Philately

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 06-10

Common Buckeye Stamp

The Postal ServiceTM will issue a 24-cent (First-class® postcard rate) Common Buckeye definitive stamp in one design, on March 8, 2006, in Washington, DC. The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, California, goes also on sale nationwide March 8, 2006.

The stamp will be issued in the following formats:

• Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 (Item 100600).

• PSA convertible booklet of 10 (Item 674200).

• PSA vending booklet of 10 (Item 676000).

• PSA coil of 100 (Item 783300).

• Water-activated gum (WAG) pane of 100 (Item 101900).

This stamp features a digital painting of the Common Buckeye butterfly (Junonia coenia) by renowned wildlife illustrator Steve Buchanan of Winsted, Connecticut. The Common Buckeye is named for the distinctive eyespots on its wings.

How to Order the First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post OfficeTM, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, and at the Postal Store Web site 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:

STAMP
POSTMASTER
SPECIAL CANCELLATIONS
PO BOX 92282
WASHINGTON DC 20090-2282

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 7, 2006.

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
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are two philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 100662 - First Day Covers - $0.86

• 100675 - Good Series Prestige Folder
w/cancellation - $7.95

These products will be available while supplies last at postal stores, online at www.usps.com, and by telephone at 800-STAMP-24.

Distribution: Item 100600, 24-cent Common Buckeye, PSA Pane of 20

Initially, stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approximately their full standard automatic distribution quantity of the 24-cent Common Buckeye definitive stamp in PSA panes of 20. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (40,000 stamps).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of their full standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before March 3, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs will not receive a separate quantity Item 100600 for their authorized philatelic centers. Philatelic centers must be supplied their quantities from the initial automatic distribution made to stamp distribution offices.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 100600 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional stamps must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17. For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the Memphis, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco APDs will each receive 2,600,000 additional stamps; and the Denver APD will receive 1,000,000 additional stamps. The Kansas City SSC will receive 4,000,000 additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.

Additional quantities of this definitive stamp will also be made available to SDOs via subsequent automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.

Distribution: Item 674200, $2.40 Common Buckeye, PSA Convertible Booklet of 10

Initially, SDOs will receive approximately one-fourth their standard automatic distribution quantity of the 24-cent Common Buckeye definitive stamp in PSA convertible booklets of 10. Distributions are rounded up to nearest master carton size (4,000 booklets).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices for one-fourth their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet using PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute booklets to Post Offices before March 3, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs will not receive a separate quantity Item 674200 for their authorized philatelic centers. Philatelic centers must be supplied their quantities from the initial automatic distribution made to SDOs.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional booklets must requisition Item 674200 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional booklets must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the San Francisco, Chicago, Memphis and New York APDs will each receive 600,000 additional booklets; and the Denver APD will receive 200,000 additional booklets. The Kansas City SSC will receive 400,000 additional booklets for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.

Additional quantities of this definitive stamp booklet will also be made available to SDOs via subsequent automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.

Distribution: Items 676000 and 676011, $2.40 Common Buckeye, PSA Folded Vending Book of 10 (For Vending Use Only)

SDOs will receive automatic distributions of the 24-cent Common Buckeye definitive stamps in PSA folded vending books of 10, both straight packaging (Item 676000) and crisscross packaging (Item 676011). Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (4,500 books for straight; 3,000 books for crisscross).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will not make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices. Only Post Offices equipped with the appropriate self-service vending machines may order Items 676000 and 676011 from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute books to Post Offices before March 3, 2006.

Additional Supply

Authorized Post Offices requiring additional books for restocking of the appropriate self-service vending machines must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional books must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, APDs will receive additional quantities of the vendible straight books (Item 676000) and crisscross books (Item 676011).

Additional quantities of this definitive stamp vending book will also be made available to SDOs via subsequent automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.

Distribution: Item 783300, $24.00 Common Buckeye, PSA Coil of 100

Initially, SDOs will receive two automatic distributions of the 24-cent Common Buckeye definitive stamp in PSA coils of 100.

The first distribution completed shipment on February 22, 2006. The second distribution will complete shipment on March 15, 2006. Distributions are rounded up to nearest master carton size (800 coils).

Initial Supply for Post Offices

SDOs will not make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices. All Post Offices requiring quantities of Item 783300 must order them from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute coils to Post Offices before March 3, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs will not receive a separate quantity Item 783300 for their authorized philatelic centers. Philatelic centers must be supplied their quantities from the initial automatic distribution made to SDOs.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional coils must requisition Item 783300 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17.

Following the second automatic distribution to SDOs, the New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Memphis, APDs will each receive 72,000 additional coils; and the Denver APD will receive 32,000 additional coils for fulfilling supplemental orders from the SDOs.

Also following the second distribution, the Kansas City SSC will receive 144,000 additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.

Additional quantities of this definitive stamp coil will also be made available to SDOs via subsequent automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.

Distribution: Item 101900, 24-cent Common Buckeye, Water Activated Gum (WAG) Pane of 100

The 24-cent Common Buckeye definitive stamp in water-activated gum panes of 100 will not be automatically distributed to SDOs. Automatic distributions will be made to APDs only. SDOs requiring Item 101900 must order them from the appropriate APD using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs ordering this item from APDs, need not order in master carton size quantities. SDOs should only order according to immediate customer demand (10,000 stamps per pad is minimum order from APD).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs will not make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices. Post Offices requiring quantities of Item 101900 must order them from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before March 3, 2006.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional stamps must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17.

— Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 2-16-06