On March 17, 1995, the USPS issued the first stamps in the American Culture Series. The stamps in this series were issued in part to meet a new postal rate structure that had been implemented on January 1, 1995. These new rates included a variety of bulk mail discounts, which these stamps were used for. Under the new rate structure, bulk discounts were offered on the basic 20¢ postcard rate, ranging from 16.3¢ to 18.9¢. Mailers could use the new 20¢ Tail Fin stamp and then pay the difference between what they spent on the stamps and the actual cost of mailing.