We first reported that the USPS would be issuing a “Pickup Trucks Forever” first class booklet of stamps back in January. The release date was set for July, and the USPS has started generating some marketing for these special issue stamps.

The Pickup Truck Forever stamps are to be released on July 15, 2016, at 1:00 p.m., at the Syracuse Nationals, hosted at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, New York.

The Pickup Trucks stamp set is being issued as a First-Class Mail booklet of 20 stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail, one-ounce price.

Four iconic pickups are represented in the stamp set are the 1938 International Harvester D-2, the 1948 Ford F-1, the 1953 Chevrolet, and the 1965 Ford F-100. Artist Chris Lyons of Pittsford, NY, created stylized renderings of the pickup trucks and Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.

History Of Pickup Trucks In America

The origin of pickup trucks can be traced back to the early 20th century. These trucks made hauling cargo easier than ever before. By the early 1900s, several manufacturers first began producing light-duty trucks in limited numbers.

While International Harvester supplied and maintained trucks on stateside military bases during World War I, Ford rolled out the Model TT, a one ton chassis, and Chevy brought out the Model 490 truck. These were not considered true pickup trucks as we know them, because the drivers had to purchase their own cargo beds and bodies.

Chevrolet’s 1953 Advanced-Design series truck.

The first fully factory assembled pickup truck didn’t arrive until the middle of the next decade, when the 1925 Ford Model T Runabout with Pick-Up Body made its debut. A fortified version of Ford’s landmark Model T, it had a base price of $281, featured a steel bed, and was powered by a modest 20-horsepower engine. Ford sold nearly 34,000 Model T pickups, helping kick start the popularity of pickup trucks.

Automaker Studebaker used the word “pickup” in an advertisement in 1913, but the exact root of the term “pickup” is not really known. By the Great Depression, it had become part of the American lexicon.

By the end of World War II, pickups had become ubiquitous, especially in rural America. The nation’s major manufacturers soon began designing well-equipped trucks that no longer resembled the bare-bones models they once offered.

The 1953 Chevrolet

Chevrolet rolled out the Advance-Design Series in 1947, the first all-new post-World War II pickup truck line. The new Chevys were roomier and more powerful than ever before. The 1953 Chevrolet, typical of the Advance-Design Series trucks, featured large windshields that provided drivers with excellent visibility, a distinctive curvy grille that bulged in the middle, and a six-cylinder engine. Advance-Design trucks were America’s top-selling pickups for nearly a decade.

Ford’s 1948 F-1, the beginning of an era.

Ford F-Series Gets Started With the 1948 F-1

Ford’s F-Series also differed greatly from relatively sparse models previously available. Also known as the “Bonus Built” line, F-Series trucks were, in the words of Ford’s famous advertising campaign, “built stronger to last longer.” Ford launched the new line with the 1948 Ford F-1. It included features like the roomy “Million Dollar Cab,” a sharp horizontal five-bar grille, and a six- or eight-cylinder engine. Ford sold more than 300,000 trucks in the first model year of the F-Series.

International Harvester hit it big with their D-2 pickups.

International Harvester D-2

In the 1960s and 1970s, International Harvester’s line of light trucks flourished. In addition to the pickup version of the popular Scout, the company offered the C-Series, including the C-110. Most IH pickups of the era were available in a number of different wheelbases, a variety of engines, and with a larger, “Bonus-Load” bed. These models also offered a crew cab option, a popular concept introduced by IH in 1957.

Ford’s redesigned F100 series truck.

Ford’s 1965 F-Series

For the 1965 model year, the F-Series pickup got a facelift. The 1965 Ford F-100 had a new grille that featured 18 small rectangular openings. It also featured what Ford dubbed “Twin-I-Beam” independent front suspension, which improved the quality of the ride, and a powerful six- or eight-cylinder engine. The F-Series is still in production today and remains the country’s top-selling truck line. As of 2015, there have been 13 generations of F-Series pickups.

Look for these stamps to be sold at post offices around the country in late July!