To obtain a high-resolution image of these stamps for media use only, email roy.a.betts@usps.gov.

PHOENIX, AZ — The “Grand Canyon State” today was commemorated on a new Forever Stamp by the United States Postal Service, marking the state’s 100th anniversary. The Arizona Statehood Forever Stamp officially goes on sale today at Post Offices, online at usps.com and by phone at 800-782-6724.

“Today, we are here to celebrate Arizona’s centennial as our country’s 48th state and the last of the contiguous states to enter the union of the United States of America,” said John Edgar, vice president, Information Technology, U.S. Postal Service.

“In this small way, the Postal Service has created a lasting tribute to Arizona, and we are proud and honored to share its rich history, heritage, arts, culture and geography with Americans everywhere through this stamp,” Edgar said.
The stamp features artwork by Ed Mell, a native of Phoenix. Well known for his distinctive modernist renderings of the Southwest desert landscape, Mell applies this approach to his portrayal of Cathedral Rock, one of the colorful and much admired sandstone rock formations of Sedona, Arizona.

Customers may view the Arizona Statehood Forever Stamp, as well as many of this year’s other stamps, on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, through Twitter @USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark, Arizona Statehood Forever Stamp
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Arizona Statehood Stamp
Postmaster
4949 E. Van Buren Road, Rm. 187
Phoenix, AZ 85026-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by April 14, 2012.

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 quarterly USA Philatelic catalog. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Information Fulfillment
Dept. 6270
U.S. Postal Service
P.O. Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 468461, First-Day Cover, $.89.
• 468465, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
• 468491, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 468499, Cancellation Keepsake (Digital Color Postmark w/Pane), $10.95.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm.

For reporters interested in speaking with a regional Postal Service public relations professional on this issue, please go to http://about.usps.com/news/media-contacts/usps-local-media-contacts.pdf.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, by Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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