On June 19, 2008, in Philadelphia, PA, the Postal Service™ will issue a 42-cent Olympic Games commemorative stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 462900). Designed by Clarence Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, the stamp goes on sale nationwide June 19, 2008.
With the issuance of this stamp, the Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the spirit of athleticism and international unity inspired by the Olympic Games. The stamp will be issued to coincide with the games of the XXIX Olympiad, which will be held from August 8 until August 24, 2008, in Beijing, China.
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™, or at The Postal Store® Web site at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:
OLYMPIC GAMES STAMP
POSTMASTER
[INFORMATION NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF
PRINTING]
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 August 20, 2008.
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
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 barcode from Stamp Fulfillment Services. All other philatelic products will continue to use barcode series A, with the exception of the Yearbook and the Guide Book.
Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive approximately 30 percent to 35 percent of their full standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (40,000 stamps).
SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of one-fourth their full standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before June 13, 2008.
Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 462900 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.
Issue:
|
Olympic Games
|
Item Number:
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462900
|
Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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42-cent Commemorative
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Format:
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Pane of 20 (1 design)
|
Issue Date & City:
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June 19, 2008,
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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Series:
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N/A
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Designer:
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Clarence Lee, Honolulu, HI
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Artist:
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Katie Doka, Honolulu, HI
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Engraver:
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N/A
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Art Director:
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Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
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Typographer:
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Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
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Modeler:
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Donald Woo
|
Manufacturing Process:
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Offset, Microprinting, “USPS”
|
Printer:
|
Sennett Security Products/
Banknote Corporation of
America/SSP/BCA
|
Printed at:
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Browns Summit, NC
|
Press Type:
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Alprinta, 74
|
Stamps per Pane:
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20
|
Print Quantity:
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40 million stamps
|
Paper Type:
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Phosphor Tagged, Overall
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Processed at:
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Unique Binders, Fredericksburg, VA
|
Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black,
PMS 2602 (Purple), PMS 185
(Red)
|
Stamp Orientation:
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Horizontal
|
Image Area (w x h):
|
1.40 x 0.82 in./35.56 x 20.82
|
Overall Size (w x h):
|
1.56 x 0.98 in./39.62 x 24.89 mm
|
Full Pane Size (w x h):
|
7.14 x 5.75 in./181.36 x 146.05 mm
|
Plate Size:
|
180 stamps per revolution
|
Plate Numbers:
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“S” followed by six (6) single digits
|
Marginal Markings:
|
|
Front:
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© 2007 USPS • Price • Plate
numbers in four corners of pane
• Plate position diagram
• Proprietary notice
|
Back:
|
USPS logo • Barcodes (462900) in
four corners of pane
|
For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the Chicago, New York, Memphis, and San Francisco APDs will each receive 2,000,000 additional stamps; and the Denver APD will receive 600,000 additional stamps.
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, 6-5-08
