Stamp Announcement 09-47: Hanukkah

Hanukkah 44-stamp

On October 9, 2009, in New York, New York, at the Mega Stamp Show, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44–cent, Hanukkah special stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 573500). Designed by Carl T. Herrman, North Las Vegas, Nevada, the stamp goes on sale nationwide October 9, 2008.

The 2009 Hanukkah design features a photograph of a menorah with nine lit candles. The menorah was designed by Lisa Regan of the Garden Deva Sculpture Company in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and photographed by Ira Wexler of Brad­dock Heights, Maryland. The 2009 Hanukkah stamp is the third U.S. issuance to commemorate the holiday. The first Hanukkah stamp, issued in 1996, featured a stylized illus­tration of a menorah. A design featuring an ornate dreidel followed in 2004.

How to Order the First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™, at The Postal Store® website at www.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 a larger envelope addressed to:

Hanukkah Stamp
Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998

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. All orders must be postmarked by December 10, 2009.

How to Order First Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services 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
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

n 573561*, First Day Cover, $0.82.

n 573591*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

n 573593*, Cancellation Keepsake (w/pane), $9.62.

Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 barcode from Stamp Fulfillment Services. All other philatelic products will continue to use barcode series A, with the exception of the Yearbook and the Guide Book.

Distribution: Item 573500 44-cent Hanukkah, PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approxi­mately 25 to 30 percent of their standard automatic distri­bution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 40,000 stamps.

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of 15 percent of their standard automatic dis­tribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute this commemora­tive sheet to Post Offices before October 1, 2009.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional commemorative sheets must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional commemorative sheets must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the San Francisco, Memphis, New York, and Chicago APDs will receive additional commemorative sheets.

Sales Policy

All Post Offices must acquire and maintain a supply of each new commemorative stamp as long as customer demand exists, until inventory is depleted, or until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional commemorative sheets using their normal ordering procedures.

 

Issue:

Hanukkah

Item Number:

573500

Denomination &
Type of Issue:


44-cent Special

Format:

Pane of 20 (1 design)

Series:

Holiday

Issue Date & City:

October 9, 2009,
New York, NY 10199
Mega Stamp Show

Designer:

Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV

Art Director:

Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV

Typographer:

Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV

Photographer:

Ira Wexler, Braddock Heights, MD

Engraver:

N/A

Modeler:

Donald Woo

Manufacturing Process:

Offset/Microprint “USPS”

Printer:

Banknote Corporation of America/
Sennett Security Products (SSP)

Printed at:

Browns Summit, NC

Press Type:

Alprinta, 74

Stamps per Pane:

20

Print Quantity:

35 million stamps

Paper Type:

Phosphor tagged, Overall

Adhesive Type:

Pressure-sensitive

Colors:

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS
659 (Light Blue), Special Mix
(Dark Blue)

Stamp Orientation:

Vertical

Image Area (w x h):

0.75 x 1.03 in./19.05 x 26.16 mm

Overall Size (w x h):

0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.23 mm

Full Pane Size (w x h):

5.43 x 5.64 in./137.92 x 143.26 mm

Plate Size:

200 stamps per revolution

Plate Numbers:

“S” followed by six (6) single digits

Marginal Markings:

Front:

© 2008 USPS • Price • Plate
position diagram • Plate
numbers in four corners of pane

Back:

USPS logo • Barcode “573500” in
four corners