In 1981, Irish artist Ron Mercer created a timeless portrait of James Hoban for a postage stamp, and the American designer Walter D. Richards, renowned for his American Architecture Series, rendered the White House. On September 29, 1981, First Lady Nancy Reagan, Postmaster General William F. Bolger, and Ireland's ambassador to the United States Sean Donlon, participated in a dedication ceremony announcing the stamp's release. Ireland issued its Hoban stamp on that day, but the United States waited two weeks for the anniversary of the October 13, 1792, laying of the cornerstone of the White House. During the stamp's production, the United States Postal Service raised the price of a first class postage stamp from 18 cents to 20 cents, effective November 1. To avoid a controversy over a short-lived 18 cent stamp, the agency took the unusual step of issuing stamps in two denominations with the same design.