Video of the Seabiscuit-War Admiral match race, 1938
The grassroots movement to get Seabiscuit on a U.S. postage stamp must have worked.
The horse that his connections called “Pops” back in the day will be on one of the new 44-cent stamps (scroll down to see it).
The painting by John Mattos depicts a moment in the 1938 Special match race against War Admiral, as seen in the video at the top of the post.
This price-change stamp will be coming to a U.S. post office near you this May, during the heart of the US Triple Crown season.
In which, if you remember, Seabiscuit didn’t compete. But War Admiral won the 1937 Triple Crown. Who Seabiscuit beat in that match race a year later.
FWIW, if you read the two Wikipedia entries above, you’ll note some things that got glossed over in the movie. Like the fact that Seabiscuit was bigger than War Admiral.
Why let facts get in the way of a great story? 
Anyway, the stamp reportedly will be available on or before the May 11 postal change.
Tags: John Mattos, Seabiscuit, Seabiscuit stamp, War Admiral
February 26th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
This is a huge thrill for us. We started the grassroots campaign to get the Biscuit on a stamp way back in 2001 after the great Hillenbrand book was published.
I met a pharmacist who was as enthusiastic as I was about getting a stamp.
Together with people like a sportscaster in New Orleans, a landscape architect in Boston, a soy bean farmer in Arkansas, a Kentucky lady who cans hams for Hormel, I did some television appearances and wrote a few articles (notably for the Chicago Tribune) and putting the petition on my website and information on the petition on Laura Hillenbrand’s website, we succeeded, against all odds.
We had no fancy lobbyist, just ordinary people.
Sure it took 8 years but WE DID IT!!!!!!!!
Thanks for covering this historic event for all those who love winning against the odds.
Go Biscuit!
Maggie van Ostrand
February 26th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
Yay!! A big “thank you” from us horse lovers to you and all the “regular folks” who got the stamp made. We love to see horses — historic, famous and also-rans — recognized and celebrated. Great work!
March 1st, 2009 at 12:12 am
What an amazing story Maggie! I can’t to bug my local post office until they get me one
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
There’s also a Seabiscuit pre-stamped envelope, a Forever envelope!, that will be coming out at the same time — May 2009.
USPS says we can order either or both about mid-April.
The Biscuit could not have come back at a better time! We as a nation are about as depressed economically as we were when he ran the first time.
If only on a stamp and an envelope, the Biscuit runs again!!!!!
March 4th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I agree. The timing is significant, even though I know that it had been in the works for a while.
May 23rd, 2009 at 1:48 pm
Well there is no stamp, but stamped envelopes, which I don’t use.
I only use stamps for some bills and to send cards.
This stinks, I thought there would be 44c stamps to buy
May 27th, 2009 at 7:35 am
I was under that impression, too, Patricia. Everything I’d read prior to the release was about “Seabiscuit stamps.” I felt a little perturbed when I saw that it was stamped envelopes, too.
May 27th, 2009 at 9:55 am
I’m also very disappointed, although the people of Willits are thrilled with the envelope and the attention it has brought to their town and Ridgewood Ranch.
Imagine my surprise yesterday when I was at our local post office and found that USPS now has totally commercialized Seabiscuit stamp and has for sale the following:
Seabiscuit stamp mouse pad
Medium size Teddy bear wearing a Seabiscuit stamp T-shirt
Seabiscuit stamp tote bag
Box of note paper with Seabiscuit stamp on it.
I also heard that the envelope is sold out! Perhaps the USPS will now take the hint and let us have the stand-alone stamp that we worked so hard to get for eight long years.
We can always hope.
May 27th, 2009 at 11:21 am
Thanks for the news, Maggie. I just went over to the USPS.com website to see that the stuff isn’t up yet. We’ll have to keep asking for it at our local P.O.s. (and keep checking the website.)
May 28th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Nobody knew anything about all these new things, not even the Seabiscuit Heritage Foundation, or Laura Hillenbrand, or our local post office which got them in yesterday from USPS!
So keep on asking your post office where they are, because post offices weren’t told.
Don’t know why our P.O. got them, but I’m awfully glad they did.
We’ve got to start yelling for them!
YeeHawwww! Biscuit rides agin~
July 12th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Never rode a horse still have not! After seeing the movie and getting the facts on Seabiscuit i was impressed. I am a seabiscuit fan for sure! Seabiscuit came along just at the right time when america needed something good to happen and it did and his name was seabiscuit who was then and till this day will always be americas favorite horse! When i seen the envelope with seabiscuit on it I told myself biscuit your still Americas no 1. Thank you for all the hard work on the stamp!
July 12th, 2009 at 9:21 pm
Yes, Maggie von Ostrand and some fine folks made it all happen! Yay!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:32 am
Has anybody else bought the Seabiscuit items from their local post office? I’ve got the Seabiscuit mouse pad, the Seabiscuit tote bag, the Seabiscuit note paper & envelopes;and the little Teddy bear who wears the Biscuit T-shirt.
I think he’s the only one with all these items offered by the U.S.P.S. (in person at the P.O., I don’t know about on their website). Not even Mariyn Monroe or Elvis has that stuff.
So when are you going to get on a horse Ole Tom?
Maggie