The United States Postal Service announced today that in April of 1999 it will issue a 33 cent (first-class) stamp commemorating Ayn Rand. Postal officials made the announcement in New York City this morning, as part of an announcement regarding all of the new stamps it will issue in 1999. Dr. Peikoff has approved this step by the U.S. Postal Service, as well as the use of Ayn Rand's image on the stamp. He has seen the proposed stamp and thinks it is "excellent." (The artist is Nick Gaetano, who designed all of the recent covers of Ayn Rand paperbacks.) Dr. Peikoff is especially happy with this action, because, as a stamp collector herself, Ayn Rand would have been extremely pleased by this honor.

The following is the notes found at The United States Postal Service site:-) Ayn Rand The 1999 addition to the Literary Arts stamp series honors Ayn Rand, the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Born Alissa Rosenbaum in St. Petersburg, Russia, Ayn Rand came to the U.S. in 1926 at the age of 21, and later became a U.S. citizen. Rand believed that a productive society is the result of individual freedom and effort. Her philosophy influenced all of her books and made her a controversial but respected author. The stamp art was illustrated by Nicholas Gaetano, who also illustrated book jackets for several recent editions of Ayn Rand’s books.