US POSTAL HISTORY BLOG » New Stamp Release

2009 Holiday Stamps First-Day-of-Issue

admin — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:20:01 +0000

Anyone who’d like to get a special first-day-of-issue postmark for the new holiday stamps has 60 days from the stamp’s issue to request it. Requests for the first-day-o-fissue postmark for the Christmas stamp must be received by December 21, requests for the Winter Holidays stamps must be received by December 9 and requests for the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps must be received by December 10.

To get the postmark, customers should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

(Winter Holidays) (Hanukkah) (Kwanzaa) Stamp(s)
Postmaster
421 Eighth Ave., Rm. 2029B
New York, NY 10199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for this service.

USPS Stops Bette Davis from Smoking

admin — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 12:31:08 +0000

They did it before and they’ve done it again.

Who are ‘they,’ and what did they do? ‘They’ is the United States Post Office and what they’ve done is airbrushed a cigarette out of Bette Davis’ hand on the new stamp issue bearing her likeness.

The commemorative issue is the fourteenth in the Legends of Hollywood series and honors the 100th anniversary of the screen legend’s birth. The stamp features Davis in an iconic pose, but without her iconic smoke. A look at the image reveals that her hand looks awkward and unnatural and it is easy to see that her fingers were originally holding a cigarette.

Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial 2008

admin — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 13:21:47 +0000

The Minnesota Statehood Sesquicentennial stamp is slated for release on May 11, 2008. The stamp, designed by Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, honors Minnesota’s 150th anniversary as the thirty-second of the fifty United States. The photograph captures the view of the MN-43/WI-54 bridge spanning the main channel of the Mississippi River above Winona, in southeast Minnesota.

NEW YEAR’S STAMP RELEASED IN FEBRUARY?

admin — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:08:37 +0000

You may be wondering why an official New Year’s stamp won’t be issued until February. Is the USPS running behind schedule? Not at all! The new stamp commemorates the observance of the Chinese calendar and celebrates the brand spanking New Year of the Rat, which begins February 7, 2008 and ends January 25, 2009. It is the first of 12 new issues scheduled to be debuted annually through 2019.

Each new stamp will feature one of the 12 different animals in the Chinese calendar.

A formal ceremony in San Francisco, home of the largest Chinese population outside of China, will take place on January 9th at the Nob Hill Masonic Center. Presiding over the proceedings will be Katherine Tobin, a member of U. S. Postal Service Board of Governors. Leung’s White Crane Kung Fu Association and the White Crane Lion Dance will provide entertainment for the event. (Who said the USPS isn’t fun?)

Along with Asian dignitaries in attendance, Tobin will host Kam Mak, the Hong Kong-born artist who designed 12 Chinese lantern stamps that incorporate elements of lunar new year celebrations. Clarence Lee’s familiar cut paper designs from the previous series will appear in the margin of the sheet. Red, for luck, will be the predominant color.

According to legend, the animals of the Chinese calendar raced across a river to determine their order in the cycle. The rat crossed by riding on the back of the ox, jumping ahead at the last minute to win the race. In the Chinese tradition, people born in the year of a particular animal are said to share characteristics with that animal.

This year’s little Rats (those born in 2009), like their ancestors, are said to be adaptable, clever, ambitious and industrious. Famous celebrity Rats include Antonio Banderas, Claude Monet, David Duchovny, George Washington, Hugh Grant, and Prince Charles.

The Walt Disney Company marks the birth of Mickey Mouse as November 18, 1928 when Steamboat Willie was first released. That makes Mickey a rabbit, not a rat. (Or perhaps ‘cash cow’ would be a more accurate description)