On May 1, 2009, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44-cent 1-ounce Wedding (Rings) special stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 574200). Designed by Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, Maryland, the stamp goes on sale nationwide May 1, 2009.
The new 1-ounce stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service® features a photograph of two gold wedding rings resting on a small white pillow; a slender ribbon of white silk unites them. The photograph was taken by Renee Comet of Washington, DC.
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:
Wedding (Rings) Stamp
Special Cancellations
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20066-2282
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 July 2, 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
Issue:
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Wedding (Rings)
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Item Number:
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574200
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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44-cent Special (1-ounce)
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Format:
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Pane of 20 (1 design)
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Series:
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Weddings
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Issue Date & City:
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May 1, 2009,
Washington, DC 20066
(No Ceremony)
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Designer:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Art Director:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Typographer:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Photographer:
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Renee Comet, 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/
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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300 million stamps
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Paper Type:
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Phosphored Tagged Paper, 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, PMS
874 (Gold)
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Stamp Orientation:
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Horizontal
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Image Area (w x h):
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1.03x 0.75 in./26.16 x 19.05
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Overall Size (w x h):
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1.19 x 0.91 in./30.23 x 23.11 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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5.64 x 5.43 in./143.26 x 137.92 mm
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Plate Size:
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160 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“S” followed by five (5) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Front:
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© 2008 USPS • Price, “.44 x 20 =
$8.80” • Plate numbers in four
corners of pane • Plate position
diagram
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Back:
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USPS logo • Barcodes (574200) in
four corners of pane
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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 574261*, First Day Cover, $.82.
n 574265*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.50.
n 574299*, Cancellation Keepsake (Digital Color Postmark cover/pane), $10.30.
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 160 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. Distributions will be in multiple waves.
Wave 1 shipments will begin March 23, 2009, and will be complete by April 15, 2009. Wave 2 shipments will begin May 1, 2009, and will be complete by June 1, 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 using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute stamps to Post Offices before April 24, 2009.
Post Offices requiring additional stamps must requisition Item 574200 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.
Following each automatic distribution to SDOs, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Memphis APDs will each receive additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from the SDOs. The Kansas City Stamp Services Center will receive additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.
— Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 3-26-09
