In 1992, the United States government did something it had never done before. It printed millions of ballot papers, sent them to post offices across the country, and asked the American people to settle a question of enormous national importance. Not a law. Not a candidate. Which picture of Elvis Presley should go on a postage stamp? The choice was simple: young Elvis, or old Elvis. More than 1.2 million people voted.
Fans had wanted a stamp since the day he died in 1977. American rules mean a person has to be gone for a set period before appearing on one, and the moment Elvis became eligible, the requests came flooding in. There was real argument about it — some in Congress questioned whether he was a suitable subject at all, given his history with prescription drugs. In the end, the Postal Service decided he would be the very first stamp in a new series called Legends of American Music.
Then, on January 7, 1992, the Postmaster General announced something that reportedly surprised his own staff: the public would choose the design. Two artists were commissioned. Mark Stutzman painted the young Elvis of the 1950s, hair falling forward, singing into an old microphone. John Berkey painted the older, Las Vegas Elvis in a white studded jumpsuit.
When America Had to Choose: Young Elvis vs. The Legend
The vote ran for just three weeks, from April 4 to 26, 1992. The Postal Service put 5 million ballot cards in post offices, and People magazine printed another 4.5 million in a single issue. The country genuinely went for it. Newspapers ran editorials. Members of Congress argued about it. Even a presidential candidate weighed in — Bill Clinton, then running for the White House, publicly backed young Elvis.
It wasn’t close. Around 75 percent of voters — three to one — picked the young Elvis.
The demand that followed was extraordinary. The Postal Service normally prints around 150 million copies of a commemorative stamp. For Elvis, they planned 300 million — double. Then advance orders came in so heavily that a month before release they added another 200 million. The final print run was 517 million stamps, more than three times the usual.
The stamp came out on January 8, 1993 — what would have been Elvis’s 58th birthday — and they didn’t do it quietly. The first-day ceremony was held at Graceland, just after midnight, with Priscilla and Lisa Marie there.
From The Archives: Release Of The Elvis Stamp
It went on to become the best-selling commemorative stamp in United States history, a record it still holds. And here’s the loveliest detail of all. A commemorative stamp exists to be stuck on an envelope and posted. But the 1993 Elvis stamp is also the most-saved US commemorative ever issued — meaning millions of Americans bought it, took it home, and never used it. They weren’t buying postage. They were buying a little picture of Elvis.