Philately

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 06-11

Crops of the Americas Stamps

The Postal ServiceTM will issue Crops of the Americas definitive stamps in five designs, on March 16, 2006, in New York, New York. The stamps, designed by Phil Jordan, Falls Church, Virginia, go on sale nationwide March 17, 2006.

These stamps will be available in three formats:

• PSA vending booklet of 20 (Item 675700).

• Pressure-sensitive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 (Item 675800).

• PSA coil of 100 (Item 784100).

Artist Steve Buchanan, Winsted, Connecticut, created each of the five stamp designs. As reference, he used slide photographs made by his wife Rita Buchanan's research in the late 1970s on indigenous agricultural methods in the southwestern United States.

The crops depicted in the stamps - corn, chili peppers, beans, squashes, and sun- flowers - had been cultivated in the Americas for centuries when Europeans first arrived in the New World.

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:

CROPS OF THE AMERICAS STAMPS
POSTMASTER
421 EIGHTH AVE RM 2029B
NEW YORK NY 10199-9998

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 16, 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 four philatelic products available for Crops of the Americas double-sided booklet of 20 stamps (Item 675800).

• 675863 - First Day Covers (Set of 5) - $3.85

• 675875 - Gold Series Prestige Folder (w/Random single cancellation) - $7.95

• 675893 - Cancellation Keepsake (Booklet
w/5 FDC) - $11.65

• 675894 - Note Cards (set of 20 w/stamp) - $14.95

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

Distribution: Items 675700 and 675711, $6.80 Crops of the Americas, PSA Folded Vending Book of 20 (For Vending Use Only)

SDOs will receive automatic distributions of the Crops of the Americas definitive stamps in PSA folded vending books of 20, both straight packaging (Item 675700) and crisscross packaging (Item 675711). 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 675700 and 675711 from their designated SDO using a

separate PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute books to Post Offices before March 10, 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 accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.

For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, APDs will receive additional quantities of the vendible straight books (Item 675700) and crisscross books (Item 675711).

Distribution: Item 675800, $7.80 Crops of the Americas, PSA Double-sided Booklet of 20

Initially, SDOs will receive two automatic distributions of the Crops of the Americas definitive stamps in a PSA double-sided booklet of 20.

The first distribution of approximately one-fourth the standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet will be completed on February 15, 2006. The second distribution, also of approximately one-fourth the standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet will be completed on March 9, 2006.

Distributions are rounded up to nearest master carton size (4,000 booklets).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

From these initial shipments of Item 675800, SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices for one-fourth their full standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet using PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute booklets to Post Offices before March 10, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs will not receive a separate quantity Item 675800 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 675800 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 400,000 additional booklets; and the Denver APD will receive 200,000 additional booklets.

Distribution: Item 784100, $39.00 Crops of the Americas, PSA Coil of 100

Initially, SDOs will receive two automatic distributions of the Crops of the Americas definitive stamps in PSA coils of 100.

The first distribution will be completed on February 15, 2006. The second distribution will be completed on March 9, 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 784100 must order them from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17. SDOs must not distribute coils to Post Offices before March 10, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

SDOs will not receive a separate quantity Item 784100 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 784100 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17.

From these initial distributions of Item 784100, APDs will not receive additional quantities of Item 784100 for fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs. Additional quantities of this definitive stamp coil will be made available to SDOs via subsequent automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.

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