© 2016 USPS
On October 5, 2017, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue Christmas Carols stamps (Forever® priced at 49 cents) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 677300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide October 5, 2017.
In 2017, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the Christmas season with four new Forever stamps featuring images that illustrate a major theme from four beloved Christmas carols:
n “Jingle Bells,”
n “Deck the Halls,”
n “Silent Night,” and
n “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.”
Familiar lines from each song highlight the individual stamps. The shades of blue in the background of the stamps evoke the evening scenes from the four carols. This booklet of 20 stamps includes five of each design. The late Howard E. Paine was the art director and artist Steve McCracken created the original art for this project.
Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an 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 sfsweb.usps.gov. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps before the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web; offices must also check the amount they will receive on their automatic push distribution.
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 usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
Christmas Carols Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
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 December 5, 2017.
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, online at usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free issue of USA Philatelic at usps.com/philatelic, by calling 800-782-6724, or by writing to:
U.S. Postal Service
USA Philatelic Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014
Philatelic products for this stamp issue are as follows:
n 677306, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $78.40.
n 677310*, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (set of 4), $16.95.
n 677316*, First-Day Cover (set of 4), $3.72.
n 677321*, Digital Color Postmark (set of 4), $6.56.
n 677324*, Framed Art, $29.95.
n 677330*, Ceremony Program, $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:
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Christmas Carols Stamps
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Item Number:
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677300
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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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Double-sided Booklet of 20
(4 designs)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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October 5, 2017, New York, NY 10199
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Art Director:
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Howard E Paine
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Designer:
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Howard E Paine
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Typographer:
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Howard E Paine
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Artist:
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Steve McCracken, Winchester, VA
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Modeler:
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Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset
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Printer:
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Banknote Corporation of America
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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 Booklet:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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900,000,000 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, NC
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Stamp Orientation:
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Horizontal
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Image Area (w x h):
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1.05 x .77 in/26.67 x 19.56 mm
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Stamp Size (w x h):
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1.19 x .91 in/30.23 x 23.11 mm
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Full Booklet Size (w x h):
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2.375 x 5.743 in/60.33 x 145.87 mm
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Press Sheet Size (w x h):
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9.5 x 11.486 in/241.30 x 291.74 mm
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Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Plate Size:
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800 stamps per revolution
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Plate Numbers:
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“B” followed by four (4) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Header “Christmas Carols” 20 First-Class Forever Stamps • Plate numbers in peel strip area • © 2016 • USPS in peel strip area • Barcode
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing, 8-31-17
