The U.S. Postal Service® celebrates the adventures of the extraordinary boy wizard, Harry Potter, and his magical world with a stamp issuance scheduled for release on November 19, 2013, in Orlando, Florida.
This stamp issue will be shipped from the supplier in multiple waves. The first wave will ship, prior to the first-day-of issue, only to Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS). The second and third waves will ship, after the first-day-of-issue, to stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs). Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 1,250 booklets. The stamps will be shipped and sold as a booklet (folded pane) of 20 ($9.20).
SFS will make a special automatic distribution to a select group of approximately 3,100 premier Post Offices for the first-day-of-issue, as well as to the first-day city. The exact distribution quantities for the automatic distribution will be posted, by finance number and unit ID at: http://topkkssgsht/sites/SDCReports/Lists/StampAutomatics/default.aspx.
Post Offices will not be able to preorder these stamps prior to first-day-of-issue, and they will not be able to order additional stamps through the SDCs and SDOs at this time.
A subsequent automatic distribution to all remaining Post Offices will occur sometime in December; more information will be in a later announcement. Post Offices will not be able to place orders for this stamp issue until the January 2014 distribution to SDCs and SDCs has been completed. Post Offices should not sell the stamp prior to first-day-of-issue.
Customers have 90 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 http://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:
Harry Potter Stamp
Postmaster
PO Box 620045
Orlando, FL 32862-0045
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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by February 19, 2014.
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, online at http://usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:
U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 10-31-13
