WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Postal Service today continues its proud tradition of honoring state and territorial flags with the dedication of the second set of the Flags of Our Nation stamp series.

Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer John E. Potter will be joined by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Washington, DC, Postmaster Pat Moore to unveil 10 new stamps in this three-year multi-stamp series during a first-day-of-issue ceremony at postal headquarters in Washington at 10 a.m. ET. Anchored by our nation’s capital flag representing the District of Columbia, the state and territorial flag series includes Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas.

“We’re pleased that our commemorative stamp program focuses attention on the events, ideals and people that have made our nation great,” said Potter. “With the Flags of Our Nation series, we continue that proud tradition.”

In addition to today’s ceremony, “Flags of Our Nation” stamp events will be held concurrently in most instances at state capitols from Florida to Kansas. You may contact the Postal Service’s Corporate Communications department to learn the details of these events by calling (202) 268-3207.

In June, the first set of stamps in the series was issued anchored by the Stars and Stripes and the state and territorial flags of Alabama through Delaware. The same process will be repeated in 2009 and 2010 for a total of 60 stamp designs.

Artist Tom Engeman of Bethany Beach, DE, created the highly detailed flag portraits on the stamps. Past designs created by Engeman include the National World War II Memorial stamp (2004) and the nation’s first Forever Stamp (2007), featuring the Liberty Bell.

The second set of 10 stamps in the Flags of Our Nation series is available today at Post Offices, on usps.com, and by calling 800-STAMP-24.

In addition to the stamps, there is an impressive Flags of Our Nation Collector’s Folder available for purchase, Item #786575 for $29.95. The special folder is specifically designed to preserve and display all 60 stamps in the Flags of Nation series. The Collector’s Folder comes with a coil of 50 stamps from Set 1 (the first 10 designs) and mounts for all 60 stamps in the series. You may purchase separately a coil of 50 stamps only from Set 2 (the second 10 designs) to add to the folder.

Flags of Our Nation Philatelic Fact Sheet

Philatelic Products

There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 786640, Full Coil of 50 (only), $21
• 786663, First-Day Cover set of 10, $8
• 786668, Digital Color Postmark set of 10, $15
• 786661, Ceremony Program, $6.95

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

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, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, or at the Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop. 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:

Flags of Our Nation Stamp
Postmaster
Special Cancellations
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20066-9998

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 Nov. 3, 2008.

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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.

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