Stamp Announcement 18-19: O Beautiful Stamps

©2017 USPS

On July 4, 2018, in Colorado Springs, CO, the U.S. Postal Service^® will issue the O Beautiful stamps (Forever^® priced at the First-Class Mail^® rate) in 20 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 565300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 4, 2018.

With the release of the O Beautiful stamps, the U.S. Postal Service commemorates the beauty and majesty of the United States through images that correspond with one of the nation’s most beloved songs, “America the Beautiful.” Each of the 20 stamps on the pane features a photograph that helps illustrate one of five phrases from the song’s famous first verse: “Spacious Skies” (top row), “Waves of Grain” (second row), “Mountain Majesties” (third row), “The Fruited Plain” (fourth row), and “Sea to Shining Sea” (bottom row). Art director Ethel Kessler designed the pane using existing photographs.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 565300, O Beautiful (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Pane of 20 Stamps

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 will be available by logging on to SFS Web at sfsweb.usps.gov. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps on the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web; offices must also check the amount they will receive in their automatic push distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office or at The Postal Store^® website at usps.com/shop. 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:

FDOI – O Beautiful 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 November 4, 2018.

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 USA Philatelic publication and online at usps.com/shop. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic publication online at usps.com/philatelic.

No locally produced items are authorized. Only merchandise that has been approved and assigned an item number by Headquarters Retail Marketing may be produced and sold.

— Stamp Services, Marketing, 5-24-18