The Old Man of the Mountain is a series of five granite cliff ledges on the Cannon Mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire that resembled the profile of a man. The first recorded mention of the Old Man was in 1805 and it collapsed in 2003.

Also called the Great Stone Face this rocky miracle had served as the central design element for at least two stamps of the US: the 1955 3cent stamp and the 1988 25 cents stamp. The 3 cents stamp was issued to honoring New Hampshire and the sesquicentennial of the discovery of the formation while the other one was issued to commemorate the 200th anniversary of New Hampshire’s ratification of the Constitution.

The Old Man of the Mountain was likely formed after the retreat of glaciers 12,000 years ago. However, in the 1920s the freezing and thawing had opened large fissures in the Old Man of the Mountain’s forehead. Finally in 2003, despite all the efforts of restoration, the Old Man of Mountain collapsed.

Visit philamart to view and purchase variety of stamps from all over the world.

Image Courtesy: linns.com