The 1932 Los Angeles Olympics were the first Games to house athletes in a purpose-built Olympic Village - an idea that has defined the Games ever since, introduced during the depths of the Great Depression.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Catalog Number: Scott #718

• Denomination: 3 cents (3¢)

• Date of Issue: June 15, 1932

• Printing Method: Rotary Press, Engraved (Intaglio)

• Perforation: 11 × 10½

• Color: Violet

• Subject: Runner at starting mark — 10th Summer Olympic Games, Los Angeles 1932

CONDITION ANALYSIS (Seller-Assessed)

• Status: Used

• Grading: Good, with a Corner Fault

• Postmark: Bold wavy-line machine postmark present across the design.

• Obverse: All major design elements and inscriptions remain identifiable. A portion of the upper right corner is missing, consistent with rough removal from an envelope. The runner design and principal inscriptions are intact.

• Reverse: No original gum present, as expected for a used stamp. Reverse is clean with no visible thinning, repairs, or hinge remnants.

• Centering / Margins: The missing upper right corner affects the overall presentation. Remaining margins are average.

• Perforations: Intact on remaining sides. The upper right corner loss affects that corner's perforations accordingly.

HISTORY

The 10th Summer Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles from July 30 to August 14, 1932, during one of the most economically difficult periods in American history. The timing of the Great Depression reduced attendance (fewer than half the nations that had competed in Amsterdam in 1928 sent full delegations) but the Games introduced one enduring innovation: the first purpose-built Olympic Village, a dedicated residential complex for male athletes that set the template for every subsequent Games.

The U.S. Post Office Department issued this commemorative on June 15, 1932, six weeks before the Games opened, making it one of the earliest Olympic stamps in American philatelic history. The design depicts a runner in the crouched starting position — a clean, modern image that reflected the athletic idealism of the era. The violet color was distinctive among contemporaries and has held up well across ninety years.

The 3¢ denomination served the domestic first-class letter rate in 1932. This was the stamp moving through the mail the summer Jesse Owens was still two years away from Berlin, and Babe Didrikson was about to win two gold medals in Los Angeles.

STEVEN SAYS

First Olympic Village, 1932 Los Angeles. That idea has been part of every Games since. The stamp was issued six weeks before the opening ceremonies. This example has corner damage,  it's priced and graded accordingly, and the design details are still clear.