St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands — a new stamp in the Scenic American Landscapes series that features a photograph of Trunk Bay, St. John, was dedicated today in a first day of issue stamp ceremony at the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park.

“The stamp is a beautiful rendition of Trunk Bay,” said Priscilla M. Maney, District Manager/Executive-in-Charge of the U.S. Postal Service, Caribbean District.  “St. John is known world-wide for its beautiful beaches and abundant plant life. The 94-cent, St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands international letter rate stamp fully captures its natural wonder. Now millions can enjoy the picturesque beauty of the U.S. Virgin Islands as this stamp carries letters and packages to destinations near and far,” said Maney.

The photograph of Trunk Bay featured on the stamp was taken by George H. Huey of Prescott, Arizona.  Text on the stamp reads, “St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands.”

The Honorable John P. de Jongh, Jr. Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Honorable Donna Christensen, Delegate, United States Congress joined Maney for the stamp dedication ceremony.

The ceremony was held at the Trunk Bay Pavilion within Virgin Islands National Park before a backdrop of Mangrove trees and other indigenous plant life.

“It is an honor for the majestic beauty of the U.S. Virgin Islands to be recognized by the U.S. Postal Service,” said Delegate Donna M. Christensen.  “The Trunk Bay stamp re-emphasizes our American heritage for the country and the entire world. Having the ceremony here in St. John at U.S. Virgin Islands National Park focuses national attention on one of its national treasures,” Christensen said.

The U.S. Virgin Islands National Park was established in 1956.  It encompasses more than half of St. John as well as a small portion of neighboring St. Thomas; the park consists of approximately 146,888 acres, 5,650 of which are underwater.

Mark Hardgrove, Superintendent U.S. Virgin Islands National Park and Coral Reef National Monument was also present and Tiffany Gumbs, Postmaster, St. John Post Office served as host. More than 50 school children from St. John’s Julius Sprauve School performed and the young men and women of the U.S. Virgin Islands Junior ROTC presented the Colors.

How to order Saint John U.S. Virgin Islands cachet

A special cachet was developed by the Caribbean District to mark the occasion and will be available directly from U.S. Virgin Islands post offices and select post offices in Puerto Rico, or by mail.  Products available are:

Silk-screen cachet $5.00
Silk-screen cachet in single binder sheet $10.00
Silk-screen cachet in double binder sheet with ceremony program $15.00

Send orders to:

SAINT JOHN US VIRGIN ISLANDS STAMP CACHET
POSTMASTER
100 VESTER GADE
CRUZ BAY VI 00830-9998
.
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, or at The Postal Store Web site 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:

SAINT JOHN US VIRGIN ISLANDS STAMP
POSTMASTER
100 VESTER GADE
CRUZ BAY VI 00830-9998

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 July 16, 2008.

How to Order First Day Cover

Stamp Fulfillment Services of 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.

There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue:

571861 First Day cover, $1.32 (St. John, VI)

# # #

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. 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.

Follow USPS on Twitter @USPS_PR and at Facebook.com/usps.