©2015 USPS
On May 25, 2015, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue Medal of Honor: Vietnam War First-Class Mail® Forever® stamps, in three designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) prestige folio of 24 stamps (Item 589700).
The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 25, 2015.
In October 2014, the U.S. Postal Service invited the last living Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipients to join in honoring the extraordinary courage of every member awarded the medal for their valorous actions during the war. The first and fourth pages of this four-page prestige folio display photographs of the 48 living recipients of the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War who agreed to be part of this issuance. The photographs on each of these pages surround a group of 12 Forever stamps (24 total), consisting of three different designs, one for each version of the Medal of Honor: that of the Army, the Navy (also presented to members of the Marine Corps), and the Air Force. Page two contains a short piece of text and a key to the individuals pictured. Page three features an alphabetical listing of those individuals who agreed to be included and of the deceased Medal of Honor recipients from the Vietnam War. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the prestige folio and the stamps, working with photographs of the medals by Richard Frasier.
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 will be 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. Post Offices will not be allowed to order prior to the first-day-of-issue.
Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for the Medal of Honor: Vietnam War stamps. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station.
To finalize the Medal of Honor: Vietnam War stamps 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:
Medal of Honor: Vietnam War Stamps
Special Events
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 up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by July 24, 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 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 nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:
n 589706, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $35.28 (print quantity 1,000).
n 589708, Press Sheet without Die-cut, $35.28 (print quantity 1,500).
n 589710*, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (set of 3), $16.95.
n 589716*, First-Day Cover (set of 3), $2.79.
n 589721*, Digital Color Postmark (set of 3), $4.92.
n 589724*, Framed Art, $39.95.
n 589730*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
n 589731*, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
n 589732*, Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark (random stamp), $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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Medal of Honor: Vietnam War Stamps
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Item Number:
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589700
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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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Prestige Folio of 24 (3 designs)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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May 25, 2015, Washington DC 20066
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Designer:
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Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
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Art Director:
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Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
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Typographer:
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Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
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Photographer:
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Richard Frasier, Vienna, 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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24
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Print Quantity:
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30 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
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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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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Metallic Gold, Gray
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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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7.5 x 17.0 in./7.5 x 8.5 mm (folded)
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Press Sheets Size
(w x h):
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22.5 x 17.00 in./ 571.50 x 431.80 mm
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Plate Size:
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72 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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© 2015 USPS • Plate position diagram
• Barcode (589700) • Promotional text
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing and Sales, 4-16-15
