American's Beautiful Coasts

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AMERICAUSAirmail 45 Puas CANYON ОСТ 12 1990 86023 AZ GRAND

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AMERICA'S BEAUTIFUL COASTS First Day of Issue: October 12, 1990 First Issue Location: Grand Canyon, Arizona When Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492, the coastlines of the great continent were pristine, man had barely left his mark. Now, five hundred years later, small portions of the nation's coastlines are un- changed and exist as Columbus might have seen them, like the tropical paradise depicted on this stamp, issued as part of the America series. Here, the sights, sounds and smells are memorable: the salt hangs in the gentle breezes, a lone gull circles above, and the tide talks to all who pause for a moment to listen. To many, this is how a beach should be, where life teems onshore and off and nature is unharmed. Around the nation's shores, such beaches still exist, from the coral sand and shell fragment shores of the Florida Keys, to the expanses of sand and rock along the coast of Oregon. Since the discovery of the New World, shorelines across North America have been gradually preserved for thousands to enjoy. No. 90-42 ©1990 The Maximum Card Collection A Division of Unicover Corporation • Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting by Chris Calle