Stamp Services

Stamp Announcement 16-41: Hanukkah Stamp

2016 Hanukkah Forever Stamp

On November 1, 2016, in Boca Raton, FL, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Hanukkah stamp (Forever® priced at 47 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 559900).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide November 1, 2016.

Hanukkah spans eight nights and days of remembrance and ritual. The U.S. Postal Service joins the celebration with a new Hanukkah stamp in 2016. The stamp art depicts a menorah in the window of a home, viewed as if from inside a room. The white window trim is visible through the branches of the menorah, which echo the tangle of snow-covered tree branches beyond the glass. In 2016, Hanukkah begins at sundown on December 24. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by William Low.

Initial Supply to Post Offices: Item 559900, Hanukkah First-Class Mail (Forever priced at 47 cents) PSA Pane of 20 Stamps

Stamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps prior to the FDOI through SFS Web.

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 800-782-6724. 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:

Hanukkah Stamp
Stamp Fulfillment Services
Cancellation Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-9998

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. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by January 1, 2017.

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 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

Philatelic Products

There are seven philatelic products for this stamp issue:

n 559906, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $75.20.

n 559910*, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.

n 559916*, First-Day Cover, $0.91.

n 559921*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.62.

n 559924*, Framed Art, $19.95.

n 559930*, Ceremony Program, $6.95.

n 559966*, Notecards (set of 10), $15.95.

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:

Hanukkah Stamp

Item Number:

559900

Denomination & Type of Issue:

First-Class Mail Forever

Format:

Pane of 20 (1 design)

Series:

Holiday Celebrations

Issue Date & City:

November 1, 2016, Boca Raton, FL 33432

Designer:

Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD

Art Director:

Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD

Typographer:

Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD

Artist:

William Low, Huntington, NY

Modeler:

Sandra Lane⁄Michelle Finn

Manufacturing Process:

Offset, Microprint

Printer:

Banknote Corporation of America

Printed at:

Browns Summit, NC

Press Type:

Alprinta 74

Stamps per Pane:

20

Print Quantity:

15 million stamps

Paper Type:

Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall

Adhesive Type:

Pressure-sensitive

Processed at:

Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC

Colors:

Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 7443 Lavender

Stamp Orientation:

Horizontal

Image Area (w x h):

1.05 x 0.77 in.⁄26.67 x 19.56 mm

Overall Size (w x h):

1.19 x 0.91 in.⁄30.22 x 23.11 mm

Full Pane Size (w x h):

5.64 x 5.43 in.⁄143.12 x 137.79 mm

Press Sheets Size (w x h):

22.54 x 10.85 in.⁄ 572.52 x 275.59 mm

Plate Size:

320 stamps per revolution

Plate Numbers:

“B” followed by five (5) single digits

Marginal Markings:

Front:

Plate numbers in four corners of pane

Back:

© 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (559900) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text