WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service recently announced the Purple Heart Medal Forever stamp will be dedicated on October 4, 2019 at INDYPEX, sponsored by the Indiana Stamp Club in Noblesville, IN. The stamps will go on sale nationwide the same day.

The stamp dedication ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. E.D.T. on the first day of INDYPEX in the Annex Building of the Hamilton County Fairgrounds and Exhibition Center, 2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville, IN, 46060. Dedication ceremony attendees are welcome to enjoy the remainder of the annual INDYPEX Stamp Collectors Show, which will be open October 4-6. Show hours are 10-6 on Friday, 10-5 on Saturday, and 10-3 on Sunday.

There is no registration for the dedication. Free registration is required to enter INDYPEX.

The American Philatelic Society will announce further details about the ceremony in the next several weeks.

With this stamp, the Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in action. According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is “the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier.”

Established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, the Badge of Military Merit — a heart made of purple cloth — was discontinued after the war. In 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth, the decoration was reinstated and redesigned as a purple heart of metal bordered by gold, suspended from a purple and white ribbon. In the center of the medal is a profile of George Washington beneath his family coat of arms. 

From the left: Purple Heart Medal stamps, Scott 4390, 4529, and 4704. The first Purple Heart Medal stamps were issued in 2003 and have changed design several times in the years following.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is a redesign that features a purple border matching the brilliant purple of the medal and its ribbon. Ira Wexler photographed the medal. William J. Gicker served as art director with Bryan Duefrene as designer.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. This Forever stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.