Stamp Announcement 18-22: The Art of Magic Stamps

FDOI

On August 7, 2018, in Las Vegas, NV, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue The Art of Magic stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 476800). The stamps will go on sale nationwide August 7, 2018. The Art of Magic pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The Postal Service™ celebrates the art of magic with digital illustrations of five classic tricks magicians use to amaze and delight audiences:

n A rabbit in a hat (production),

n A fortune teller using a crystal ball (prediction),

n A woman floating in the air (levitation),

n An empty bird cage (vanishing), and

n A bird emerging from a flower (transformation).

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps, and Jay Fletcher created the illustrations and served as the typographer.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 476800, The Art of Magic (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 are 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 – The Art of Magic 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 7, 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.

Locally produced items are not authorized. Only merchandise that has been approved and assigned an item number by Headquarters Retail Marketing may be produced and sold.

 

Issue:

The Art of Magic Stamps

Item Number:

476800

Denomination &
Type of Issue:

First-Class Mail Forever

Format:

Pane of 20 (5 designs)

Series:

N/A

Issue Date & City:

August 7, 2018, Las Vegas, NV 89199

Designer:

Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA

Art Director:

Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA

Typographer:

Jay Fletcher

Artist:

Jay Fletcher

Modeler:

Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn

Manufacturing Process:

Offset

Printer:

Banknote Corporation of America

Printed at:

Browns Summit, NC

Press Type:

Alprinta 74

Stamps per Pane:

20

Print Quantity:

20,000,000 stamps

Paper Type:

Phosphor, Block Tag

Adhesive Type:

Pressure-sensitive

Processed at:

Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, NC

Colors:

Warm Gray 1, Warm Gray 5, Warm Gray 10, Pantone Black 6, Pantone 021, Pantone 7574, Pantone 131, Pantone 139, Pantone 174

Stamp Orientation:

Vertical

Image Area (w x h):

1.085 x 1.42 in./ 27.559 x 36.07 mm

Overall Size (w x h):

1.225 x 1.56 in./31.115 x 39.624 mm

Full Pane Size (w x h):

7.38 x 8.75 in./187.45 x 222.25 mm

Press Sheets Size (w x h):

17.5 x 22.14 in./444.5 x 562.36 mm

Plate Size:

120 stamps per revolution

Plate Numbers:

“B” followed by nine (9) single digits

Marginal Markings:

Front:

Header: The Art of Magic • Plate number in two corners of pane

Back:

©2017 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (476800) • Plate Position Diagram • Promotional text