The first commemorative postage stamps were issued in 1893 to mark the Columbian Exposition of that year. However, in the effort to expand and appeal to a wider range of interests, USPS in the late 1990s began designing stamps not only to attract non-collectors, but also children. In 2007, USPS will issue 99 commemorative stamps. Errors and subject selection in commemorative stamps have sometimes generated controversy. While the primary responsibility of the committee is to review and appraise all proposals submitted for commemoration, the PMG has the exclusive and final authority to determine both the subject matter and the designs for U.S. postage stamps. Criteria for Selecting Commemorative Stamps

The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee receives about 50,000 nominations each year, and gives no special attention to those submitted by Congress or other legislative bodies. As a basis for its recommendation to the Postmaster General, the advisory committee uses 12 criteria when considering commemorative stamp subjects.
More than 1,800 commemorative stamps have been issued since the first in 1893. In recent years they have been marketed to attract non-collectors and children. In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) will issue 99 different commemorative stamps. In considering subjects for commemorative stamps, the USPS Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, guided by 12 basic criteria, reviews and appraises the approximately 50,000 proposals submitted for commemoration each year. The postmaster general (PMG) has the exclusive and final authority to determine both subject matter and design. A number of resolutions are introduced in Congress each year urging that consideration be given to a particular subject for commemoration, but few are passed, and the advisory committee accords them no special status. The commemorative stamp program contributed an estimated $225.9 million in retained revenues for the USPS in 2005.