USPS used Vegas replica for Lady Liberty stamp

[April 16, 2011]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The US Postal Service's Statue of Liberty forever stamp is a wannabe.

The design is not based on the statue in New York Harbor but on a replica outside the New York-New York casino hotel in Las Vegas.

Postal officials say they weren't aware of that until a stamp expert pointed it out. They say the stamp was designed from a photo provided by an agency that licensed it only as "Statue of Liberty."

However, USPS officials say they like the design and have no plans to pull it out of circulation.

The stamp was issued in December.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the story on Thursday.

[Associated Press]

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