© 2010 USPS
On October 13, 2011, in New York, New York, the Postal Service™ will issue a Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael definitive stamp (Forever® priced at 44 cents), in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 stamps (Item 679500).
The 2011 Christmas stamp features a detail from a work by the Italian master Raphael, entitled Madonna of the Candelabra. This tondo (circular painting), oil on panel, dates to around 1513 and is now in the collection of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. Richard Sheaff served as art director for this issuance.
The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 13, 2011.
Distribution: Item 679500, First Class Mail, Nondenominated Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael (Forever priced at 44 cents), PSA Double-sided Booklet of 20 Stamps
Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive approximately 25 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 booklets.
SDOs/SDCs will make subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 45 days of sales. Distribution quantities for the automatic distribution will be posted, by finance number and unit ID, on the Asset Management SDC webpage at http://blue.usps.gov/purchase/assetmgnt/am_sdchome.htm. SDOs/SDCs must not distribute this commemorative sheet to Post Offices before September 29, 2011.
Post Offices requiring additional quantities of Item 679500 must requisition them from their designated SDO/SDC after the first day of issue using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. SDOs requiring additional semipostal stamps must order them from the appropriate SDC using PS Form 17.
All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional quantities using their normal ordering procedures.
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:
Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael Stamp
Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998
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 December13, 2011.
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 four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 679561*, First Day Cover, $0.88.
n 679565*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
n 679591*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 679599*, Cancellation Keepsake (Digital Color Postmark w/Pane), $10.95.
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.
Issue:
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Madonna of the Candelabra by Raphael
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Item Number:
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679500
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Denomination & Type of Issue:
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Nondenominated First-Class Mail®
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Format:
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Doubled-sided Booklet (1 design)
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Series:
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Holiday Celebrations
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Issue Date & City:
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October 13, 2011, New York, NY 10199 (Mega Stamp Show)
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Designer:
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Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
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Art Director:
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Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
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Typographer:
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Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
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Existing Art:
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Raphael Sanzio
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Modeler:
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Donald Woo
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset/Microprint “USPS”
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Engraver:
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N/A
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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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600 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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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.71 x 1.03 in./19.05 x 26.16 mm
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Stamp Size (w x h):
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0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm
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Booklet Size (w x h):
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5.74 x 2.38 in./145.80 x 60.45 mm
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Colors:
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PMS 8003 (Gold), Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Plate Size:
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526 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 Cover:
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Header: “CHRISTMAS” • Twenty Self-adhesive Stamps • Barcode (679500) • © 2010 USPS • Plate numbers in peel strip area
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— Stamp Services,
Government Relations and Public Policy, 9-8-11
