©2018 USPS
On February 15, 2019, in Mesa, AZ, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Cactus Flowers stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive booklet of 20 stamps (Item 680000). The stamps will go on sale nationwide February 15, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.
These stamps celebrate the beauty of the cactus flower; each stamp features a photograph of one of these ten cacti flowers:
n Opuntia engelmannii,
n Rebutia minuscula,
n Echinocereus dasyacanthus,
n Echinocereus poselgeri,
n Echinocereus coccineus,
n Pelecyphora aselliformis,
n Parodia microsperma,
n Echinocactus horizonthalonius,
n Thelocactus heterochromus, and
n Parodia scopa.
Within the booklet, each stamp design is featured twice. With new DNA studies, botanists sometimes reclassify plants. As of the printing of these stamps, the scientific names are accurate. Cacti also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer.
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.
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 – Cactus Flowers 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 June 15, 2019.
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:
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Cactus Flowers Stamps
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Item Number:
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680000
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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 (10 designs)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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February 15, 2019, Mesa, AZ 85201
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Art Director:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Designer:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Typographer:
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Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
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Existing Photos:
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John P. Schaefer, Tucson, AZ
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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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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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400,000,000 stamps
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Paper Type:
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Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
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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
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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 0.77 in./26.67 x 19.558 mm
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Stamp Size (w x h):
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1.19 x 0.91 in./30.226 x 23.114 mm
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Full Booklet Size (w x h):
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2.375 x 5.743 in./60.325 x 145.872 mm
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Press Sheet Size (w x h):
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11.486 x 9.5 in./291.744 x 241.3 mm
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Colors:
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Pantone Cool Gray 6, 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 five (5) single digits
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Marginal Markings:
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Header: CACTUS FLOWERS Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • USPS Logo • Barcode • Plate number in peel strip area • ©2018 USPS in peel strip area • Promotional text in peel strip area
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— Stamp Services, Marketing, 1-3-19
