In February 2014, someone leaked to The Washington Post a list of the stamps and postal stationery subjects the U.S. Postal Service and its Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC) was considering. The list was nicknamed “Deep CSAC.”
The list was divided into three categories: Design Approved, In Design Development, and Not Yet In Design.
At first, the U.S. stamp program hewed fairly closely to Deep CSAC, but as time went on, it diverged more and more: Some stamps were issued in a different year than the list had indicated, some weren’t issued at all, and some were issued that weren’t on the list. Still, looking at the list now, it’s amazing how accurate it was. (It’s still online.)
The list didn’t specifically cover 2017, but several of the issues on the 2017 list so far are there (Barn Swallow envelope, Love Skywriting, “Garden Beauty” (likely Flowers from the Garden in 2017), Christmas Carols. And I expect we’ll add to this list as 2017’s list of issues is completed.
So what is on the list, so far unissued but “design approved,” could be a guide to other 2017 issues.
Although two somewhat non-religious Christmas subjects have been announced for 2017 (Christmas Carols and “A Snowy Day”), there is no religious issue. The USPS has been issuing Madonna & Child stamps in alternate years, and just issued one in 2016, but a design by Francesco Bachiacca has been approved. According to Wikipedia, he was a Renaissance artist. His Madonna and Child with St. John hangs in the Dallas Museum of Art.
However, there are also three other “Madonna and Child” stamps with designs approved.
Elizabeth Taylor was rumored to be the Legends of Hollywood pick for 2016; instead, it was Shirley Temple. Deep CSAC has a design “in development.” Entertainment celebrity stamps often become mired in rights issues, from the estates of the celebrities themselves to use of photographs and characters portrayed in the design. She had children with Michael Wilding and Michael Todd, and an adopted daughter with Eddie Fisher and Richard Burton. At least three of the children are still alive. She also has nine grandchildren. We have seen how children from different spouses or partners often disagree on stamp issuances.
We’ve been hearing for years that “Science Fiction Writers” was an imminent issue, a set of 4 or 5 stamps first rumored for 2013. According to the Deep CSAC list, the design is approved, and there is even a second second in the works. There is probably at least one rights issue with the initial set.
There was also strong rumors last year about stamps for Steve Jobs and a Music Icons one for James Brown. We know there are major rights issues for Brown; his heirs can’t even agree on where to bury him. I could easily see a rights issue with the Apple founder, too.
Speaking of Music Icons, the secret list says a design has been approved for Roy Orbison.
We’ve had Distinguished Soldiers, Sailors and Marines, and almost annual service medal stamps in the past few years. Deep CSAC indicates a Distinguished Airmen design is approved. Soldiers, Sailors and Marines were all four stamps.
No two-ounce Distinguished Americans stamp has been announced. Deep CSAC says there is a two-ounce-rate design for A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., an African American federal judge.
However, don’t rush out and order your first day cover cachets or prints suitable to framing or book travel based on this speculation. Several of 2017’s announced issues don’t show up anywhere on the Deep CSAC list. Several of 2016’s weren’t there either.
With the presidential election behind us and the inauguration coming up, we are seeing the American Flag as the backdrop of much TV reporting. It got me wondering what might be found in the pantheon of American stamp issues that might make for an interesting way to give more depth to U.S. collecting. There is certainly nothing wrong with the traditional approach of collecting one of every U.S. stamp issued. And yet for many of us, new challenges beckon, and U.S. Flags is one that comes with a high level of knowledge, enthusiasm, and even offers a way to connect with non-collectors who have a love for America and its symbols.
With the 1963 5¢ Flag Over White House (Scott #1208, right) issue, the U.S. Postal Service began an unbroken run of definitive (regular postage) stamps that extends to today. This movement really got into high gear with the issuance of the first plate number coil (18¢) Flag stamps in 1981. One of the post-1963 definitives (Scott #1891) is shown below.
printers were needed to produce the multiple billions of Flag stamps needed by the public. Ultimately, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) got out of printing U.S. stamps altogether in 2005. Multiple printers meant not just different plate numbers, but many different versions of each issue including: lick-and-stick, self-stick, tagging varieties, separation (perforation and die cut) varieties, print dates in the lower left corner, microprinting entries, slight design differences, and counting numbers on the back. Most of this is reflected in increasingly complex Scott U.S. Specialized Catalogue listings.
To the extent we think about it, most U.S. collectors would assume that the 30¢ 1869 stamp (Scott #121 at right) is the first issue with a U.S. flag. See the all-blue flags in the lower corners of the stamp? In fact, if one includes representations of the flag in the form of a shield, then the first U.S. stamp is the 30¢ Benjamin Franklin 1860 stamp (Scott #38). Note the stars-and-stripes shields in all four corners (below left). Had you ever noticed it before?
Would you like to guess how many face-different U.S. stamp designs include the various forms of the American flag? 25? 50? As many as 100? When I sat down with the catalogue to count them, I was surprised to tally over 200! Now, that does include denominated and non-denominated flag stamps that are otherwise the same, and the different color denominations of the 32¢ “G” definitives; but it does not include Stars-and-Stripes shields, or hard-to-identify dots flying from flag poles on federal buildings and ships, on monuments, uniforms, and airplanes.
The first U.S. flag to be shown in color is the handsome 4¢ 1957 48-star flag (Scott #1094) shown on the right. The 1957 stamp also has the distinction of being the first U.S. stamp to be produced on the BEP’s new Giori press, which could do up to three colors from a single plate. Up to that point, multicolor stamps produced by BEP required separate plates for each color; a situation that required more time and effort, but also made the 
Bureau invert-prone. One of the inverts that resulted is on the 30¢ 1869, and you can see the upside down flags in the proof shown on the left (Scott #121aP4). One of the interesting aspects of U.S. stamp collecting is the search for what are called “design errors”; mistakes in the final design attributed to inadequate research, oversight, artistic license, and pure sloppiness.
The 5¢ Norse-American stamp on the right (Scott #621) might be called a non-design error. It caused a bit of a sensation when it was issued in 1925 because the ship, clearly early Norse, not current American, is flying an American flag (arrow). The Post Office Department patiently explained that this was no mistake. The craft is a replica of a Viking “Dragon Ship”, and actually sailed from Norway to the United States between April 30, and June 13, 1893, to participate in the World’s Columbian Exposition. The stamp was designed using actual photographs of the replica.
The 3¢ White Plains issue on the left was released in 1926 (Scott #629) for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of White Plains, which took place on October 28, 1776. But the Stars and Stripes at the bottom left did not come into being until June 14, 1777.
the same way that Queen Victoria’s presence on Great Britain #1 left no room for doubt as to its origin. The stamp did generate another question as there are only three red stripes next to the blue field of stars, while the correct number is four. Discussion resulted in a finding that the fourth stripe was present, but is hidden by the ripples of the flag.
Another breach of etiquette is seen on the 25¢ “Bill of Rights” commemorative from 1989 (Scott #2421) seen in Figure 8. It should have been displayed with the stars on the left, and the stripes on the right; not as shown. A result is that we sometimes see the stamp applied upside down on covers as people observe correct flag —if not philatelic — etiquette.
“Those who know the flag well will immediately see something amiss, but identifying the problem is slightly harder. The U.S. flag has 13 stripes, seven of which do not span the entire width of the flag, because of the field.
And if that is not enough to keep you busy, you can branch out into military and State Flags on U.S. stamps, Confederate Flags (dare I say), and even foreign flags on U.S. stamps. The Flag subject is a gift that keeps on giving! (Show at left: The 2017 U.S. Flag stamp.)
5143 (47¢) Florentine Madonna and Child
5149-5152 (47¢) Wonder Woman
The Digital Color Postmark for this issue measures 2.27” x 1.45″. 
The B&W pictorial (rubber) postmark measures 2.99” x 1.70”.
On October 5, 2017, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Christmas Carols stamps (Forever priced at 49 cents) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 677300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide October 5, 2017.
Issue: Christmas Carols Stamps
The 2017 Christmas season will be celebrated with four new Forever stamps featuring images that illustrate four beloved Christmas carols: “Jingle Bells,” “Deck the Halls,” “Silent Night,” and “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. ” Familiar lines from each song highlight the individual stamps. Shades of blue in the stamp backgrounds evoke the evening scenes from the four carols. This booklet of 20 stamps includes five of each design. The late Howard E. Paine was art director; artist Steve McCracken created the original art. 
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The U.S. Postal Service showcases Ezra Jack Keats’ most beloved story, The Snowy Day. Written and illustrated by the celebrated children’s author, it was one of the first prominent 20th-century picture books centered on an African-American child. Each of the four new stamps in this 20-stamp booklet features a different illustration of main character Peter exploring and playing in his neighborhood while wearing his iconic red snowsuit. The images include Peter forming a snowball; sliding down a mountain of snow; making a snow angel; and leaving footprints in the snow. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps. The stamps may be pre-ordered in early Sept. for delivery shortly after the Oct. 4 issuance at usps.com/shop.
The Digital Color Postmark measures 3″x2.232″. 
The B&W pictorial (rubber) postmark measures 2.353″ x 1.5”. 
The special postmark for use by other post offices measures 2.7” x 1.232”.
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It measures 2.90″ x 1.45″.
It measures 2.93″ x 1.38″. Here is the black-and-white pictorial: 
It measures 2.97″ x 0.48″.
On May 23, 2017, in Concord, MA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Henry David Thoreau stamp (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 475100). The stamp will go on sale nationwide May 23, 2017.
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
With his personal example of simple living, his criticism of materialism and the questions he raises about the place of the individual in society and humanity’s role in the natural world, Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) continues to inspire readers. For 26 months, Thoreau lived in a one-room house on a lake just outside his hometown of Concord, MA, writing prolifically while farming, reading, thinking, taking long walks and observing nature around him. “Walden,” the 1854 book he wrote about his experience, still holds the attention of readers by blending elements of numerous genres to create a complex, eclectic and unique work. Art director Greg Breeding designed this stamp with original art by Sam Weber. 
On July 12, 2017, in Chadds Ford, PA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Andrew Wyeth stamps (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in twelve designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 12 stamps (Item 475000). The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 12, 2017.
This issuance includes 12 stamps that feature a detail of a different Andrew Wyeth painting. The paintings are: “Wind from the Sea” (1947), “Big Room” (1988), “Christina’s World” (1948), “Alvaro and Christina” (1968), “Frostbitten” (1962), “Sailor’s Valentine” (1985), “Soaring” (1942–1950), “North Light” (1984), “Spring Fed” (1967), “The Carry” (2003), “Young Bull” (1960), and “My Studio” (1974). The selvage shows a photograph of Wyeth from the 1930s. Art director Derry Noyes designed the pane.
Issue: Andrew Wyeth Stamps
Mastering a realistic style that defied artistic trends, Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) created haunting and enigmatic paintings based largely on people and places in his life — a body of work that continues to resist easy or comfortable interpretation. Finding endless inspiration both in his hometown of Chadds Ford, PA, and in rural Maine, he scrutinized the lives, houses and personal belongings of people around him, sometimes painting their portraits but just as often using objects and places to represent them. 2017 is the centennial of Wyeth’s birth. With subtle symbolism and eerie implications, his work invites us to reinterpret his personal vision. Derry Noyes art directed and designed this pane of 12 stamps.
On June 14, 2017, in Hartford, WI, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Have a Ball! stamps (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in eight designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 16 stamps (Item 474900). The Have a Ball! $7.84 pane of 16 stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually. The stamps will go on sale nationwide June 14, 2017.
It measures 2.94″x1.18″.
On April 11, 2017, in Rochester, NY, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Robert Panara two ounce rate mail use stamp (Nondenominated, priced at 70 cents) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 114000). The stamp will go on sale nationwide April 11, 2017.
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