Lincoln, Nebraska, tried to be the first place in the United States to sell four stamps commemorating the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln but there was just too much competition for the honor.

Springfield, Ill., the place the Lincoln family called home for 17 years, was chosen from a long list of places with ties to the Great Emancipator.

“We tried, but the decision had already been made,” said Joel Johnson, a member of the Lincoln Stamp Club.

The U.S. Postal Service will release the four stamps on Feb. 9 to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday on Feb. 12. The colorful stamps depict Lincoln as a rail splitter, lawyer, politician and president.

A first-day-of-issue ceremony is planned by the Lincoln Stamp Club and local postal officials, tentatively set for Feb. 9 at the Capitol, where a statue of Lincoln, called the “Gettysburg Address,” sits on the west side. There’s another statue of Lincoln,  “The Rail Joiner,” on the east side of the County-City Building, about half a mile away.

The Lincoln Stamp Club is preparing  special covers for the first-day-of-issue release and for Lincoln’s birthday. Both will feature a cachet or image of the official seal of the City of Lincoln.

Inside each cover, or envelope, will be a brief biography of Abe Lincoln, and a history of how the City of Lincoln was named after the 16th president. Both will be written by local historian Jim McKee. Covers with one commemorative stamp will sell for $2; a block of four stamps will sell for $4.

The Lincoln Stamp Club also will pay special attention to the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth at its LINPEX 2009 stamp show Feb. 21-22 at University Place Inn, 5250 Cornhusker Highway. Various stamp covers, including two featuring the Lincoln statues here, will be available for purchase.

The release of the four commemorative stamps will kick off a five-day festival to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 200th birthday Feb. 11-15.

“As the largest city in the world to be named for this beloved leader, Lincoln, Nebraska, is proud to present ‘10 Score,’ a once-in-a-lifetime festival,” Mayor Chris Beutler said in announcing the community event.

A free lecture by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin will highlight the celebration. Her talk is set for 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 15 at the Lied Center. Her latest book is: “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.”

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.