Scott Catalogue Numbers: 5141
Updated September 17th: Here is the DCP for this issue: 
It measures 1.65” x 1.41”. The B&W postmark for this issue is the standard 4-bar First Day of Issue postmark.
Updated September 1st, from the USPS:
On October 1, 2016, in Charleston, SC, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Kwanzaa stamp (Forever® priced at 47 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 556600).
The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 1, 2016.
This bright and colorful new stamp design celebrates the annual non-religious holiday of Kwanzaa, which takes place over seven days from December 26 to January 1. December 26, 2016, marks the 50th anniversary of this widely celebrated holiday. Kwanzaa derives its name from the phrase “first fruits” in Swahili. The holiday honors African-American family, community, and culture. The stamp art features a young African-American woman as the embodiment of Africa. She wears a lavender dress with a collar of African design that also appears in her earring. A large purple bowl overflows with fruits and vegetables, symbolizing the abundance of African first harvest celebrations. Artist Synthia Saint James worked with art director Greg Breeding, who designed the stamp.
Stamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http:⁄⁄www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They 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:
Kwanzaa Stamp
Stamp Fulfillment Services
Cancellation Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-9998
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 December 1, 2016.
There are six philatelic products for this stamp issue:
- 556606 Press Sheet with Die-cut, $75.20.
- 556610 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.
- 556616 First-Day Cover, $0.91.
- 556621 Digital Color Postmark, $1.62.
- 556624 Framed Art, $19.95.
- 556630 Ceremony Program, $6.95
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Kwanzaa Stamp
Item Number: 556600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail, Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Holiday Celebrations
Issue Date & City: October 1, 2016, Charleston, SC 29403
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Synthia Saint James, Los Angeles, CA
Modeler: Sandra Lane⁄Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 15 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in.⁄19.56 x 26.67 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in.⁄23.11 x 30.22 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.43 x 5.64 in.⁄317.79 x 143.12 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 10.85 x 22.54 in.⁄275.59 x 572.52 mm
Plate Size: 320 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (556600) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text
Updated August 25th, from the USPS: The date and city of issue have changed:
The first-day-of-issue ceremony for the Kwanzaa Forever stamp will take place 12:30 p.m., Sat., Oct. 1 in Charleston, SC’s Marion Square (329 Meeting St, 29403) at the MOJA Art Festival. www.mojafestival.com
With this vibrant new stamp design, the U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of celebrating Kwanzaa. This annual non-religious holiday, which takes place over seven days from Dec. 26 to January 1, brings family, community and culture together for many African Americans. Dec. 26, 2016, marks the 50th anniversary of this widely celebrated holiday.
The colorful stamp art features a woman holding a bowl that overflows with fruits and vegetables, symbolizing the abundance of African first harvest celebrations that inspired the creation of Kwanzaa.
Created in 1966, Kwanzaa draws on African traditions, deriving its name from the phrase “first fruits” in Swahili, a widely spoken African language. It has its origins in first harvest celebrations that occurred across the African continent in ancient and modern times. Kwanzaa synthesizes and reinvents these tribal traditions as a contemporary celebration of African-American culture.
Each year, millions of African Americans gather with friends and family around a table set with the mkeka — a straw mat symbolizing the history of African Americans. They light seven candles known as the mishumaa saba, each representing one of the founding principles, and share in a feast that celebrates their shared heritage. Kwanzaa is a festive occasion that rejoices in the prospect of health, prosperity, and good luck in the coming year, while recalling the past and its role in future happiness.
Artist Synthia Saint James worked with art director Greg Breeding, who designed the stamp.
This is the sixth stamp design issued by the U.S. Postal Service in celebration of Kwanzaa. The first Kwanzaa commemorative stamp was issued in 1997. New designs were also issued in 2004, 2009, 2011, and 2013.
Kwanzaa is being issued as a Forever stamp. This Forever stamp will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
Stamp artist Synthia Saint James
Growing up in New York and Los Angeles, Synthia Saint James always knew she wanted to be an artist. Self-taught, she developed an artistic style that is uniquely and recognizably her own.
Saint James sold her first painting at age 20 — a commissioned piece for a coworker — which helped launch her artistic career. A professional artist for more than 45 years, she has worked with clients such as Barnes and Noble, Maybelline, UNICEF, Essence magazine, and The Coca-Cola Company, among others. Saint James created the original cover art for Terry McMillan’s novel Waiting to Exhale and has illustrated and/or authored 17 children’s books. Her work has been exhibited internationally and has appeared in several United States embassies around the world.
With bright, bold colors, Saint James’s striking paintings convey the joy and vibrancy of her subjects. Inspired in part by French Impressionists, she focuses on shapes and overall visual effects, using as many as nine coats of paint to get the colors just right.
Saint James lives and works in Los Angeles. She created the art for the first Kwanzaa stamp issued in 1997. Kwanzaa (2016) is her second project for the Postal Service™.
Updated February 25th, from the USPS:
This stamp will be issued Friday, October 7th, in New York at the American Stamp Dealers Association Fall Postage Stamp Show 2016.
From the USPS:
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa.
The 2016 Kwanzaa stamp continues its tradition of honoring an annual holiday that celebrates African-American family, community, and culture with this vibrant new stamp design. Bold colors depict a young African-American woman as the embodiment of Africa. She wears a lavender dress with a collar of African design that also appears in her earring. In front of the woman sits a large purple bowl overflowing with fruits and vegetables, symbolizing the abundance of African first harvest celebrations that inspired the creation of Kwanzaa.
Artist Synthia Saint James hand-sketched the design and then painted it, using acrylic on canvas. Saint James also illustrated the first Kwanzaa stamp issued by the Postal Service in 1997.
Art Director: Greg Breeding
[Thanks to VSC member Don Neal for pointing out some needed corrections. —LdeV]
On November 1, 2016, in Boca Raton, FL, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Hanukkah stamp (Forever priced at 47 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 559900).
This postmark measures 2.73”x1.29”.
It measures 1.84” x 1.46”. The B&W postmark for this issue is the standard 4-bar First Day of Issue postmark.
On October 18, 2016, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Florentine Madonna and Child stamp (Forever priced at 47 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 681300).
On November 3, 2016, in Washington DC, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Nativity stamp (Forever priced at 47 cents), in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 681200).
This postmark measures 3″ x 1.5″.
The USPS has a very limited number of free tickets to the Pickup Trucks Forever stamps dedication ceremony and that day’s Car Show that takes place July 15 in Syracuse, NY.
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.6” x 1.25″ 
The B&W pictorial measures 2.52” x 1.13”.
Pickup Trucks Forever Stamps
International Harvester supplied and maintained trucks on stateside military bases during World War I. In 1917, Ford released the Model TT, which had a one-ton chassis. For 1918, Chevrolet introduced the Model 490 truck. But because drivers had to purchase their own cargo beds and bodies, these vehicles weren’t considered true pickup trucks.
Ford’s F-Series also differed greatly from relatively sparse models previously available. Also known as the “Bonus Built” line, F-Series trucks were, in the words of Ford’s famous advertising campaign, “built stronger to last longer.” Ford launched the new line with the 1948 Ford F-1. It included features like the roomy “Million Dollar Cab,” a sharp horizontal five-bar grille, and a six- or eight-cylinder engine. Ford sold more than 300,000 trucks in the first model year of the F-Series.
For the 1965 model year, the F-Series pickup got a facelift. The 1965 Ford F-100 had a new grille that featured 18 small rectangular openings. It also featured what Ford dubbed “Twin-I-Beam” independent front suspension, which improved the quality of the ride, and a powerful six- or eight-cylinder engine. The F-Series is still in production today and remains the country’s top-selling truck line. As of 2015, there have been 13 generations of F-Series pickups.
[This issue was rumored in 2014. See 
It measures 3.0” x 1.5”. The B&W postmark for this issue is the standard 4-bar First Day of Issue postmark.
On September 29, 2016, in Anoka, MN, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Jack-O’-Lanterns stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents), in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 681400).
. Javits Convention Center
The Digital Color Postmark measures 3.0” x 1.39”
The B&W pictorial measures 2.78” 1.33”
The “special” postmark that local post offices may use measures 3.0” x 1.12”.
NASHVILLE — The U.S. Postal Service Thursday June 30 dedicated the Soda Fountain Favorites Forever Stamp booklet featuring the cold, sweet treats beloved by people of all ages. The ceremony was held at the Elliston Place Soda Shop in Nashville.
This booklet includes four of each design. The words “FOREVER*USA” are featured along the right edge of each stamp. The geometric silver-toned patterns in the selvage and on the booklet cover evoke a classic chrome-accented soda fountain. The words “Soda Fountain Favorites” appear across the top of the booklet cover. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps, with illustrations by Nancy Stahl.
“The Postal Service issues a few dozen stamps each year. And each year, there are usually one or two edibles on the list,” said Rettinhouse. “In the past few years, grapes, pears and even wedding cakes have been immortalized with postage stamps. But I venture to say that we have tapped into something special with Soda Fountain Favorites.”
The ice cream soda’s precise origin is not clear, but by the turn of the 20th century, it had become a fountain staple. Adding a creamy scoop or two of chocolate or strawberry to a soft drink only added to its already considerable allure. The rise of refrigeration helped establishments produce, serve and store frozen confections, whose popularity surged. After all, it was difficult to resist thick milkshakes, malts, and sundaes topped with syrups, sauces, whipped cream and cherries.
In cities and towns across the United States, the soda fountain was an important gathering place. When Prohibition banned alcohol sales, people flocked to soda fountains. During World War II, soda fountains popped up at military bases in the United States and abroad, because drinking a soda or indulging in a sundae reminded soldiers of simple pleasures at home.
Soda Fountain Favorites is being issued as a First-Class Mail Forever booklet of 20. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.
On June 30, 2016, in Nashville, TN, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue Soda Fountain Favorites stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) convertible booklet of 20 stamps (Item 680800).
This postmark measures 3.0″ x 0.9″
5 designs
“Whether you’re a seasoned collector or you’re new to the hobby, these stamps will serve as a wonderful souvenir of the show,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Jim Cochrane while dedicating the new stamps. “The show gives visitors the unique opportunity to meet with thousands of fellow philatelists, expand their own collections and gain a greater appreciation of the many stamps and collections on display from around the world,” added Cochrane.
To add to the excitement and appeal for stamp collectors, these new stamps have been printed in intaglio – line engraving reminiscent of fine 19th-century stamps and banknotes. These stamps will be sold only at the stamp show in New York, and through mail, telephone and online ordering channels for those unable to attend the show. The stamps will not be available through local Post Offices. They will be sold only as a complete set / Folio of 24 stamps, and the price is $11.28 (24 X $0.47). (Photo left: Randy Neil, editor, American Stamp Dealer & Collector, who as a boy 
attended the last “international” held in New York, FIPEX, in 1956. Photo right: Bob Lamb, former executive director, American Philatelic Society.)
Issue: World Stamp Show-NY 2016 Folio
The folio, which will appear in the May 12, 2016 edition of the Postal Bulletin (PB 22441), will go on sale nationwide May 28, 2016.
Left to right, Dr. Dan Durda; Dr. Constantine Tsang; Cindy Conrad; Alice Bowman; Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute; David Williams, COO and Executive VP, USPS; Dr. Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist; Dr. Jim Green, NASA Director of Planetary Science; Delontae Jenkins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Norman Kuring, Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD. (Ceremony photographs courtesy USPS/Daniel Afzal.)
“In 1991, the Postal Service issued a Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp that served as a rallying cry for those who very much wanted to explore it,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams in dedicating the stamps. “At the time, Pluto was still considered a planet, and it was the only one in our solar system that hadn’t been visited by a spacecraft.”
America,” added Williams. “We trust they’ll find a home in your own collections too.”
“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green (left). “With the 2015 Pluto flyby, we’ve completed the initial reconnaissance of the solar system, and we’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”
“The 1991 stamp that showed Pluto ‘not yet explored’ highlighted some important, unfinished business for NASA’s first exploration of the planets of our solar system,” said Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons mission. “I’m thrilled that 25 years later, these new stamps recognize that Pluto has indeed been explored by the New Horizons spacecraft and revealed to be a complex and fascinating world.”
“The issuing of these ‘Views of our Planets’ and ‘Pluto Explored’ stamps has special significance for NASA, since this represents the culmination of a half-century of space exploration,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “With the July 14, 2015 flyby of Pluto, we’ve completed the checklist of all the classical planets and can now declare—‘mission accomplished.’”
ue Marble” image of Earth.
The 45-minute ceremony was followed by an autograph session, in which speakers and VIPs signed first day of issue programs for hundreds of stamp enthusiasts—the line snaking through the hallways of the Javits Center in New York City (Photos above (USPS), left, and below (NASA)). 
The planetary stamps are now being sold at most U.S. post offices. The Pluto—Explored! Forever stamps are available online or by calling 800-782-6724.
“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green (left). “We’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”
The DCP measures 2.51” x 1.38” 
The pictorial measures 2.19 x 1.17”
On May 31, 2016, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Pluto – Explored! stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents) in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of four stamps (Item 586600). The Pluto – Explored! pane of stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.
