Baltimore Checkerspot USPS Stamp Guide

The Baltimore Checkerspot stamp belongs to the U.S. Postal Service tradition of butterfly designs associated with nonmachinable First-Class Mail. This guide separates the stamp’s postal purpose from its artwork and from the living species it depicts.

What the stamp is

USPS issued the 65-cent Baltimore Checkerspot definitive stamp on January 20, 2012, in Baltimore, Maryland. The pane of 20 was Item 114800 and was intended for the combined one-ounce letter price and nonmachinable surcharge then in effect; it could also cover the contemporary two-ounce letter price.

“4603” is commonly used as a Scott catalog number for this issue. A catalog number is not a USPS retail item number; the numbering system should always be named when a number is quoted.

How to use it correctly

The 65-cent stamp contributes its printed face value. Calculate the finished piece using the mailing date, weight, dimensions, thickness, and rigidity; square, rigid, or uneven envelopes must still satisfy all other First-Class Mail letter standards, and an unusual sample can be checked at a Post Office.

For a dated example, a qualifying one-ounce nonmachinable domestic letter costs $1.31 at prices effective July 12, 2026. One 65-cent Baltimore Checkerspot contributes $0.65, leaving $0.66 to be paid with other postage. If the finished piece weighs more than one ounce, the applicable additional-ounce amount must also be included.

About the Baltimore Checkerspot

The Baltimore Checkerspot is Maryland’s state insect. Maryland wildlife records explain that small caterpillars feed almost exclusively on white turtlehead (Chelone glabra), while larger, later-stage larvae may also use other host plants. Adult butterflies instead visit flowering plants for nectar, so the larval host relationship should not be described as the adult’s diet.

Tom Engeman created a highly stylized orange, black, cream, and gray depiction rather than a field-guide illustration; Derry Noyes was designer and art director. The butterfly fills most of the vertical stamp, with “USA 65” beneath it.

Collecting and authenticity

Compare the orange, black, cream, and gray vertical design, “USA 65,” pane format, and USPS item record with the official announcement. Condition and format affect collectibility; valuable or uncertain material may warrant qualified philatelic examination.

Sources

Key facts were checked against USPS Stamp Announcement 12-6; the Maryland Department of Natural Resources species account; USPS domestic mailing standards; and the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.