Stamp Announcement 18-29: Birds in Winter Stamps

©2018 USPS

On September 22, 2018, in Quechee, VT, the U.S. Postal Service^® will issue the Birds in Winter stamps (Forever^® priced at the First-Class Mail^® rate) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive booklet of 20 stamps (Item 681900). The stamps will go on sale nationwide September 22, 2018.

The Birds in Winter stamps celebrate four of winter‘s winged beauties:

n The black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus),

n The northern cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis),

n The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), and

n The red-bellied woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus).

The stamp art highlights the handsome plumage of resident birds often spotted throughout the year‘s coldest months. Evoking the drab feeling of winter with the stark white backgrounds, stamp artist Nadia Taylor hoped to create a vivid contrast with the bright flashes of color found in the digital rendering of each bird. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 681900 Birds in Winter (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Double-Sided Booklet 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 – Birds in Winter 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 January 22, 2019.

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.

— Stamp Services, Marketing, 8-16-18