ST. IGNACE, MI — The United States Postal Service today honored the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan by issuing a $4.90 Priority Mail stamp featuring an illustration of the bridge, nicknamed “Mighty Mac,” which connects the two peninsulas of Michigan.
The Mackinac Bridge stamp was dedicated at the visitor’s center in Bridgeview Park this morning following remarks by William H. Gnodtke, Chairman of the Mackinac Bridge Authority; Kirk T. Steudle, Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation and other dignitaries. Charles E. Howe, District Manager of the U.S. Postal Service Greater Michigan District, was the dedicating official.
The longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, the Mackinac extends from Mackinaw City at the south end to St. Ignace on the north side. Opened in 1957, the Mackinac Bridge cost nearly 100 million dollars and took over three years to complete. The sturdy five-mile bridge is designed to support 38,486 tons and can move up to 35 feet in high winds.
Artist Dan Cosgrove used several panoramic photographs of the Mackinac Bridge to create the stamp artwork, which features seagulls flying around the two towers and a large ship passing underneath. This is one of several designs that the artist has produced for the U.S. Postal Service.
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™, at The Postal Store® website 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:
Mackinac Bridge (Priority Mail) Stamp
306 E. Central Avenue
Mackinaw City, MI 49701-9998
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 April 5, 2010.
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
Philatelic Products
There is one philatelic product available for this stamp issue:
- 113961*, First Day Cover, $5.28.
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A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 26th in the 2008 Fortune 500.
