The Postal Service observes the Martin Luther King Day federal holiday on Monday, January 16, 2013.

Post Offices reopen with regular mail delivery, collections, and retail services on Tuesday. On Monday, there is no delivery of mail, with the exception of Express Mail.

FUN FACT: How many times has Martin Luther King been featured on US postage?

A: On January 13, 1979, Dr. King was honored on the second in the Black Heritage Series of stamps issued by the Postal Service. That stamp was 15 cents.

A 1999 stamp, then 33 cents, highlighted Dr. King as he presented “I Have A Dream” speech as part of the Celebrate the Century series of stamps featuring landmark events of the 1960s.

The 10-stamp 2005 series “To Form A More Perfect Union” highlighted such events as the 1963 March on Washington and 1965 Selma March.  The sheet featured Dr. King’s picture in the center, as part of the selvage, but his image was not actual postage.   While none of these stamps are currently on sale at post offices, they contribute to a body of more than 140 US stamps that celebrate Black Heritage.

Learn more about Dr. King on postage, with reproducible images, at the National Postal Museum’s website.

What else is new?  Inauguration Stamp Souvenirs

Can’t make it to Washington this weekend? You can get a first class souvenir of the event without leaving home.

The Postal Service is producing an Official Commemorative Souvenir Envelope to celebrate the second inauguration of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.

The 9 1/2 inch x 4 1/8 inch collectible envelope features:

• Color portraits of President Obama and Vice President Biden
• White House illustration and typography printed in gold
• Randomly-selected, affixed Four Flags Forever stamp
• Official Inauguration Day color postmark incorporating the Presidential seal
• Clear protective sleeve for keepsake preservation

The Inauguration Day Official Commemorative Souvenir Envelope sells for $9.95 and can be ordered at this link or at 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724) using item #788721.

Customers may view the Inauguration Day Official Commemorative Souvenir Envelope, as well as many of this year’s stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps, on Twitter@USPSstamps or on the website Beyond the Perf at beyondtheperf.com/2013-preview. Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service’s online site for information on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

# # #

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, 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. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance, out of the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. 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 the Postal Service on Twitter @USPS_PR and at facebook.com/usps.