©2018 USPS
On May 1, 2018, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the United States Air Mail stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 477700). The stamp will go on sale nationwide May 1, 2018.
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the beginning of regular airmail service, the Postal Service™ will issue two stamps in 2018. The first stamp, issued May 1, commemorates the pioneering spirit of the brave Army pilots who initiated the world’s first regularly scheduled airmail service. The stamp, rendered in blue and printed in intaglio, features a drawing of the type of plane typically used in the early days of airmail, a Curtiss JN-4H biplane. An identical stamp, printed in red, will commemorate the beginning of airmail delivery through the U.S. Post Office Department, which began in August 1918. The red stamp will be issued later this summer. Dan Gretta designed the stamps and was the typographer. Greg Breeding was the art director.
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.
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 on 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 – United States Air Mail 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 September 1, 2018.
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 publication and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic publication online at usps.com/philatelic.
Issue
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United States Air Mail Stamp
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Item Number:
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477700
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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First-Class Mail Forever
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Format:
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Pane of 20 (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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May 1, 2018, Washington, DC 20066
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Art Director:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Designer:
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Dan Gretta, Philadelphia, PA
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Typographer:
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Dan Gretta, Philadelphia PA
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Modeler:
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Joseph Sheeran
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Manufacturing Process:
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Intaglio
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Printer:
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Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
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Printed at:
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Williamsville, NY
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Press Type:
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Stevens Vari-size Security Press
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Stamps per Pane:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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7,500,000 stamps
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Paper Type:
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Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Processed at:
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Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
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Colors:
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Pantone 280C
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Stamp Orientation:
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Horizontal
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Image Area (w x h):
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1.42 x 0.84 in/36.07 x 21.34 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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1.56 x 0.98 in/39.62 x 24.89 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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7.25 x 7.25 in/184.15 x 184.15 mm
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Press Sheet Size (w x h):
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14.50 x 21.75 in/368.30 x 552.45 mm
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Plate Size:
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120 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“P” followed by one (1) single digit
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Marginal Markings:
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Front:
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HEADER: UNITED STATES AIR MAIL • ESTABLISHED 1818 • Plate numbers in two corners of pane
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Back:
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©2018 USPS • USPS Logo • Two barcodes (477700) • Plate Position Diagram • Promotional Text
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing, 3-29-18
