USPS celebrates baseball’s Hank Aaron with a stamp

The Postal Service will release a stamp honoring baseball legend Hank Aaron on Wednesday, July 31.

Henry “Hammerin’ Hank” Aaron (1934-2021) was renowned for breaking baseball records and overcoming racial barriers.

Aaron spent 21 years with the Braves organization, starting in Milwaukee, where he led the team to the 1957 World Series title. Later, in Atlanta, he hit his 715th home run on April 8, 1974, surpassing Babe Ruth’s long-standing record.

Although Aarons retired nearly 50 years ago. He still holds Major League records for most runs batted in, total bases, and All-Star Game appearances. He finished his career with the Milwaukee Brewers and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

During his playing career and later as a Major League Baseball executive, Aarons advocated for more. African Americans in management positions within baseball and other professional sports.

In 2002, Aaron received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor. In 2005, he was awarded the Thurgood Marshall Lifetime Achievement Award by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Which also established the Hank Aaron Humanitarian in Sports Award in his honor.

The stamp features a digital portrait of Aaron in a right-handed batting stance as a member of the Atlanta Braves. Similarly, the stamp pane includes a digital painting of Aaron watching his record-breaking 715th home run, based on a 1974 photo by Harry Harris.

USPS art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps and pane using original art by Chuck Styles and typography by Kevin Cantrell.

The stamp will be dedicated at a ceremony at Truist Park Stadium in Atlanta and will be available at Post Offices and on usps.com.