Statue of Liberty stamp gaffe a genius move

New Yorkers may not be loving the Postal Service’s Statue of Liberty mistake, but Las Vegans have to be loving it.

By Ken Miller (contact)

Friday, April 15, 2011 | 5:25 p.m.

Now here’s one for posterity, folks: There’s a new stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service, and it’s a true collector’s item for any Las Vegan who’s tired of hearing how “fake” our city is: It depicts the Statue of Liberty, only there’s one small problem—instead of the real deal, it’s actually the replica at New York-New York! That’s right, a picture of Lady Liberty’s kisser from the Strip managed to fool someone who’s job it is to get this stuff right. (What, the roller coaster in the background wasn’t a hint? Did they think it was Coney Island?)

And rather than recalling the stamps, the Postal Service is sticking with the mistake. Instead of owning up to a colossal screw-up, they’re including Las Vegas in the stamp’s literature, like celebrating a 14-year-old statue that’s a fraction of the size of the original was somehow always the intent.

But in a twisted, only-in-Vegas way, this seems completely appropriate. Our city prides itself on, ultimately, giving everyone an alternate reality, one where their every day lives become something special, one where you can actually pretend you’re having dinner on the Eiffel Tower. And in an even more fitting twist, the faux Statue of Liberty stamps are of the “forever” variety, meaning they can be used regardless of the current price of stamps. It serves as a nice reminder that the same can be said of Las Vegas. We’ve been through some of the worst financial periods of history, and we’ve always come out on top. A piece of Las Vegas on something that’s “forever”? Yeah, I think I can live with that.