© 2011 USPS
On October 11, 2012, in New York, New York, at the Mega Stamp Show, the Postal Service™ will issue the Holy Family First-Class Mail® stamp (Forever® stamp, priced at 45 cents) in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 679900).
The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 11, 2012.
The Holy Family stamp celebrates Christmas with a scene from the Nativity story that reminds us of the joys of the season: family, togetherness, and the birth of Jesus. The stamp art depicts Joseph leading a donkey that carries Mary and the baby Jesus, guided by a star shining in the twilight of a desert sky. Art director William J. Gicker, designer Greg Breeding, and illustrator Nancy Stahl created this evocative new image of the Holy Family.
Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive 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 a 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 27, 2012.
Post Offices requiring additional quantities of Item 679900 must requisition them from their designated SDO/SDC after the first day of issue using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return.
All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale.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:
Holy Family Stamp Booklet
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 December 11, 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 six philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 679961*, First Day Cover, $0.89.
n 679965*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.60.
n 679984, Uncut Press Sheet (without die cut), $90.00.
(Print Quantity of 5,000)
n 679986, Uncut Press Sheet (mini-sheet) without die cut, $27.00.
(Print Quantity of 5,000)
n 679991*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 679999*, Cancellation Keepsake (DCP 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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Holy Family
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Item Number:
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679900
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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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Doubled-sided Booklet (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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October 11, 2012, New York, NY 10199 (Mega Stamp Show)
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Designer:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Art Director:
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William J. Gicker, USPS
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Typographer:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Artist:
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Nancy Stahl, New York, NY
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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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400 million stamps
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Paper Type:
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Phosphor Tagged
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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 2.35 in./145.80 x 59.69 mm
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Colors:
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PMS 8520 (Gold), Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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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:
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Front Cover:
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Header: “HOLY FAMILY” • Twenty First-Class Forever® Stamps
• Barcode (015645 679900) • © 2011 USPS • Plate numbers in peel strip area
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 9-6-12
