The Spokane Carrousel Cachet

The Spokane Carrousel Cachet and Postmark
Second Day Issue
July 22, 1995

On July 21, 1995, the United States Post Office released a set of carousel stamps, which are shown in the picture above. On the first day of release, these stamps were available only at Carousel World in Lahaska, Pennsylvania. The horses featured on the stamps were from the collection of the late Charlotte Dinger, author of The Art of the Carousel and owner of Carousel World.

Spokane was chosen as a second day release site. On July 22, 1995, a temporary post office was set up at the site of Spokane's Carousel. The new stamps were made available by the United States Post Office at the Riverfront Park Carrousel Station, and a specially designed cachet envelope was available from Riverfront Park. Only 2500 of these limited edition cachet envelopes were printed.

For those purchasing an envelope and stamps, a specially designed postmark was available. This postmark was designed for the post office by Bette Largent, and features Cisco, one of our carousel horses. The postmark was used only at the carousel site, and only on July 22, 1995.

1988 Carousel Stamps
1988 Carousel Animal Series stamps

The cachet envelope, also designed by Bette Largent, features Miss Liberty and her running mates, as well as our Ruth band organ and the building that houses our carousel. The original drawing used for the cachet is on display at a post office in Spokane Valley, Washington. The proceeds from the cachet sales were the major fund raiser for our band organ restoration in 1998.
The post office had to pack up shortly before 3 PM, the scheduled time for closing the sale in the carousel meadow. They had sold out of stamps! We had broken the record for sales over the Bing Crosby stamp edition!
The stamps were designed by Paul Calle, the same artist who designed the 1988 carousel animal series. Calle is referred to as a "visual historian" and has designed various stamps for the U. S. Postal Service ranging from windswept prairies of the West to the depth of outer space.

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