1996 Folk Heroes – Mighty Casey

Baseball’s legendary slugger Mighty Casey joined three other American folk heroes on a set of 32-cent commemorative stamps issued on July 11, 1996, at the Postage Stamp Mega Event in Anaheim, California. Designed by David LaFleur of Derby, Kansas, the set featured Casey, Pecos Bill, Paul Bunyan, and John Henry.

Mighty Casey – The fictional star of the Mudville Nine appears in Ernest Lawrence Thayer’s poem “Casey at the Bat,” first published in the San Francisco Examiner on June 3, 1888. With his team trailing and two runners on base, Casey confidently lets two called strikes pass before striking out swinging. Actor DeWolf Hopper helped popularize the poem through his dramatic recitations, making it one of baseball’s best-known literary works.

Pecos Bill – A larger-than-life cowboy from American tall tales, Pecos Bill was credited with such impossible feats as roping a railroad train and riding a cyclone.

Paul Bunyan – A giant lumberjack who traveled with his blue ox, Babe. Tall tales attributed the creation of landmarks such as the Great Lakes and Puget Sound to his extraordinary exploits.

John Henry – The legendary steel-driving railroad worker who raced against a steam-powered drill. In the familiar ballad, he wins the contest but dies from the effort.

A total of 23,687,500 Mighty Casey stamps were issued at 32 cents each, representing a total face value of $7,580,000. The Mighty Casey stamp is cataloged as Scott 3083.