US Duck Stamps

About US Duck Stamps

Since 1934, hunters of migratory waterfowl have been required to purchase a Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as a duck stamp, at the beginning of each hunting season. The stamps must be signed by the hunter and affixed to his or her hunting license.

From the beginning, though, the program was aimed at more than just hunters. Conservationists and wildlife-art lovers were also its audience, and the revenues generated by sales of the stamps were earmarked specifically for the purchase of wetlands and other wild spaces used by migratory birds. Thanks to these three interest groups, the stamps have been a resounding success. More than $700 million has been raised by the sales of these stamps, resulting in the acquisition of some 5.2-million acres for the National Wildlife Refuge System...

The first head of the Duck Stamp Program, a conservationist and Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist named Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, drew the first duck stamp. His pencil sketch depicted a pair of mallards coming in for a landing, with waving reeds in the background. Tinted blue, the stamp cost a dollar, racked up sales of 635,001, and was valid through June 30, 1935.

Frank Benson’s 1935 stamp, which was good through June 30 of 1936, also cost a dollar. His trio of canvasbacks was given a maroon hue. Canadian geese, greater scaups, northern pintails, and green-winged teals filled out the rest of the 1930s, while the 1940s were sprinkled with black ducks, ruddy ducks, wood ducks, buffleheads, and two types of geese. Stamp sales crested the 1-million mark in 1938, and 2 million was reached in 1946.

All this time, the stamps still cost $1, and artists were selected by invitation. But in 1950, the price of a duck stamp was raised to $2. That number would hold until 1959, when the price was raised to $3 and the first multi-colored stamp was issued. Based on a tempera drawing by Maynard Reece, it featured a Labrador retriever with a mallard in its mouth next to the words "RETRIEVERS SAVE GAME."

But the biggest change of 1950 was the way in which duck-stamp artists were selected. That year, a competition was held and 65 artists entered. The winner was Walter Weber, whose black-and-white gouache drawing of a pair of trumpeter swans flying over a lake, with mountains in the background, was printed in purple.

In 1971, states got into the pictorial-stamp act, beginning with California. As with the federal program, the goal was to raise money for wetlands. Paul Johnson created the first California stamp of pintails in flight. Iowa, Maryland, and Massachusetts followed—in an interesting twist, Bay State stamps depict famous duck decoys and decoy carvers rather than actual ducks.

For serious collectors, mint-condition stamps that are unsigned and have their original gum backing bring the highest prices. That said, some people prefer to collect stamps that have been affixed to licenses or signed by the hunters who originally purchased them. In these cases, the collector is not only getting a collectible stamp, but a piece of cultural history, too.

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Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Duck Stamps - Rare Buy it Now$2,275 Ends Monday 3 bids 4 watchers
Rw8 Ruddy Ducks Mint Superb-og-nh Jumbo Margins Gem!$154.01 Ends in 19 hours 7 bids 5 watchers
Rw1 1934 Federal Duck Stamp Mint Og Nh: Xf$108.50 Ends Sunday 5 bids 14 watchers
1983-1984 Federal Duck Stamp Print W/stamps #656/6700$99.99 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid 3 watchers
Peter Mathious Artist Ducks Unlimited$75.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 4 watchers
16 New Unhinged Federal Duck Stamps Rw49-rw64$65.00 Ends in 14 hours 2 bids 4 watchers
Rw1 1934 Federal Duck Stamp - Mint - No Gum $46.30 Ends in 20 hours 13 bids 10 watchers
Extraordinary Us Duck Stamp Collection. No Reserve!$42.00 Ends Wednesday 8 bids 9 watchers
Rw2 1935 Federal Duck Stamp - Unsigned, Ng, Lh$41.00 Ends in 19 hours 8 bids 9 watchers
Rw16 Greeneye Ducks Vf/xf Ognh $70.00$30.01 Ends Tuesday 4 bids 9 watchers
United States Duck Rw26, Mnh, C.v. 125.00 Vf$30.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 3 watchers
1979 Michigan State Duck Stamp Mint Nh Scv $60.00$29.99 Ends in 20 hours 1 bid 2 watchers
1993 New Mexico State Duck Stamp Mnh Souvenir Sheet $29.95 Ends in 22 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw65 - Rw65a Duck Stamp Set Mint Never Hinged$28.96 Ends in 14 hours 9 bids 5 watchers
Rw26 1959 $3 Duck Stamp Mint Pns Nh F-vf Og$27.00 Ends Tuesday 3 bids 7 watchers
Us Bob Federal Duck Stamp Collection !$26.00 Ends Saturday 2 bids 11 watchers
Us Federal Duck Stamp Rw7 $1.00black Mallards$25.00 Ends in 11 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
Us #rw26 Vf Mh $3 Duck Hunting Revenue Stamp Cv$125$24.99 Ends in 22 hours 1 bid 3 watchers
United States -migratory Duck Stamp Rw56/pl Block Of 4$22.50 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw66a And Rw67a Self Adhesive Ducks $55.00$21.89 Ends Monday 6 bids 8 watchers
Federal Duck Stamps - 1971 To 1991 - Used$21.27 Ends in 20 hours 6 bids 5 watchers
Rw1 1934 Federal Duck Stamp - Unsigned, Ng, Lh, Tear$21.25 Ends in 16 hours 4 bids 4 watchers
Federal Duck Stamp Block June 30,th 1986$20.00 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
2002 Us Junior Migratory Waterfowl Duck Stamp Mnh+card$19.99 Ends Thursday 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw76 2009-2010 Federal Duck Stamp Mnh - Fine $19.03 Ends in 19 hours 2 bids 1 watcher
United States -migratory Duck Stamp Rw54/pl Block Of 4$18.50 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 1 watcher
United States Duck Stamp, Mnh, Rw43 Plate Bk. 4$18.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 1 watcher
United States Duck Stamp, Mnh, Rw43 Plate Bk. 4$18.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw75 Federal Duck Stamp Mnh - Very Fine $17.50 Ends in 19 hours 1 bid 1 watcher
United States -migratory Duck Stamp Rw50/pl Block Of 4$17.50 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw2 - 1935 Federal Duck Stamp - Used$16.50 Ends in 20 hours 5 bids 8 watchers
Rw2 - 1935 Federal Duck Stamp On Kansas Hunting License$15.50 Ends in 20 hours 5 bids 11 watchers
13 Signed Assorted Federal Duck Stamps $15.00 Ends in 15 hours 1 bid 3 watchers
United States Duck Rw36, Mnh, C.v. 70.00 Vf$15.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 3 watchers
United States Duck Rw37, Mnh, C.v. 70.00 Vf$15.00 Ends Wednesday 1 bid 4 watchers
Rw65 1998 Federal Duck Stamp - Unused, Og, Nh$14.10 Ends in 15 hours 5 bids 2 watchers
Us Federal Duck Hunting Stamps Scott # Rw9-rw11 Used$13.50 Ends Thursday 3 bids 1 watcher
1981 Michigan State Duck Stamp Mint Nh Scv $25.00$13.49 Ends in 20 hours 2 bids 1 watcher
Rw64 1997 Federal Duck Stamp - Unused, Og, Nh$13.05 Ends in 15 hours 3 bids 1 watcher
Rw-55 1988 Mint N/h Federal Duck Stamp $12.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 1 watcher
Rw3 1936 Federal Duck Stamp - Mint - No Gum - Jumbo $11.25 Ends in 20 hours 4 bids 4 watchers

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