On August 14, 2008, in Hartford, Connecticut, the Postal Service™ will issue a 42-cent, Albert Bierstadt commemorative stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 (Item 678400). Designed by Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, the stamp goes on sale nationwide August 14, 2008.
For this eighth issuance in the American Treasures stamp series, art director Derry Noyes of Washington, DC, used Valley of the Yosemite, an 1864 oil-on-paperboard painting by Albert Bierstadt. It belongs to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Inaugurated in 2001 with the Amish Quilts stamp pane, the American Treasures series is intended to showcase beautiful works of American fine art and crafts. The 2002, 2003, and 2004 issuances featured artwork by John James Audubon, Mary Cassatt, and Martin Johnson Heade, respectively. The theme returned to textiles with the issuance of the New Mexico Rio Grande Blankets stamp booklet in 2005 and the Quilts of Gee’s Bend booklet in 2006. The 2007 issuance featured a leaded Favrile-glass window designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany.
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™, 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:
ALBERT BIERSTADT stamp
POSTMASTER
HARTFORD MPO
141 WESTON ST
HARTFORD CT 06101-9998
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 October 15, 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 20 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (4,000 booklets).
SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of one-fifth their standard automatic distribution quantity for booklets using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute these booklets to Post Offices before August 8, 2008.
Post Offices requiring additional booklets must requisition Item 678400 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional booklets must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.
For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the San Francisco, Chicago, Memphis, and New York APDs will each 320,000 additional booklets; and the Denver APD will receive 120,000 additional booklets.
Issue:
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Albert Bierstadt
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Item Number:
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678400
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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42-cent Commemorative
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Format:
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Double-sided Booklet of 20
(1 design)
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Series:
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American Treasures
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Issue Date & City:
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August 14, 2008,
Hartford, CT 06101,
APS Stamp Show
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Designer:
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Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
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Art Director:
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Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
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Typographer:
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Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
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Modeler:
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Donald Woo
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset/Microprinting, USPS
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Printer:
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Banknote Corporation of America,
Inc./SSP
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Printed at:
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Browns Summit, NC
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Press Type:
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Alprinta, 74
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Stamps per Booklet:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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300 million stamps
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Paper Type:
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Prephosphored, Type II
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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
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Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Stamp Orientation:
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Horizontal
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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0.98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.62 mm
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Flat Booklet Size (w x h):
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3.10 x 6.18 in./78.74 x 156.97 mm
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Plate Size:
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288 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“S” followed by four (4) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Stamp Side:
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© 2007 USPS • Plate numbers
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Cover:
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Header “AMERICAN TREASURES”
• Barcode “678400” • “ALBERT
BIERSTADT” stamp image
• “Eighth in a Series” • “Twenty
42¢ Self-adhesive Stamps”
• Price “$8.40”
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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, 7-3-08
