Spicebush Swallowtail USPS Stamp Guide

The Spicebush Swallowtail 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 66-cent Spicebush Swallowtail definitive stamp on January 23, 2013, in Pine Mountain, Georgia. Item 115900 was sold in panes of 20 for the then-current two-ounce and nonmachinable letter prices. Its printed value remains 66 cents, so extra postage may now be required.

“4736” is a Scott catalog number; USPS used Item 115900. 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 butterfly design does not determine postage: this printed 66-cent stamp contributes $0.66, while the required total depends on the mailing date and finished mailpiece. Weight, dimensions, thickness, rigidity, and other characteristics must be checked; a sender can overpay voluntarily, but need only meet the applicable rate.

Square, unusually rigid, or uneven envelopes may be subject to the nonmachinable surcharge, but they must still satisfy all other First-Class Mail standards. When in doubt, have the finished piece checked at a Post Office.

For a dated current example, a qualifying one-ounce nonmachinable domestic letter costs $1.31 at prices effective July 12, 2026. One 66-cent Spicebush Swallowtail contributes $0.66, leaving $0.65 to be paid with other postage.

At its 2013 issue: the 66-cent value matched two different domestic calculations when January prices took effect: 46 cents for a one-ounce letter plus 20 cents for a second ounce, and 46 cents plus the 20-cent nonmachinable surcharge. At the July 2026 example above: the same physical stamp still contributes exactly 66 cents, so it does not follow either later rate.

About the Spicebush Swallowtail

The butterfly is named for spicebush, a common host plant for its caterpillars. The adult’s dark wings carry pale spots, blue-green scaling, and orange accents.

Tom Engeman’s square, highly stylized image places the dark swallowtail against white space, making the blue-green lower-wing band and orange spots especially visible. “USA 66” appears below the butterfly.

Collecting and authenticity

Color, perforations, tagging, or microprinting may provide useful examination clues, but no single visible feature proves authenticity. Compare an item with a documented genuine example and seek a qualified philatelic expert for valuable material. Collector value depends on condition, format, demand, supply, and actual transactions.

Sources

Key facts were checked against USPS Stamp Announcement 13-06; the USPS January 27, 2013 price-change record, which lists the 46-cent first ounce, 20-cent additional ounce, and 20-cent nonmachinable surcharge; and current USPS domestic mailing standards.