© 2012 USPS
On September 4, 2012, in Washington, DC, the Postal Service™ will issue a Purple Heart Medal First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp (priced at 45 cents) in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 115400).
The stamp will go on sale nationwide September 4, 2012.
The U.S. Postal Service® continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military with the issuance of the Purple Heart Medal stamp that depicts the medal suspended from its purple and white ribbon. The stamp design features a photograph taken by Ira Wexler of a Purple Heart Medal awarded during World War II. The 2011 Purple Heart with Ribbon stamp was reworked in 2012 to display a slightly larger image of the Purple Heart Medal on a pure white background. The stamp was given the name Purple Heart Medal.
Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA pane stamp. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 40,000 stamps.
SDOs/SDCs will not make any automatic distribution to Post Offices™. Post Offices requiring Item 115400 must requisition them from their designated SDO/SDC using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. Post Offices may preorder SDOs/SDCs through the Stamps Service System (SSS) beginning 30 days prior to the first day of issue. SDOs/SDCs must not distribute this stamp to Post Offices before August 21, 2012. SDOs/SDCs may substitute the current version of the Purple Heart stamp, Item 114900, until inventory is depleted.
All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale.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, 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:
Purple Heart Medal Stamp
Special Cancellations
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20090-2282
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 November 5, 2012.
The Postal Service 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, online at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:
U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
There are three philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 115461*, First Day Cover, $0.89.
n 115484, Uncut Press Sheet without die cut (3 random panes), $27,00 (Print Quantity of 2,000).
n 115493*, Cancellation Keepsake, $9.95.
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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Purple Heart Medal
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Item Number:
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115400
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Denomination & Type of Issue:
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First-Class Mail® Forever
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Format:
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Pane of 20 (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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September 4, 2012, Washington, DC 20066 (No Ceremony)
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Designer:
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Jennifer Arnold, Washington, DC
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Art Director:
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Jennifer Arnold, Washington, DC
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Typographer:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Photographer:
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Ira Wexler, Braddock Heights, MD
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Engraver:
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WRE
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Modeler:
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Avery Dennison, Designed and Engineered Solutions
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Manufacturing Process:
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Gravure
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Printer:
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Avery Dennison (AVR)
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Printed at:
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AVR, Clinton, SC
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Press Type:
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Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
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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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Prephosphored, Type I
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Processed at:
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AVR, Clinton, SC
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Colors:
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Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black, PMS 266 (Purple); PMS 1805 (Red)
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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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0.87 x 0.98 in./22.10 x 24.90 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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5.25 x 4.825 in./133.35 x 122.55 mm
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Plate Size:
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420 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“V” followed by six (6) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Front:
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Header: “Purple Heart” • “The Medal for the Combat Wounded” • Plate numbers in four corners of pane
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Back:
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© 2012 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (115400) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 8-23-12
