Stamps or Postcards of the USS Arizona

Collectors are in for a search when the treasure is stamps and postcards relating to the USS Arizona. It has been 66 years since the battleship was destroyed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Though the ship and its sailors are remembered, stamps and postcards are not the favored way to do it today.

Postcards of Arizona lists over 100 postcards about Arizona, but they do not mention the USS Arizona. They advise that auction sites such as eBay are a source for collectors. A search of eBay found a 1934 USS Arizona cover + photo postcard RPPC Navy recently sold for $17.29. The postcard shows a photo of the battleship and the postmark on the card is from the USS Arizona January 1, 1934; however, the stamp design is unrelated to the ship. Currently, stamps and postcards depict the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor rather than the actual battleship. There is a card and matching stamp showing the memorial that is over the spot where the battleship lies.

A contemporary source for USS Arizona Stamps is Zazzle.com. They offer a $.44 stamp entitled "Submerged Grave of the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor" and they have another stamp called the "Arizona Memorial Stamp."

The scarcity of stamps and memorial postcards does not mean that the USS Arizona and its crew are forgotten. Millions of people visit the memorial in Pearl Harbor. A room in the Arizona capitol museum exhibits items salvaged from the sunken battleship. Posters of all sizes, souvenir mugs, caps, and tee shirts keep the memory alive. A rarity of postcards and stamps on the subject makes them even more valuable.