The Scientists group is a five-stamp part of the 1940 Famous Americans series, not an open-ended collection of every scientist shown on U. S. postage.
The five-subject framework
The group features John James Audubon, Crawford W. Long, Luther Burbank, Walter Reed and Jane Addams. Confirm denominations and issue dates against the Smithsonian National Postal Museum record before identifying an individual stamp.
Correct historical label
These were issued by the U. S. Post Office Department in 1940. Calling the issuing body USPS in that historical context is anachronistic.
Reading the stamps
Treat the portrait, denomination, inscription, perforations, gum and condition as identification evidence. Do not infer a biography, scientific priority or historical judgment from the portrait alone.
Value boundary
No subject is automatically the rarest or most valuable. Use comparable completed sales for the same stamp and condition, and consider certification for a high-value claim.
Sources and update note
Issue facts and current postal rules should be checked against the linked primary sources. Prices, inventory, services and policies can change.
Correct 1940 Scientists group
Eli Whitney is not in the Scientists group; he belongs to the Inventors group. The five Scientists are John James Audubon, Crawford W. Long, Luther Burbank, Walter Reed and Jane Addams. Their coordinated engraved designs use symbols for the represented branches of science.
| Subject | Denomination | Issue date | First-day location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Crawford W. Long | 2¢ | April 8, 1940 | Jefferson, Georgia |
| John James Audubon | 1¢ | April 8, 1940 | St. Francisville, Louisiana |
| Dr. Walter Reed | 5¢ | April 17, 1940 | Washington, DC |
| Luther Burbank | 3¢ | April 17, 1940 | Santa Rosa, California |
| Jane Addams | 10¢ | April 26, 1940 | Chicago, Illinois |
The archive identifies individual commemorative stamps and first-day records; it should not be used to invent a modern booklet or retail pack format.