USPS to release ‘Sesame Street’ stamps in honor of show’s 50th anniversary

Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away, on their way to…the United States Post Service!

The federal agency revealed this week that 16 iconic “Sesame Street” Muppets will be joining the ranks of new stamps being released in 2019.

In a press release, USPS said the show is “one of the most influential and beloved children’s television shows.”

“For the last 50 years, it has provided educational programming and entertainment for generations of children throughout the country and around the world,” it continued.

The stamp art will feature photographs of 16 Muppets from “Sesame Street”: Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Cookie Monster, Rosita, The Count, Oscar the Grouch, Abby Cadabby, Herry Monster, Julia, Guy Smiley, Snuffleupagus, Elmo, Telly, Grover and Zoe. Art Director Derry Noyes designed the stamps.

In addition to the “Sesame Street” fleet of stamps, coming later on this year there will also be “Tyrannosaurus Rex” as well as “Spooky Silhouettes” stamps.

The “Nation’s T. rex,” the young adult depicted on two of the stamps, was discovered on federal land in Montana and is one of the most studied and important specimens ever found. Its remains will soon be on display at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., according to the U.S. Postal Service.

The “Spooky Silhouettes” stamps will offer “fun, frightful scenes that symbolize this annual celebration,” the agency said.

More details, including dates and locations for the first-day-of-issue ceremonies, will be released soon.

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

Arnold Palmer commemorative to be issued March 4 in Florida

Die-cutting omitted error discovered on 2019 Flag coil

An imperforate error of the United States nondenominated (55¢) Flag coil stamp printed by Banknote Corporation of America (Scott 5343) was discovered in late January by an Illinois collector in a small post office.

The discovery, made almost a year to the date after the Flag coil was issued Jan. 27, 2019, came when an irate customer returned the defective roll of stamps, complaining that she was “unable to separate the stamps.”

Thinking quickly, the collector offered to buy the coil roll from the customer and then asked the clerk to see the remaining stock, where one additional roll of 100 Flag coil stamps with the die-cutting omitted was discovered and purchased. An additional roll of error stamps was discovered later, according to the collector, but the post office clerk refused to sell it to him.

Under normal circumstances this BCA-produced Flag coil has horizontal serpentine die cuts measuring about 11 on a standard perforation gauge. With the die cutting omitted, the stamps are similar in appearance to Scott 5342, another 2019 Flag coil stamp of the same design, but produced by Ashton-Potter.

Plate-number strips of the two automatically distinguish them, because Scott 5342 has a “P” followed by four single digits (P1111), and Scott 5343 has a “B” followed by four single digits (B1111).

Illustrated here is a plate number strip of five of the newly reported imperforate Flag coil error. The B1111 plate number appears in the right margin of the middle stamp.

Even without a plate number, the two 2019 Flag coil stamps are easily distinguished. The BCA version has its microprinting printed adjacent to the right side of the second red stripe from the bottom of the flag. Microprinting on the Ashton-Potter coil appears near the lower grommet of the flag.

This is the first major error reported on any U.S. stamp so far this year, and one of only three reported on U.S. stamp issues of 2019. The other two were die-cutting omitted errors on the USS Missouri (Scott 5392) and George H.W. Bush (5393) commemorative issues, both also produced by BCA.

Increased advancements in stamp printing technology have greatly reduced both the scope and number of major errors reported on U.S. stamps in recent years.

As a side note, virtually all modern U.S. stamps are now self-adhesive with serpentine die cuts that simulate the shape of stamp perforations. Although the two are technically different, collectors and dealers both use the terms “imperforate” and “die-cutting omitted” interchangeably.

Correspondingly, the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers does the same in its listings.

Linn’s welcomes reports of additional discoveries of these or other major errors on U.S. stamps.

https://www.linns.com/news/us-stamps-po … -flag-coil

Maine Statehood stamp dedication scheduled for Sept. 27

Fruits & Vegetables Stamps on Sale Nationwide and Online Beginning July 17, 2020

The United States Postal Service (USPS) today released its newest Forever stamps, honoring the wholesome beauty of American produce, captured in still lifes. The Fruits & Vegetables stamps were dedicated in a virtual ceremony and are now being sold at Post Office locations nationwide and online at usps.com.

Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps with existing art by illustrator and painter Robert Papp.

Papp found inspiration for these stunning still lifes in the artistic traditions of Renaissance Europe. For his paintings, Papp used the same classical method that artists have worked with for hundreds of years. After sketching his subject, he transferred the drawing to canvas mounted on hardboard. Working in oil, he underpainted in burnt umber and then added color, slowly building up to the desired opacity and intensity.

Because fresh produce has a relatively short shelf life, Papp also took photographs of his still life compositions to finish his work. Included in the series are stamps featuring red and black plums, heirloom and cherry tomatoes, carrots, lemons, blueberries, red and green grapes, lettuces, strawberries, eggplants and figs.

Fruits & Vegetables are being issued as Forever stamps in booklets of 20. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic, or at Post Offices nationwide.

Buy stamps today!

https://greyareanews.com/news/national/ … s-on-sale/

On February 11, 2021, in New York, NY, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Chien-Shiung Wu stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 480200). This stamp will go on sale nationwide February 11, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

This new Forever stamp honors Dr. Chien-Shiung Wu (1912–1997), one of the most influential nuclear physicists of the 20th century. The stamp art features a detailed portrait of Wu wearing a black-and-white high-collared, traditional Chinese gown known as qipao. The illustration was first drawn in graphite, then rendered in egg tempera paint. The background was painted with the pigment lapis lazuli, a highly valued color historically used in artistic depictions of angels, nobility, and the Virgin Mary. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by Kam Mak.
Availability to Post Offices: Item 480200, Chien-Shiung Wu (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Stamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps before the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web at sfsweb.usps.gov .
Special Dedication Postmarks

Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for the Chien-Shiung Wu stamp. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design because it will be a temporary station. Use of any image other than the following special pictorial image is prohibited.

To finalize the Chien-Shiung Wu stamp pictorial postmark art, insert the date, city, state, and ZIP Code™ of the physical location of your event adjacent to the stamp image. Overall dimensions of the pictorial postmark must not exceed 4 inches (horizontally) by 2 inches (vertically). Collectors prefer the dimensions 3-1/2 inches by 1 inch.

The Postal Service™ must make all special postmarks known to collectors through advance publicity in the Postal Bulletin. Therefore, all special dedication cancellations must be reported to Stamp Services 4 weeks before the event using PS Form 413, Pictorial Postmark Announcement/Report. To get a copy of the form, go to blue.usps.gov/formmgmt/forms/ps413.pdf .
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

FDOI – Chien-Shiung Wu Stamp
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by June 11, 2021.
How to Order First-Day Covers

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the USA Philatelic catalog and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic catalog online at usps.com/philatelic.

Locally produced items are not authorized. Only merchandise that has been approved and assigned an item number by Headquarters Retail Marketing may be produced and sold.

Technical details for the Chien-Shiung Wu stamp will appear in a future edition of the Postal Bulletin.

— Stamp Services, Marketing, 12-31-20

Love 2021 Stamp
Item Number: 565100
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Love
Issue Date & City: January 14, 2021, Loveland, CO 80538
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Bailey Sullivan, Brooklyn, NY
Typographer: Bailey Sullivan, Brooklyn, NY
Illustrator: Bailey Sullivan, Brooklyn, NY
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 200,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: PMS 289 C Dark Blue, PMS 7688 C Light Blue, PMS 485 C Red, PMS 7423 C Pink, PMS 1375 C Orange
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in. / 26.67 x 19.558 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in. / 30.226 x 23.114 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.76 x 5.55 in. / 146.304 x 140.97 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 11.52 x 22.20 in. / 292.608 x 563.880 mm
Plate Size: 320 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by five (5) single digits in four corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate number in 4 corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (565100) • Plate position diagram (8) • Promotional text

Go for Broke: Japanese American Soldiers of WWII (1 Forever Rate stamp)

With this commemorative stamp, the Postal Service recognizes the contributions of Japanese American soldiers, some 33,000 altogether, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. The stamp, printed in the intaglio method, is based on a photograph. “Go for Broke” was the motto of the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team and came to represent all Japanese American units formed during World War II. The stamp was designed by art director Antonio Alcalá.

Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses (5 Forever Rate stamps)

The long-running series celebrating American lighthouses continues with five new stamps. The mid-Atlantic lighthouses featured in this issuance are: Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. The late Howard Koslow was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouse series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. The art director was Greg Breeding.