USA 1974 "Mineral Heritage"





issue Date 13.06.1974
ID Michel: 1145-1148; Scott: 1538-1541; Stanley Gibbons: 1536-1539; Yvert et Tellier: 1026-1029; Category: pF
Design Leonard E. Buckley
Stamps in set 4
Value $0.10 - Petrified wood
$0.10 - Amethyst
$0.10 - Rhodochrosite
$0.10 - Tourmaline
Emission/Type commemorative
Places of issue Lincoln, NE
Size (width x height) 31mm x 31mm
Layout Sheet of 48
Products Souvenir Panel x2
Paper No Watermark
Perforation 11x11
Print Technique Lithographed and engraved, multicolor
Printed by Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Quantity 42.000.000
Issuing Authority U.S. Postal Service
Mineral Heritage of USA 1974


On June 13th, 1974, the United States Post Office issued its first diamond-shaped stamps, honoring the Mineral Heritage of the country.

Issued to highlight the importance and abundance of America’s mineral resources, the four designs were printed as a se-tenant block that could be arranged together to form a larger diamond shape. The stamps depicted petrified wood, tourmaline, amethyst, and rhodochrosite.
The concept for the Mineral Heritage issue originated with rock enthusiast Lillian Scheffers Turner. She discovered her passion for minerals at a 1961 gem and mineral show, where she encountered what she described as “nature in the rough” and soon became an enthusiastic “rock hound”.
In 1964, while coordinating special events at a national gem and mineral show in Washington, someone casually asked her, “Why don’t we have a mineral stamp?” That question prompted Turner to begin a determined ten-year campaign to persuade postal authorities to issue the first U.S. stamps devoted to minerals.
Over the following decade, Turner became a familiar figure on Capitol Hill, gathering congressional support for her proposal. She also wrote numerous letters to postal officials advocating for the issue. Her persistence ultimately succeeded: the postal service agreed to produce the stamps and collaborated with the Smithsonian’s Hall of Geology, Gems, and Minerals to select vivid and visually striking specimens suitable for stamp designs. At one stage, Turner even pointed out that an early design choice had to be replaced because the mineral was not found within the United States.
The diamond-shaped stamps were officially issued on June 13, 1974, at the National Gem and Mineral Show in Lincoln, Nebraska. Each design featured a specific American specimen: petrified wood from Petrified Forest National Park; tourmaline from San Diego County; rhodochrosite from the Sweet Home Mine; and amethyst from Due West.
The Mineral Heritage issue proved highly popular and was voted the most popular U.S. stamp issue of 1974. One of these stamps depicted petrified wood.



Petrified wood



Petrified wood on stamp of USA 1974 Jasper Forest at Petrified Forest NP in AZ 12
Petrified wood on stamp of USA 1974, MiNr.: 1146; Scott: 1538. Jasper Forest at Petrified Forest NP. Image credit: Wikipedia.
Mineral emplacement occurs when dissolved minerals carried by groundwater infiltrate the porous tissues of buried wood, gradually replacing the organic material and resulting in petrifaction. This process is most commonly observed in petrified wood, although it also occurs in shells and bones.

Extensive deposits of petrified wood composed primarily of Araucarioxylon arizonicum can be seen in Petrified Forest National Park. Another remarkable occurrence is found in Yellowstone National Park, where petrified remains do not represent a single forest but a vertical succession of 27 individual forests preserved within more than 600 meters of volcanic deposits. In addition to tree trunks, impressions of leaves, twigs, needles, and cones have also been preserved.

Araucarioxylon arizonicum is an extinct conifer and the official state fossil of Arizona. The species is known from massive fossilized trunks weathering out of the Chinle Formation in the desert badlands of northern Arizona and adjacent New Mexico, particularly within the 378.5 km2 Petrified Forest National Park. In some areas, the silicified logs are so abundant that they were historically used as building material.
During the Triassic Period (approximately 250–200 million years ago), this region lay near the northwestern margin of the supercontinent Pangaea and consisted of a broad tropical lowland. Forests dominated by Araucarioxylon arizonicum flourished there, with trees reaching heights of up to 60 meters and trunk diameters exceeding 60 centimeters. Fossil specimens frequently display boreholes attributed to insect larvae, possibly beetles related to the modern family Anobiidae.





Other stamps of the set



Amethyst on stamp of USA 1974 Rhodochrosite on stamp of USA 1974 Tourmaline on stamp of USA 1974
This stamp depicts an amethyst, a violet variety of quartz whose characteristic color results from trace elements and natural exposure to low levels of radiation. When subjected to heat, amethyst may change color, turning yellow (often classified as citrine) or, more rarely, green. Amethyst is the birthstone for February and, when displaying good color saturation and clarity, is valued as a semiprecious gemstone. Fine specimens are typically fashioned as step-cut stones or carved as intaglios. The mineral commonly forms in cavities within various types of rock and is found in notable deposits in the Ural Mountains, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and the United States. In antiquity, the Ancient Greeks believed amethyst possessed protective qualities, especially the power to guard against drunkenness and excessive passion.


Rhodochrosite is a rose-red mineral whose distinctive color is caused by the presence of manganese, a metallic element with important industrial applications. Chemically, rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate and serves as a minor ore of manganese, although it is more commonly valued as a decorative stone and gemstone.
The mineral is typically characterized by its glossy luster and striking rose-red coloration, often displaying intricate banded patterns. It forms primarily in moderate- to low-temperature hydrothermal ore veins, especially those associated with silver, lead, zinc, and copper deposits. Rhodochrosite may also occur in high-temperature metamorphic environments.





This stamp depicts tourmaline, a mineral commonly classified as a semiprecious gemstone and renowned for its extraordinary range of colors. Chemically, tourmaline is a complex boron–aluminum silicate, often incorporating additional elements that account for its diverse hues.
Tourmalines typically form slender, elongated prismatic crystals with three-, six-, or nine-sided cross sections, occurring in parallel or radiating groups. The mineral exhibits pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties, meaning it can develop an electrical charge when heated or mechanically stressed. When cut perpendicular to the crystal’s long axis, tourmaline slices can also polarize light. The finest crystals are most commonly found in pegmatites, though tourmaline also occurs in limestone altered by granitic intrusions. It is recognized as the birthstone for October.



Products and associated philatelic items


No official First Day Covers (FDC) were issued in connection with this stamp issue. The United States Postal Service did not produce an official FDC or a pictorial First-Day-of-Issue postmark. All first day covers illustrated below are privately produced items.


Examples of personalized FDCs A piece of stamp sheet
Creatures of the Palaeozoic on FDC of Australia 2026 Creatures of the Palaeozoic on FDC of Australia 2026 Thomas Jefferson on stamps of USA 1954
Commemorative Panel Souvenir Page
USPS Commemorative Panel with the Mineral stamps of USA 1974 USPS Souvenir Page with the Mineral stamps of USA 1974



For more details about Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona please watch the following YouTube videos.



Acknowledgement



Many thanks to Dr. Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University, for reviewing the draft page, his valuable comments and great help to find materials for this article.





Last update 24.03.2026