Alphabetilately: J is for Joint Issue

A Joint Issue is the issuance, by two or more countries, of similar stamps (i.e. similar in design, or at least in their commemoration of the same event) on the same date. The practice has become popular among postal authorities in recent years, and the stamps are becoming a popular collecting specialty. The earliest US Joint Issue was the 1959 US- Canada St. Lawrence Seaway commemorative. More recently, to celebrate the Statue of Liberty's 100th birthday in 1986, the US and France issued similar stamps depicting Lady Liberty. Probably the most elaborate example is the group of sets issued in 1992 by four countries - Italy, Spain, Portugal, and the US - in honor of the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' voyages. Other recent examples involving the US are the Cranes issue with China, in 1994, and the US- Israel Hanukkah issue of 1996. The British Commonwealth Omnibus Issues, and Common Design Types of other European country groups, while they satisfy the definition, are usually excluded from the category, and form separate collecting areas.

One popular way to collect these modern issues is on joint First Day Covers, i.e. with the stamps and FD cancels of all participating countries.

There is now a society for Joint Issues Collectors, with a rapidly-growing, informative website, at http://rzimmerm.club.fr/index.htm. Check it out.

The table below shows all the US Joint Issues through 1998, including their foreign counterparts.

United States joint issues thru 1998

Year	Subject, Participating Countries, Format	Scott # (U.S.)	U.S. Stamp	Foreign Stamp
1959	Opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway --- US & Canada -- - Single stamp each	1131
1960	Mexican Independence --- US & Mexico --- Single stamp each	1157
1965	Florida Settlement --- US & Spain --- Single stamp each	1271
1975	Apollo-Soyuz --- US & USSR --- setenant pair each	1569-70
1976	U.S. Independence --- US & Canada --- Single stamp each	1690
1977	Peace Bridge --- US & Canada --- Single stamp each	1721
1980	Philip Mazzei --- US & Italy --- Single stamp each	C98
1981	James Hoban --- US & Ireland --- Single stamp each (US rate change resulted in two denominations)	1935-36
1982	Diplomatic Recognition --- US & Netherlands --- Single stamp US, Two stamps Netherlands	2003
1983	Amity and Commerce --- US & Sweden --- Single stamp each	2036
1983	German Immigration --- US & Germany --- Single stamp each	2040
1983	Treaty of Paris --- US & France --- Single stamp each	2052
1984	John McCormack --- US & Ireland --- Single stamp each	2090
1984	25th Anniversaary of the St. Lawrence Seaway --- US & Canada --- Single stamp each	2091
1986	Stamp Collecting --- US & Sweden --- Booklet pane of 4 stamps each	2198-201
1986	Francis Vigo --- US & Italy --- Postal Card each	UX111
1986	Statue of Liberty --- US & France --- Single stamp each	2224
1987	Friendship/Morocco --- US & Morocco --- Single stamp each	2349
1988	Australian Bicentennial --- US & Australia --- Single stamp each	2370
1988	New Sweden --- US, Sweden, Finland --- Single stamp each	C117
1989	French Revolution --- US & France --- Single stamp US, Strip of three plus label, France	C120
1990	Micronesia --- US & Micronesia --- Single stamp US, Strip of three Micronesia	2506
1990	Marshall Islands --- US & Marshall Islands --- Single stamp each	2507
1990	Sea Creatures --- US & USSR --- Block of four each	2508-11
1991	Switzerland Anniversary --- US & Switzerland --- Single stamp each	2532
1991	William Saroyan --- US & USSR --- Single stamp each	2538
1992	Voyages of Columbus --- US & Italy --- Block of four each	2620-23
1992	Columbian reprints --- US, Italy, Spain, Portugal --- Six souv. sheets per country - only one each shown	2624-29
1992	Space Accomplishments --- US & Russia --- Block of four each	2631-34
1993	Grace Kelly --- US & Monaco --- Single stamp each	2749
1994	Cranes --- US & PRC --- Two stamps each	2867-68
1995	Republic of Palau --- US & Palau --- Single stamp each	2999
1996	Endangered Species --- US & Mexico --- Full pane each	3105
1996	Hanukkah --- US & Israel --- Single stamp each	3118
1998	Cinco de Mayo --- US & Mexico --- Single stamp each (US rate change - stamp reissued w/ new denom.)	3203
1998	Irish Immigration --- US & Ireland --- Single stamp each	3286

Joint Issue First Day Covers

One popular way to collect Joint Issues is on First Day Covers with First Day cancels from both (or all) participating countries, which would be very difficult, were it not for the policy of most postal administrations, including the USPS, of providing First Day cancels up to a month after the actual issue date. The pair above are masterpieces of the genre, hand-painted in oils and properly cancelled in both countries. If you would like to see more Joint Issue FDCs, click here.

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Foreign Joint Issues

The Original J Stamp

Here's a little bonus - the original version of our artist's image for the letter J was the one below, which I find too good to omit. Its creator, Steve Reoutt, couldn't spare the time to revise it to conform to the standards that had to be imposed when the images were leased to Dickson's for their book, so he withdrew his image. There's an amusing visual pun here - the bar pictured is a "joint", and the profanity "issuing" from its door is thus a "joint issue". Thanks to Steve for permission to display his image here.