© 2013 USPS
On November 6, 2013, in New York, New York, the Postal Service™ will issue Gingerbread Houses (Forever® First-Class Mail) stamps in four designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 688900).
The stamps will go on sale nationwide November 6, 2013.
These new, festive Holiday series stamps capture the whimsical and delicious tradition of making gingerbread houses. The stamp art features four different colorful houses constructed out of gingerbread, royal icing, and various candies. Each house is set against a bright blue background. Sally Andersen-Bruce photographed the houses, which were created by baker Teresa Layman. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit www.beyondtheperf.com.
Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA booklet of 20 stamps. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 4,000 booklets. The stamps will be shipped and sold as a booklet of 20 ($9.20).
SDOs/SDCs will make a subsequent automatic distribution to all Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 45 days of sales. Post Offices may preorder these stamps 30 days prior to first-day-of-issue through the eBuy2 SEAM Catalog. However, offices should first check the website to determine the amount they will receive on their automatic push prior to placing a preorder, http://topkkssgsht/sites/SDCReports/Lists/StampAutomatics/default.aspx
. Post Offices should not sell the stamp prior to first-day-of-issue.
All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale.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:
Gingerbread Houses Stamps
Postmaster
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 January 6, 2014.
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
There are six philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
n 688906, Press Sheet with Die Cuts, $73.60
(print quantity of 2,500).
n 688908, Press Sheet without Die Cuts, $73.60
(print quantity of 2,500).
n 688910*, Keepsake (Booklet and Digital Color Postmark Set), $15.95.
n 688916*, First-Day Cover Set of 4, $3.60.
n 688921*, Digital Color Postmark Set of 4, $6.44.
n 688930*, Ceremony Program (Random Stamp), $6.95.
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:
|
Gingerbread Houses Stamps
|
Item Number:
|
688900
|
Denomination & Type of Issue:
|
First-Class Mail Forever
|
Format:
|
Booklet of 20 (4 designs)
|
Series:
|
Holiday Celebrations
|
Issue Date & City:
|
November 6, 2013, New York, NY 10199
|
Art Director:
|
Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
|
Designer:
|
Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
|
Typographer:
|
Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
|
Photographer:
|
Sally Andersen-Bruce, New Milford, CT
|
Gingerbread House Designer:
|
Teresa Layman
|
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 Booklet:
|
20
|
Print Quantity:
|
750 million stamps
|
Paper Type:
|
Prephosphored, Type II
|
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./19.55 x 26.67 mm
|
Stamp Size (w x h):
|
0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm
|
Booklet Size (w x h):
|
5.74 x 2.38 in./145.80 x 60.45 mm
|
Colors:
|
Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
|
Plate Size:
|
200 stamps per revolution
|
Plate Numbers:
|
“S” followed by four (4) single digits
|
Marginal Markings:
|
Front Cover:
|
Header: “Gingerbread Houses”
l Twenty First-Class Forever® Stamps
l Barcode (015645688902) l © 2013 USPS in peel strip area
|
— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 10-17-13
