3 cent Iwo Jima

This 3 cent stamp issued on July 11, 1945 depicts one of the most important events in World War II. On February 23, 1945, the U.S. Marines captured the island of Iwo Jima in the South Pacific and raised the American flag atop Mount Suribachi. The event was documented by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal. When the photo was published, public demand was so great for a postage stamp commemorating the event that a stamp was issued 5 moths later. On the day of issue, lines of people, sometimes stretching for city blocks, waited their turn to buy the stamp. More than 137 million stamps were sold, making this one of the biggest selling stamps of all time.