The United States Postal Service® is celebrating 50 years of “Delivering for You” with a special dedication pictorial postmark.
The Postal Service™ officially began operations as an independent agency on July 1, 1971, “Postal Service Day.” On August 12, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed into law the Postal Reorganization Act, the most comprehensive postal legislation since the founding of the republic. The law transformed the cabinet-level Post Office™ Department into a newly independent establishment of the executive branch called the United States Postal Service.
Only the pictorial postmark shown here is permitted for the United States Postal Service 50 Years Delivering for You Anniversary. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design because it will be a temporary station. Use of any image other than the special pictorial image shown here is prohibited.
To finalize the United States Postal Service 50 Years Delivering for You pictorial postmark art, insert the date, city, state, and ZIP Code™ of the physical location of your event adjacent to the stamp image. Overall dimensions of the pictorial postmark must not exceed 4 inches (horizontally) by 2 inches (vertically). Collectors prefer the dimensions 3-1/2 inches by 1 inch.
The Postal Service must make all special postmarks known to collectors through advance publicity in the Postal Bulletin. Therefore, all special dedication cancellations must be reported to Stamp Services 4 weeks before the event using PS Form 413, Pictorial Postmark Announcement/Report. To get a copy of the form, go to blue.usps.gov/formmgmt/forms/ps413.pdf.
— Stamp Services, Marketing, 7-1-21
