© 2023 USPS
On March 15, 2024, in Owensboro, KY, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Bluegrass stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 484700). This stamp will go on sale nationwide March 15, 2024, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
With this stamp, USPS® celebrates the rich history of bluegrass. Inspired by vintage bluegrass concert posters, the stamp art features four acoustic string instruments typical of bluegrass bands — guitar, five-string banjo, fiddle, and mandolin — below the word “Bluegrass.” Text at the top of the stamp reads “High Lonesome Sound,” the title of a 1963 documentary about Appalachian folk music and a familiar nickname for bluegrass. Art director Antonio Alcalá worked with designer and illustrator Heather Moulder to produce the stamp art.
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/sfsweb. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps before the first-day-of-issue through SFS Web; offices must also check the amount they will receive on 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 store.usps.com/store/home. 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 – Bluegrass Stamp
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 July 15, 2024.
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 catalog and online at store.usps.com/store/home. Customers may register to receive a free USA Philatelic catalog 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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Bluegrass Stamp
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Item Number:
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484700
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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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Pane of 20 (1 design)
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Series:
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N/A
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Issue Date & City:
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March 15, 2024, Owensboro, KY 42301
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Art Director:
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Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
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Designer:
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Heather Moulder, Woodbury, TN
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Illustrator:
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Heather Moulder, Woodbury, TN
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Modeler:
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Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
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Manufacturing Process:
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Offset, Microprint
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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 Pane:
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20
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Print Quantity:
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15,000,000
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Paper Type:
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Phosphor, Block Tag
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Adhesive Type:
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Pressure-sensitive
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Colors:
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Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
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Stamp Orientation:
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Vertical
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Image Area (w x h):
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0.8400 x 1.4200 in. / 21.3360 x
36.0680 mm
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Overall Size (w x h):
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0.9800 x 1.5600 in. / 24.8920 x
39.6240 mm
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Full Pane Size (w x h):
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5.9200 x 7.2400 in. / 150.3680 x
183.8960 mm
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Press Sheets Size (w x h):
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11.8400 x 21.7200 in. / 300.7360 x
551.6880 mm
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Plate Size:
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240 stamps per revolution
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Plate Number:
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“B” followed by four (4) single digits in four corners
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Marginal Markings:
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Front:
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Plate number in four corners
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Back:
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© 2023 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (484700) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text
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— Stamp Services,
Marketing, 2-8-24
