On April 16, 2009, in New York, New York (Mega Stamp Show), the Postal Service™ will issue a 28-cent, Polar Bear definitive stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 113100). The stamp, designed by Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, California, goes on sale nationwide April 16, 2009.
This stamp features a polar bear by illustrator Nancy Stahl, who has created several designs for the Postal Service including the Florida Panther in 2007 and the Dragonfly in 2008. This stamp shows the bear’s head, chest, and front paws, and in the background is a dark blue sky dotted with stars. Stahl used a collection of photographs to create this highly stylized illustration.
The Polar Bear stamp will be available in the following formats:
n PSA Pane of 20 (Item 113100).
n PSA Coil of 100 (Item 787200).
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® website 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:
Polar Bear Stamp
Postmaster
421 Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998
Issue:
|
Polar Bear
|
Item Number:
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113100
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
|
28-cent definitive
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Format:
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Pane of 20 (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
|
Issue Date & City:
|
April 16, 2009, New York, NY 10199
(Mega Stamp Show)
|
Designer:
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Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
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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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Artist:
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Nancy Stahl, New York, NY
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Engraver:
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N/A
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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/
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 Pane:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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350 million stamps
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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
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Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
|
0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34
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Overall Size (w x h):
|
0.87 x 0.982 in./22.10 x 24.94 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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5.30 x 4.88 in./134.62 x 123.95 mm
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Plate Size:
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300 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:
|
|
Front:
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© 2009 USPS • Price • Plate
numbers in four corners of pane
• Plate position diagram
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Back:
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USPS logo • Barcodes (113100) in
four corners of pane
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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 17, 2009.
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
U.S. Postal Service
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 113162*, First Day Cover, $0.94.
n 113191*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 787262*, First Day Cover, $0.94.
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.
Initially, stamp distribution offices (SDOs) will receive a Wave 1 distribution of approximately 120 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. SDO distributions will begin Wave 1 on March 1, 2009, and complete April 1, 2009. Wave 2 will be approximately 100 percent of their standard automatic quantity and will begin May 5, 2009, and complete June 4, 2009. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (40,000 stamps).
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 may not distribute stamps to Post Offices before April 9, 2009.
Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 113100 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, Memphis, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco APDs will each receive additional stamps. The Kansas City Stamp Services Center (SSC) will also receive additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.
All SDOs will receive automatic distributions of the $28.00 Polar Bear PSA coil of 100. Distributions will be in multiple waves. Wave 1 shipments, which will begin March 9, 2009, and will be complete by April 8, 2009. The Wave 2 shipment will be determined at a later date. Distributions are rounded up to nearest master carton size (800 coils).
SDOs will not make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices. All Post Offices requiring quantities of Item 787200 must order them from their designated SDO using a separate PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute coils to Post Offices before April 9, 2009.
Issue:
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Polar Bear
|
Item Number:
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787200
|
Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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28-cent Definitive
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Format:
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Coil of 100 (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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April 16, 2009, New York, NY 10199
(Mega Stamp Show)
|
Designer:
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Carl T. Herrman, Carlsbad, CA
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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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Artist:
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Nancy Stahl, New York, NY
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Modeler:
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Avery Dennison, SPD
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Manufacturing Process:
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Gravure
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Engraver:
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Keating Gravure
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Printer:
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Avery Dennison (AVR)
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Printed at:
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AVR, Clinton, SC
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Press Type:
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Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
|
Stamps per Coil:
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100
|
Print Quantity:
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1 billion stamps
|
Paper Type:
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Prephosphored, Type II
|
Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
|
Processed at:
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AVR, Clinton, SC
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Stamp Orientation:
|
Vertical
|
Image Area (w x h):
|
0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm
|
Overall Size (w x h):
|
0.87 x 0.982 in./22.10 x 24.94 mm
|
Colors:
|
Yellow, Magenta, Yellow, Cyan,
Black, PMS 302 (Blue)
|
Full Pane Size (w x h):
|
N/A
|
Plate Size:
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480 stamps per revolution
|
Plate Numbers:
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“V” followed by five (5) single digits
|
Marginal Markings:
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Plate numbers on every 20th stamp
in coil
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Post Offices requiring additional coils must requisition Item 787200 from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional coils must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.
Following the second automatic distribution to SDOs, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Memphis APDs will each receive additional coils. The Kansas City SSC will receive additional coils for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.
Additional quantities of this definitive stamp will also be made available to SDOs via future automatic distributions, shipped directly from the supplier to the SDOs.
— Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 3-12-09
