On October 20, 2009, in San Simeon, California, the Postal Service™ will issue a 44-cent, Christmas: Madonna and Sleeping Child by Sassoferrato special stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 stamps (Item 678600). Designed by Carl T. Herrman, North Las Vegas, Nevada, the stamp goes on sale nationwide October 20, 2009.
Since 1978, the theme of each “traditional” Christmas stamp has been the Madonna and Child. The 2009 Christmas stamp features Madonna and Sleeping Child, a painting by Italian artist Giovanni Battista Salvi, (1609–1685), more commonly known as Sassoferrato. The painting depicted on the stamp shows a blonde Madonna clothed in red and cradling the sleeping Christ Child in purple cloth. From each of the two top corners, the childlike face of a cherub looks down from the clouds. The painting is currently in the collection of Hearst Castle in California.
Issue:
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Christmas: Madonna and Sleeping Child by Sassoferrato
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Item Number:
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678600
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Denomination &
Type of Issue:
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44-cent Special
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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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Holiday
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Issue Date & City:
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October 20, 2009,
San Simeon, CA 93452
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Designer:
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Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV
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Art Director:
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Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV
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Typographer:
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Carl T. Herrman,
North Las Vegas, NV
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Existing Art:
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Giovanni Battista Salvi Sassoferrato
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Modeler:
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Joseph Sheeran
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset, Microprint, “USPS”
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Printer:
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Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
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Printed at:
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Williamsville, NY
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Print Quantity:
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600 million stamps
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Processed at:
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Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
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Press Type:
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Mueller Martini, A76
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Stamps per Booklet:
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20
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Paper Type:
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Nonphosphored Type III
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 871 (Gold)
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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 1.105 in./19.56 x 28.07 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.23 mm
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Flat Booklet Size (w x h):
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5.76 x 2.38 in./146.30 x 60.45 mm
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Plate Size:
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880 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“P” followed by five (5) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Cover Side:
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© 2008 USPS in peel strip area • Header: “CHRISTMAS” • Plate number in one position in peel strip area • “Twenty 44¢ Self-adhesive Stamps” • “$8.80” • Barcode “678600”
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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:
Christmas: Madonna and Sleeping Child by
Sassoferrato Stamp
Postmaster
444 San Simeon Road
San Simeon, CA 93452-9998
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 December 21, 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 678661*, First Day Cover, $0.82.
n 678691*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 678693*, First Day Cover Keepsake, $9.62.
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 35 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 4,000 books.
SDOs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of 25 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs must not distribute this commemorative sheet to Post Offices before October 13, 2009.
Post Offices requiring additional commemorative sheets must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional commemorative sheets must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.
For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, the San Francisco, Memphis, New York, and Chicago APDs will receive additional commemorative sheets. The Kansas City Stamp Services Center will receive additional commemorative sheets to support APDs.
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 and Public Relations, 9-24-09
