Stamp Announcement 18-31: “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca Stamp

©2018 USPS

On October 3, 2018, in Santa Fe, NM, the U.S. Postal Service^® will issue the “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca stamp (Forever^® priced at the First-Class Mail^® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive booklet of 20 stamps (Item 682200). The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 3, 2018, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

This Christmas stamp features a detail of Madonna and Child, an oil-and-gold-on-panel painting by Italian Renaissance artist Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi (1494–1557), known as Bachiacca. Dating from the early 1520s, the painting is part of the Jack and Belle Linsky Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. William J. Gicker served as art director for this stamp, and Greg Breeding was the designer.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 682200 “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca, (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Double-Sided Booklet of 20 Stamps

Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales. Distribution quantities for the automatic push distribution are available by logging on to SFS Web at sfsweb.usps.gov. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps on the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web; offices must also check the amount they will receive in their automatic push distribution.

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 – “Madonna and Child” by Bachiacca 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 February 3, 2019.

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 publication and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic publication 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.

— Stamp Services, Marketing, 8-30-18