1984 Roberto Clemente

On August 17, 1984, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 20-cent commemorative stamp honoring Roberto Clemente in Carolina, Puerto Rico, his birthplace. Released one day before what would have been his 50th birthday, the stamp was dedicated at Roberto Clemente Sports City, a youth sports complex established in his memory.

An outstanding athlete and humanitarian, Clemente played his entire 18-season major league career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, beginning in 1955. He earned 15 All-Star selections across twelve seasons, won twelve consecutive Gold Glove Awards as a right fielder, captured four National League batting titles, and finished with exactly 3,000 hits and a .317 career batting average. He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player in 1966.

Clemente helped the Pirates win World Series championships in 1960 and 1971, earning World Series Most Valuable Player honors in 1971. He died in a plane crash on December 31, 1972, while accompanying earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua. In 1973, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame after the customary five-year waiting period was waived.

Designed by Juan López-Bonilla of Louisville, Kentucky, the stamp depicts Clemente wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates cap against a stylized Puerto Rican flag. Bradbury Thompson served as art director and typographer, and Clarence Holbert prepared the stamp’s production model.

A total of 119,125,000 stamps were issued at 20 cents each, representing a total face value of $23,825,000. Printed using the gravure process and issued in panes of fifty, the stamp is cataloged as Scott 2097.