On May 7, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44-cent The Simpsons stamp, in five designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) convertible booklet of 20 stamps (Item 679000). Designed by Matt Groening, a native of Portland, Oregon, the stamps go on sale nationwide May 7, 2009.
With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® recognizes The Simpsons, the longest running comedy in the history of American prime-time television, entering its 20th year, as a regularly scheduled half-hour series in 2009.
Art Director, Derry Noyes, Washington, DC, was pleased to use original artwork by Matt Groening. Groening, a cartoonist, created the Simpson characters and named them after his own family: Parents Marge and Homer, Sisters Lisa and Maggie (the baby who conveys emotion by sucking on her pacifier), and Matt’s alter ego, Bart.
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:
The Simpsons Stamp
7001 South Central, Room 338
Los Angeles, CA 90052-9998
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 July 8, 2009.
Due to copyright agreements with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, only the following pictorial postmarks are permitted. Post Offices planning events are prohibited from designing their own special pictorial postmark. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station.
To finalize The Simpsons stamp pictorial postmark art, insert the date, city, state, and ZIP™ Code of the physical location of your event adjacent to the stamp image. Overall dimensions of the pictorial postmark must not exceed 4 inches horizontally by 2 inches vertically. Collectors prefer the dimensions 3 1/2 inches by 1 inch.
Stamp Fulfillment Services (SFS) 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
Twenty (20) premium stamped cards (Item 679063/897700/897701, $14.95) feature the unique characters that have made The Simpsons the longest running comedy in the history of American prime-time television. The cards have five different designs, each a different member of America’s favorite cartoon family: Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Each card has the corresponding Simpsons stamp preprinted, so just write a note and drop it in the mail! There will also be four different booklet cover designs, one each of Homer, Marge and Maggie, Lisa, and Bart.
There are five other philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 679063*, First Day Cover Set of 5, $4.10.
n 679068*, Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers Set of 5, $7.50.
n 679091*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
Issue:
|
The Simpsons
|
Item Number:
|
679000
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
|
44-cent
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Format:
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Convertible Booklet of 20
(5 designs)
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Series:
|
N/A
|
Issue Date & City:
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May 7, 2009,
Los Angeles, CA 90052
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Designer:
|
Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR
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Art Director:
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Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
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Typographer:
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William Clarke, Fox Licensing
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Artist:
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Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR
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Modeler:
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Donald Woo
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset
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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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1 billion 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, PMS
116 (Yellow)
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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.77 x 1.05 in./19.56 x 26.67 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
|
0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.23 mm
|
Flat Booklet Size (w x h):
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4.55 x 5.00 in./115.57 x 127.00 mm
|
Plate Size:
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480 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:
|
|
Stamp Side (In Peel
Strip Area):
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“‘The Simpsons™’ & © 2009
Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. All rights reserved.”
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Other:
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Stamp image • Header: “The
Simpsons™” • “TWENTY 44¢
SELF-ADHESIVE STAMPS”
• “5 DIFFERENT DESIGNS
$8.80” • “© 2009 USPS”
• Promotional text • Barcode
(679000) • Plate block number
|
n 679098*, Set of 4 Booklets (1 of each booklet cover design), $35.20.
n 679099, Cancellation Keepsake, Booklet of 20 and 5 Digital Color Postmark First Day Covers, $16.30.
Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 barcode from SFS. 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 64 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet stamp. Distributions will be in three waves.
The Wave 1 shipment began March 22, 2009, will be complete by April 9, 2009, and will go to SDOs (approximately 32 percent distribution). The Wave 2 shipment will go only to accountable paper depository (APDs) and stamp services centers (SSCs), begins on April 13, 2009, and will be complete by April 22, 2009. The Wave 3 shipment going to SDOs (approximately 32 percent distribution), APDs, and SSCs begins May 4, 2009, and will be complete by June 4, 2009. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size (2,000 booklets).
SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of 25 percent 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 30, 2009.
SDOs requiring additional stamps must order them from the appropriate APD using PS Form 17. Following the 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 SSC will receive additional stamps for fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs.
Issue:
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The Simpsons Postal Card Books
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Item Number:
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897700
|
Denomination &
Type of Issue:
|
28-cent Premium Stamped Postal
Card
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Format:
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$14.95 Stamped Postal Card
Booklet of 20 (5 designs)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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May 7, 2009,
Los Angeles, CA 90052
|
Designer:
|
Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR
|
Art Director:
|
Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
|
Typographer:
|
William Clarke, Fox Licensing
|
Artist:
|
Matt Groening,
Native of Portland, OR
|
Modeler:
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Joseph Sheeran
|
Engraver:
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N/A
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset
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Printer:
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Sterling Sommer Inc.
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Printed at:
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Tonawanda, NY
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Finishers:
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Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
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Finished at
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Williamsville, NY
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Press Type:
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Heidelberg, Speedmaster
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Print Quantity:
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601,200 cards
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Paper Type:
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Nonphosphored, Type III, Block
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Adhesive Type:
|
N/A
|
Colors:
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Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS
116u
|
Card Orientation:
|
Vertical
|
Image Area (w x h):
|
4.125 x 5.93 in./104.78 x 150.62 mm
|
Overall Size (w x h):
|
4.125 x 6.555 in./104.78 x
166.50 mm
|
Plate Size:
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18 cards per revolution
|
Plate Numbers:
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N/A
|
Marginal Markings:
|
|
Cover:
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Header: “The Simpsons™”
• “20 PREMIUM STAMPED
CARDS $14.95”
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Back:
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Image of stamps and post card
• “The Simpsons™”
• “Embiggen your message with
these cromulent stamped
cards!” • “20 premium stamped
cards featuring the unique
characters that have made The
Simpsons the longest running
comedy in the history of
American prime-time television.”
• Promotional text • USPS logo
• “Item No. 897700” • “© 2009
USPS” • “‘The Simpsons™’ &
© 2009 Twentieth Century Fox
Film Corporation. All rights
reserved.”
|
Other:
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Image of character • “The
Simpsons™” • Descriptive text
• © 2009 USPS • “‘The
Simpsons’™ & © 2009
Twentieth Century Fox Film
Corporation. All rights reserved.”
|
— Stamp Services,
Government Relations, 4-9-09
