Stamp Announcement 11-19: The Civil War: 1861

© 2010 USPS

On April 12, 2011, in Charleston, South Carolina, the Postal Service™ will issue The Civil War: 1861 (For­ever^® priced at 44 cents) commemorative se-tenant pair (two designs) in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) sou­venir sheet of 12 stamps (Item 576300). The stamps, designed by Phil Jordan, Falls Church, Virginia, will go on sale nationwide April 12, 2011. The $5.28 The Civil War: 1861 souvenir sheet may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

With this issuance, the U.S. Postal Service^® begins a series commemorating the 150^th anniversary of the Civil War, joining others across the country in paying tribute to the American experience during the tumultuous years from 1861 to 1865. A souvenir sheet of two stamps will be issued each year through 2015. For 2011, one stamp depicts the beginning of the war in April 1861 at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, while the other depicts the first major battle of the war 3 months later at Bull Run, near Manassas, Virginia.

Art Director Phil Jordan created the stamps using images of Civil War battles. The Fort Sumter stamp is a reproduction of a Currier & Ives lithograph, circa 1861, titled “Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor.” The Bull Run stamp is a reproduction of a 1964 painting by Sidney E. King titled “The Capture of Rickett’s Battery.” The painting depicts fierce fighting on Henry Hill over an important Union battery during the Battle of First Bull Run. For the stamp pane’s background image, Jordan used a photograph dated circa 1861 of a Union regiment assem­bled near Falls Church, Virginia.

How to Order the First Day of Issue Postmark

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first day of issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ facility, 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 Civil War: 1861 Stamp
Postmaster
7075 Cross County Road
Charleston, SC 29423-9998

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 June 13, 2011.

How to Order First Day Covers

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

Philatelic Products

There are seven philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 576363*, First Day Cover, Set of 2, $1.76.
• 576364*, First Day Cancelled Full Sheet, $7.78.
• 576368*, Digital Color Postmark, Set of 2, $3.20.
• 576374, 1861 Collectors Folio w/Stamps & Post­mark Card, $14.95.
• 576384, Uncut Press Sheet, $31.68.
• 576391*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 576399, Keepsake with Digital Color Postmark, Set of 2, $8.95.

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.

Distribution: Item 576300, $5.28, The Civil War: 1861 (Forever^® priced at 44 cents), PSA Souvenir Sheet of 12 Stamps

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribu­tion centers (SDCs) will receive approximately 25 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA sheet stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 1,400 panes (16,800 stamps).

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs/SDCs will make a subsequent automatic distribu­tion to Post Offices of approximately 25 percent of their standard automatic distribution quantity using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs/SDCs must not distribute this commemorative sheet to Post Offices before March 29, 2011.

The $5.28 The Civil War: 1861 commemorative sheet may not be split and the stamps may not be sold indi­vidually.

Additional Supply

Post Offices requiring additional quantities of Item 576300 must requisition them from their designated SDO/SDC using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional com­memorative sheets must order them from the appropriate stamp distribution center (SDC) using PS Form 17. For ful­filling supplemental orders from SDOs, the six SDCs will receive additional commemorative sheets.

Sales Policy

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 Policy, 3-10-11