Philately

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 06-20

The Art of Disney: Romance Stamped Cards

The Postal ServiceTM will issue 24-cent The Art of Disney: Romance stamped postal cards in four designs, in a booklet of 20 (Item 885200) on April 21, 2006, in Orlando, Florida.

Philatelic Products

There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue.

• Item 885200, Disney Postal Stamped Cards, $9.95.

• Item 568088, Disney Prints (Set of four prints with stamps), $14.95.

• Item 568087, Disney Let's Write a Letter Book (with stamps and stationery), $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.

—Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 4-13-06

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 06-21

AMBER Alert Stamp

The Postal ServiceTM will issue a 39-cent AMBER Alert commemorative stamp in one design in a pressure- sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 460500), on May 25, 2006, in Washington, DC, and Arlington, Texas. The stamp, designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, goes on sale nationwide May 26, 2006.

The Postal Service continues its tradition of drawing attention to important social causes by issuing the AMBER Alert stamp. The stamp honors a program dedicated to the rapid recovery of abducted children. AMBER is an acronym for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response.

The chalk pastel illustration by illustrator Vivienne Flesher of San Francisco, California, shows a reunited mother and child entwined in each other's arms.

How to Order 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:

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

AMBER ALERT STAMP
POSTMASTER
[Address unavailable at time of publication]
ARLINGTON, TX 76004-9998

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 June 24, 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.

• Item 460561, First Day Covers, $0.77.

• Item 460593, Cancellation Keepsake (Pane w/FDC), $8.57.

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 460500, 39-cent AMBER Alert, PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approximately three-fourths of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. 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 a one-half their standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before May 19, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

Philatelic centers must be supplied their required quantities of Item 460500 from the initial automatic distribution made to SDOs.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 460500 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 3,200,000 additional stamps; and the Denver APD will receive 1,040,000 additional stamps.

Sales Policy

All Post Offices must acquire and maintain a supply of each new commemorative stamp as long as customer demand exists, until inventory is depleted, or until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional quantities using their normal ordering procedures.

—Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 4-13-06

STAMP ANNOUNCEMENT 06-22

Purple Heart Definitive Stamp

The Postal ServiceTM will issue a 39-cent Purple Heart definitive stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 103900), on May 26, 2006, in Washington, DC. The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, California, goes on sale nationwide May 27, 2006.

How to Order 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:

PURPLE HEART DEFINITIVE 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 June 25, 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 five philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• Item 189020, Block of four, $1.56.

• Item 189030, Block of ten, $3.90.

• Item 189040, Pane of 20, $7.80.

• Item 103961, First Day Cover, $0.77.

• Item 103993, Keepsake, $ 8.57.

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 103900, 39-cent Purple Heart, PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Initially, stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive one-fourth of their standard automatic distribution quantity for the Purple Heart 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 one-fourth their standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before May 19, 2006.

Philatelic Requirement

Philatelic centers must be supplied their required quantities of Item 103900 from the initial automatic distribution made to SDOs.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 103900 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 4,200,000 additional stamps; and the Denver APD will receive 1,200,000 additional stamps. The Kansas City Stamp Services Center will receive 1,600,000 additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from the APDs.

Sales Policy

All Post Offices must acquire and maintain a supply of each new definitive stamp as long as customer demand exists, until inventory is depleted, or until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional quantities using their normal ordering procedures.

—Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 4-13-06

Pictorial Postmarks Announcement

As a community service, the Postal ServiceTM offers pictorial postmarks to commemorate local events celebrated in communities throughout the nation. A list of events for which pictorial postmarks are authorized appears below. If available, the sponsor of the pictorial postmark appears in italics under the date. Also provided, as space permits, are illustrations of those postmarks that were reproducible and available at press time.

People attending these local events may obtain the postmark in person at the temporary Post OfficeTM station established there. Those who cannot attend the event, but who wish to obtain the postmark, may submit a mail order request. Pictorial postmarks are available only for the dates indicated, and requests must be postmarked no later than 30 days following the requested pictorial postmark date.

All requests must include a stamped envelope or postcard bearing at least the minimum First-Class Mail® postage. Items submitted for postmark may not include postage issued after the date of the requested postmark. Such items will be returned unserviced.

Customers wishing to obtain a postmark should affix stamps to any envelope or postcard of their choice, address the envelope or postcard to themselves or others,insert a card of postcard thickness in envelopes for sturdiness, and tuck in the flap. Place the envelope or postcard in a larger envelope and address it to: PICTORIAL POSTMARKS, followed by the NAME OF THE STATION,ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP+4® CODE, exactly as listed below (using all capitals and no punctuation, except thehyphen in the ZIP+4 code).

Customers can also send stamped envelopes and postcards without addresses for postmark, as long as they supply a larger envelope with adequate postage and their return address. After applying the pictorial postmark, the Postal Service returns the items (with or without addresses) under addressed protective cover.

—Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 4-13-06

—Mailing Standards, Pricing and Classification, 4-13-06