizen's Stamp Advisory Committee for approval. A simple, brightly colored stamp with a cut-paper depiction of a red heart, it symbolized the morning sun rising above the green field with yellow-orange rays and a blue sky.
The Banknote Corporation of American printed the Love Sunrise stamp using both a six-color Goebel offset press and a four-color Epikos intaglio press. It was printed in panes of eighteen. Having die cut perforations, the sheet could also be folded into a booklet.
References:
Kloetzel, James E., ed. 2009 Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps & Covers. 87th ed. Sidney, Ohio: Scott Publishing Co., 2008.
Linn's U.S. Stamp Yearbook. Sidney, Ohio: Linn's Stamp New, 1994.
