Cannot make it to Washington, DC, next week but still want to take part in the historic inauguration? You can — by purchasing the official USPS commemorative souvenir folio. It sells for $14.95 and is available online at usps.com/shop.

USPS commemorative souvenir folio

The folio will be available for same-day purchase beginning Jan. 20, 2009, at the Philatelic Window at the Main Post Office located at 1124 Pacific Street. Quantities are limited.

The folio includes a collectible stamped envelope with silk portraits of the newly elected President Obama and Vice President Elect Joseph Biden. A commemorative inaugural digital color postmark, photographs and biographical information also are included. There’s even a brief commentary on inaugural tradition and history — and the Presidential Oath of Office.

Don’t want a folio, but still would like to celebrate the event in your own fashion? You can — a pictorial postmark will be available Jan. 20. You will have 90 days to obtain it by mail. Just affix U.S. postage stamps equal to the current First-Class Mail rate to the envelopes of your choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others) and mail them in a larger envelope to:

Inauguration Pictorial Postmark
Postmaster
Special Events Room 1089
Washington, DC 20066-9998

After applying the pictorial postmark, USPS will mail the envelopes back. There’s no charge for up to 50 pictorial postmarks. For more than 50 postmarks, there will be a 5-cent handling charge for each postmark. All requests for this service must be postmarked by May 19, 2009.

Other inaugural souvenirs available from USPS include framed art titled “The Dream” — which displays a photo of Barack Obama delivering his acceptance speech — and a 550-piece “Election Day Puzzle” which is a reproduction of the Nov. 5, 2008, front page of the Boston Globe. The front-page photo shows Obama walking out on stage with his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Sasha and Malia.  These items available only at usps.com.

To view and order these souvenir products, visit The Postal Store.

# # #

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that visits every address in the nation — 146 million homes and businesses. It has 37,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses, not tax dollars. The Postal Service has annual revenues of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.