©2015 USPS
On May 9, 2015, in Irvine, CA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Special Olympics World Games First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 472800).
The stamp will go on sale nationwide May 9, 2015.
This year, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, the flagship event of the Special Olympics movement. The Games will be held in Los Angeles from July 25 to August 2. It will be the first time the Special Olympics World Summer Games have been held in the United States since 1999. The stamp features the 2015 Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles logo, showcasing the colors of flags from participating countries. “The logo’s celebratory figure represents the courage, determination, and joy of our athletes,” says Patrick McClenahan, president and chief executive officer of the 2015 Games. “Placing the iconic image inside the circle represents acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities.” The words “Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles 2015” and “Forever/USA” appear on the stamp; its colored background begins as a light orange at the top of the stamp then darkens as it moves toward the bottom. The title of the pane “Special Olympics World Games” appears in two shades of orange on a white background. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit http://USPSstamps.com.
Stamp Fulfillment Services will make a subsequent automatic push distribution to Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales. Distribution quantities for the automatic push distribution are available by logging on to SFS Web at https://sfsweb.usps.gov. Offices should check the website noted above to determine the amount they will receive on their automatic push distribution.
Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for the Special Olympics World Games stamp. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station.
To finalize the Special Olympics World Games stamp pictorial postmark art, insert the date, city, state and ZIP Code™ of the physical location of your event adjacent to the stamp image. Overall dimensions of the pictorial postmark must not exceed 4 inches horizontally by 2 inches vertically. Collectors prefer the dimensions 3-1/2 inches by 1.
The Postal Service™ must make all special postmarks known to collectors through advance publicity in the Postal Bulletin. Therefore, all special dedication cancellations must be reported to Stamp Services four weeks before the event using PS Form 413, Pictorial Postmark Announcement/Report. To get a copy of the form, go to http://blue.usps.gov/formmgmt/forms/ps413.pdf.
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:
Special Olympics World Games Stamp
Postmaster
15642 Sand Canyon Avenue
Irvine, CA 92619-9998
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 July 8, 2015.
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 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 nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:
n 472806, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $39.20 (print quantity 500).
n 472808, Press Sheet without Die-cut, $39.20 (print quantity 1,500).
n 472810*, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.
n 472816*, First-Day Cover, $0.93.
n 472821*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.64.
n 472824*, Framed Art, $29.95.
n 472830*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 472831*, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
n 472832*, Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark, $1.99.
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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Special Olympics World Games Stamp
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Item Number:
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472800
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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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May 9, Irvine, CA 92619
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Designer:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Art Director:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Typographer:
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Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
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Modeler:
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Donald Woo
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset, Microprint
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Printer:
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Banknote Corporation of America/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 Pane:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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50 million stamps
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Paper Type:
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Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive adhesive
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Processed at:
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Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
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Colors:
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Pantone 1495, Pantone 7579, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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0.98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.62 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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6.38 x 9.13 in./231.78 x 161.93 mm
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Press Sheets Size (w x h):
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26.25 x 9.13 in./ 666.75 x 231.78 mm
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Plate Size:
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80 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“S” followed by six (6) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Front:
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Plate numbers in two corners of pane
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Back:
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© 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (472800) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text • Special Olympics Information
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 4-2-15
