Car buffs push for 50th anniversary Corvette stamp

June 26, 2002 LA AP reports that Chevrolet's Corvette turns 50 next year, and owners say there should be a postage stamp to celebrate the golden anniversary.

The owners have collected 20,000 signatures, but will expand their petition drive across the country Friday in conjunction with "Drive Your Corvette to Work" day.

"It's an initiative to get the Corvette sports car memorialized on a series of U.S. Postage stamps in 2003, during its 50th Anniversary year," said Mike Yager, president and founder of an Illinois mail order company that specializes in Corvette merchandise.

A Corvette stamp is not out of the question, although time could be a problem. The Ford Mustang got a stamp a few years ago as part of the U.S. Postal Service's "Celebrate the Century" stamp series.

"Over the years I've heard people requesting almost everything possible, and Corvette has been mentioned a few times," U.S. Postal Service spokesman Don Smeraldi said Tuesday from his Washington office.

Getting a stamp is a daunting task, however. More than 50,000 ideas are submitted to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee each year and only 20 to 30 are honored with a stamp. The committee, which meets quarterly, pares a list for approval by the Postmaster General.

One of the obstacles facing Corvette enthusiasts is the three-year lead time needed by the Postal Service before a stamp is produced. The 50th anniversary of Corvette is next year.

But that won't deter Yager.

"We think we can do this," said Yager, known as the King of Corvettes. He even has a swimming pool in the shape of a Chevy bow-tie.

Corvette Stampede petitions will be circulated at various locations across the country, including the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles; the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.; the St. Louis Art Museum; and Dimmit Chevrolet in Clearwater, Fla.