Stamp Announcement 13-43: Holy Family Stamp

Stamp Announcement 13-43: Holy Family Stamp

On October 11, 2013, in New York, New York, at the American Stamp Dealers Association stamp show, the Postal Service™ will issue a Holy Family (Forever® First-Class Mail priced at 46 cents) stamp in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 582000).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 11, 2013.

The Holy Family stamp, first issued in 2012, 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 Gicker, designer Greg Breeding, and illustrator Nancy Stahl created this evocative image of the Holy Family.

To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit http://www.beyondtheperf.com.

Distribution: Item 582000, Holy Family (Forever priced at 46 cents) First-Class Mail PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive their normal automatic distribution quantity for a PSA pane of 20 stamps. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 40,000 stamps.

Initial Supply to Post Offices

SDOs/SDCs will NOT make an automatic distribution to Post Offices™. Post Offices requiring these items must requisition them from the ebuy2 SEAM Catalog or via Tough-tone ordering. Post Offices may preorder these stamps 30 days prior to first-day-of-issue. Post Offices should not sell the stamp prior to first-day-of-issue.

Sales Policy

All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale.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.

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, at The Postal Store® website at http://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
Special Events Coordinator
380 W. 33rd Street, Rm. 4032
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 up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by December 11, 2013.

How to Order First-Day Covers

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 http://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

Philatelic Products

There are eight philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

n 582006, Press Sheet with Die Cuts, $92.00
(print quantity of 2,500).

n 582008, Press Sheet without Die Cuts, $92.00
(print quantity of 2,500).

n 582010*, Keepsake (Pane and Digital Color
Postmark Set), $10.95.

n 582016*, First-Day Cover, $0.90.

n 582021*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.61.

n 582030*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

n 582031*, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.

n 582032*, Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color
Postmark, $1.96.

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:

Holy Family

Item Number:

582000

Denomination & Type of Issue:

First-Class Forever

Format:

Pane of 20 (1 design)

Series:

N/A

Issue Date & City:

October 11, 2013, New York, NY 10199 (ASDA Stamp Show)

Designer:

Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA

Art Director:

William J. Gicker, USPS

Typographer:

Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA

Artist:

Nancy Stahl, New York, NY

Modeler:

Donald Woo

Manufacturing Process:

Offset/Microprint “USPS”

Engraver:

N/A

Printer:

Banknote Corporation of America

Printed at:

Browns Summit, NC

Press Type:

Alprinta, 74

Stamps per Pane:

20

Print Quantity:

300 million stamps

Paper Type:

Phosphor Tagged

Adhesive Type:

Pressure-sensitive

Processed at:

Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, NC

Stamp Orientation:

Vertical

Image Area (w x h):

0.77 x 1.05 in./19.56 x 26.67 mm

Stamp Size (w x h):

0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm

Pane Size (w x h):

5.425 x 5.635 in./137.80 x 143.13 mm

Colors:

PMS 8520 (Bronze), Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black

Plate Size:

200 stamps per revolution

Plate Numbers:

“S” followed by five (5) single digits

Marginal Markings:

Front:

Plate block numbers in four corners of pane

Back:

© 2011 USPS l USPS logo l Barcode (582000) in upper right and lower left corners of pane) l Plate position diagram l Promotional text