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KANSAS CITY, MO — The U.S. Postal Service will issue the new $24.70 Priority Mail Express Sleeping Bear Dunes stamp and the $6.70 Byodo-In Temple Priority Mail stamp Sunday, Jan. 21.
A special dedication ceremony will take place at Michigan’s Sleeping Bears Dunes National Lakeshore later in the year. A special dedication ceremony will take place at the Byodo-In Temple Jan. 23 on the island of O’ahu Hawaii.
Priority Mail is a fast domestic service that includes flat-rate shipping in one, two or three business days based on where your package starts and where it’s being sent. Priority Mail Express is the fastest domestic service, with limited exceptions, available 365 days a year, with a money-back guarantee and delivery shipping to most U.S. addresses, including PO Boxes.
The Priority Mail Express stamp highlights the Sleeping Bear Dunes, which name is from a Native American legend. Rising 450 feet above Lake Michigan, the dunes are the highest perched dunes in the Great Lakes region and are protected within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The stamp art celebrates the grandeur and serene natural beauty of the dunes and surrounding park. Dune grasses mark the beach in the foreground, as gulls dive and soar in the breeze. Art director Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA, designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove of Chicago.
The Priority Mail stamp features a colorful illustration of the Byodo-In Temple, a popular tourist attraction in Hawaii. A smaller-scale concrete replica of a wooden Buddhist temple in Japan, the Byodo-In Temple is located in a private cemetery on the island of O’ahu. Built in 1968 to commemorate the centennial of the first Japanese immigration to Hawaii, the temple is available for use for ceremonies, services, and events such as classes and concerts. Greg Breeding also designed this stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove.
Stamp ideas welcome
The public is encouraged to submit stamp suggestions. Details on the stamp selection process and instructions for submitting suggestions in writing are available on about.usps.com. Due to the time required for research and approval, ideas for stamp subjects should be received at least three years prior to proposed release. Each submission should include pertinent historical information and important dates associated with the subject.
Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks
Customers have 60 days to obtain first-day-of-issue postmarks by mail. They may purchase new stamps at Post Office locations, at the Postal Store online at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:
FDOI – Sleeping Bear Dunes and/or Byodo-In Temple Stamps
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 postmarks up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers are charged
5 cents each. All orders must be postmarked by March 21.
Ordering First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamps and 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 .
Philatelic Products
The following Philatelic products are available at usps.com/shop:
Priority Mail Express Sleeping Bear Dunes
Priority Mail Byodo-In Temple
You may view many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps or via Twitter @USPSstamps. All postage stamps are available for purchase at Post Offices, online at usps.com, and by toll-free phone order at 1-800 STAMP-24.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
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