Just announced by the USPS in the Postal Bulletin released the same day as the stamp!

On August 21, 2014, in Hartford, CT, the U.S. Postal Service® will reissue the Poinsettia (Forever® priced at 49 cents) First-Class Mail® stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 688600).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide August 21, 2014.

The Poinsettia stamp features a bright, cheerful rendering of America’s favorite holiday flower. Introduced in 2013, the stamp is being reissued in 2014. The stamp art depicts the rich red and vibrant green leaves surrounding the flower — the cluster of small, rather modest cup-shaped structures in the center. The red “petals” that we think of as the flower are actually modified leaves called bracts. The art reference for this stamp was a potted poinsettia. Designed by art director Ethel Kessler, the Poinsettia stamp features the work of William Low.

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, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:

Poinsettia 2014 Reprint
Hartford Post Office
MOWU
141 Weston Street
Hartford, CT 06101-9998

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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by October 21, 2014.

There is one philatelic product for this stamp issue:

• 688617, First-Day Cover, $0.93.

 Technical Specifications:

Issue: Poinsettia Stamp
Item Number: 688600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-Sided Booklet of 20 (1 design)
Series: Holiday Celebrations
Issue Date & City: August 21, 2014, Hartford, CT 06101
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: William Low, Huntington, NY
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint “USPS”
Engraver: N/A
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta, 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 160 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, NC
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in./19.55 x 26.67 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.74 x 2.38 in./145.80 x 60.45 mm
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Plate Size: 800 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: • Plate numbers in peel strip area • © 2014 • USPS in peel strip area

On June 27, 2014, in Washington, DC at the Department of the Interior, the U.S. Department of the Interior will issue the $15 Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamp for the 2014–2015 waterfowl hunting season.

The stamp will go on sale nationwide June 27, 2014, and is valid through June 30, 2015.

The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation stamp will be available in the following formats:

• Water-activated gum (WAG) Pane of 20 (Item 335000).
• Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) Pane of 1 (Item 335100).

There are four philatelic products for this stamp issue.

• 335006 Migratory Bird Uncut Press Sheet (WAG), $1,100.00 (Quantity 100).
• 335106 Migratory Bird Uncut Press Sheet Flat (PSA), $350.00 (Quantity 100).
• 541418 Migratory Bird Silk Cachet, $25.00.
• 541425 Migratory Bird Artist Commemorative Card, $50.00.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp
Item Number: 335000
Denomination & Type of Issue: $15.00 Special
Format: Sheet of 20 (1 design)
Series: Federal Duck
Issue Date & City: June 27, 2014, Washington, DC
Art Director: Laurie Shaffer, FWS
Artist: Adam Grimm
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint “FWS”
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Stevens, Vari-Size Security
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 100,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III
Adhesive Type: Water-Activated Gum
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Invisible Fluorescent
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.73 x 1.26 in./44.02 x 32.00 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.89 x 1.42 in./48.01 x 35.99 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 10.25 x 7.09 in./260.35 x 179.96 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 18.00 x 22.00 in./457.20 x 558.80 mm
Plate Size: 60 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by 11111 (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: “Artist: Adam Grimm” in four positions • DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 20 x $15.00 in four positions • Silhouetted Image of Duck printed in B, C, M, Y, in two positions • Plate number in four positions
Back: Barcode (335000) in four positions • Verso-text behind each stamp

Issue: Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp
Item Number: 335100
Denomination & Type of Issue: $15.00 Special
Format: Pane of 1
Series: Federal Duck
Issue Date & City: June 27, 2014, Washington, DC
Art Director: Laurie Shaffer, FWS
Artist: Adam Grimm
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint “FWS”
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Stevens, Vari-Size Security
Stamps per Pane: 1
Print Quantity: 2,500,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III
Adhesive Type: Pressure Sensitive Adhesive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Invisible Fluorescent
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.73 x 1.26 in./44.02 x 32.00 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.89 x 1.42 in./48.01 x 35.99 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.13 x 2.63 in./155.58 x 66.68 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 18.00 x 22.00 in./457.20 x 558.80 mm
Plate Size: 18 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: N/A
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: “U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service” • 2014-2015 Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamp • Peel Here • Artist: Adam Grimm • Canvasback • If applicable peel and attach to hunting license • Informational text
Back: Verso-text • Ordering information • UPC Code (015645335103)

According to Linn’s Stamp News, the U.S. Postal Service has adequate supplies of last year’s stamps. In the past, new designs for these subjects have been issued whenever there wasa rate change – even after these issues became Forever stamps that could be used before and after a rate change.

Linn’s Stamp News reports this is the “traditional” Christmas issue this year. It will be a double-sided pane of 20 in the convertible booklet format. No design has been released yet. Holiday stamps are often released at the ASDA show in New York; that would be October 23rd or 24th.

Linn’s Stamp News reports that is, indeed, the subject of the “contemporary” Christmas issue this year. There is no word yet on how many stamps are in this issue, but recent past contemporary Christmas issues have had four designs.

No first-day date was announced, but holiday stamps are often released at the ASDA show in New York; that would be October 23rd or 24th.

Linn’s points out that the Rudolph animated television special debuted on December 6, 1964, making this the 50th anniversary of the TV show. But the song itself was released in 1949, recorded by Gene Autry. (The lyrics, as a poem, had been used the previous year as advertising for the Montgomery Ward chain of department stores.)

The newspaper says this will be a double-sided pane of 20 in a convertible-booklet format.

Photographs from Korean War Medal of Honor First Day Ceremony
July 26, 2014, Arlington National Cemetery
These photographs are by Daniel Afzal of the U.S. Postal Service.  Before the first day ceremony, Larry Kinard, President, Korean War Veterans Association and The honorable Kim Jung Hoon, Representative of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, lay a wreath.

After the unveiling of the stamps, Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe points out to Captain Thomas J. Hudner, Jr. the Medal of Honor recipient’s portrait (bottom right hand corner) on the blowup. Hudner is one of nine living Medal of Honor recipients from the Korean War. Thirteen are shown in the stamp booklet, but four passed away before the stamps could be issued.

His Excellency Ahn Ho-young, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States of America, speaks during the first day ceremony.

Postmaster General Donahoe with Hudner and his wife Georgea.

Details about the stamps can be found here.

These photographs are by Mark Saunders of the USPS:

Capt. Thomas J. Hudner, Jr., of Concord, Mass., signed autographs after the ceremony. Mark spent some time before the ceremony with Capt. Hudner, the only living recipient who attended the ceremony:

(Look at the last line of text in the book, and you can see Hudner’s name.)

Date change! We’d been assuming these stamps would be issued on Veterans Day, November 11th – but the current internal USPS schedule has them on July 26th!

July 26th: Photos from the first day ceremony can be found here.

July 22: Ceremony Details:

WHAT: Korean War Medal of Honor Forever Stamps First-Day-of-Issue Ceremony.

WHO:

• Korean War Medal of Honor Recipient Thomas Jerome Hudner, Jr. of Concord, MA,
• Families of Korean War Medal of Honor Recipients William R. Charette of Lake Wales, FL;
• Rodolfo P. Hernandez of Fayetteville, NC;
• Einar H. Ingman, Jr. of Irma, WI;
• Hiroshi H. Miyamura of Gallup, NM; and,
• Tibor Rubin of Garden Grove, CA,
• President of the Korean War Veterans Association Larry Kinard,
• Republic of Korea Vice Minister for the Ministry of Patriot and Veterans Affairs, Choi Wan Keun
• Representative of National Assembly of the Republic of Korea Kim Jung Hoon
• Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe

WHEN: 10:30 a.m., Sat., July 26, 2014

WHERE: Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheatre, Arlington, VA 22211

July 16: The address for submitting first day covers (below) has changed.

July 6th: Those planning to attend the July 26th first-day ceremony for the Medal of Honor/Korean War stamps at the Arlington Cemetery Amphitheatre should get there no later 10:30 a.m. – but an hour earlier is recommended, because the wreath-laying is scheduled for 10:45, right before the 11 a.m. ceremony.

June 26th: The new Postal Bulletin confirms the July 26th date, and adds more detail and illustrations:

On July 26, 2014, in Washington, DC at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Medal of Honor: Korean War (Forever® First-Class Mail priced at 49 cents) stamps, in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) prestige folio of 20 stamps (Item 587400).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 26, 2014.

In January 2012, the U.S. Postal Service invited the last living Korean War Medal of Honor recipients to join in hon­oring the extraordinary courage of every member awarded the medal for their valorous actions during the war. This 4-page prestige folio, Medal of Honor: Korean War, honors those 145 recipients.The first side of the prestige folio high­lights historical photographs of the last living recipients of the Medal of Honor from the Korean War. The 13 photo­graphs surround two Forever stamps. One stamp features a photograph of the Navy version of the Medal of Honor; the other stamp features a photograph of the Army version of the Medal of Honor. The second page includes a short piece of text and a key to the names of the recipients pic­tured in the cover photos. The names of all 145 recipients of the Medal of Honor from the Korean War are listed on page three. The remaining 18 stamps are found on the back page along with a quote describing why the Medal of Honor is awarded, “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepid­ity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty.” Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the prestige folio and the stamps, working with photographs of the medals by Rich­ard Frasier.

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 www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:

Medal of Honor: Korean War
Arlington Main Office
3118 Washington Blvd
Arlington, VA 22201-9998

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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by September 24, 2014.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 587406* Press Sheet w/Die cuts, $29.40 (print quantity 1,000).
• 587408* Press Sheets w/o Die cuts, $29.40 (print quantity 1,500).
• 587410* Keepsake w/Digital Color Postmark (Set of 2), $13.95.
• 587416* First-Day Cover (Set of 2), $1.86.
• 587421* Digital Color Postmark (Set of 2), $3.28.
• 587424* Framed Art, $39.95.
• 587430* Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 587431* Stamped Deck Card, $0.95.
• 587432* Stamped Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark, $1.99.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Medal of Honor: Korean War Stamps
Item Number: 587400
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Prestige Folio of 20 (2 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 26, 2014, Washington,
DC 20066
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Photographer: Richard Frasier, Vienna, VA
Engraver: N/A
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta, 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 30 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Metallic Gold, Gray
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.90 x 39.62 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.5 (8.5 folded) x 17.0 in./190.5 x 431.8 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 17.0 x 22.5 in./431.8 x 571.5 mm
Plate Size: 60 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by 111111 (6) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (587400) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

This postmark measures 2.16″ x 2.60″.

This postmark measures 3.96″ x 1.97″.

Here are views of the prestige folio that includes photos and names of Medal winners:

DCP design released September 28th:

Images added September 19th. First day ceremony info below; this writeup is from the September 18th Postal Bulletin:

On September 26, 2014, in Chicago, IL, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Celebrity Chefs stamps (Forever First-Class Mail® priced at 49-cents) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 472300).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide September 26, 2014.

The five chefs honored on these stamps — James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis, and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi — revolutionized our understanding of food. Seeing cooking as a source of delight, they invited us to feast on regional and international flavors and were early but ardent champions of trends that many foodies now take for granted. The stamps feature digital illustrations by Jason Seiler that depict the five chefs in a style intended to resemble oil paintings. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.

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 www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:

Celebrity Chefs
Retail Specialist
433 West Harrison Street
Chicago, IL 60699-9611

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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by November 26, 2014.

There are nine philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
472306, Press Sheet with Die cuts, $88.20 (print quantity 1,000).
472308, Press Sheet without Die cuts, $88.20 (print quantity 1,500).
472310 Keepsake (Pane and Digital Color Postmark Set of 5), $18.95.
472316 First-Day Cover, Set of 5, $4.65.
472321 Digital Color Postmark, Set of 5, $8.20.
472324 Framed Art, $39.95.
472330 Ceremony Program (random stamp), $6.95.
472331 Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
472332 Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark (random stamp), $1.99.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Celebrity Chefs Stamps
Item Number: 472300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (5 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: September 26, 2014, Chicago,
IL 60699
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist: Jason Seiler, Chicago, IL
Engraver: N/A
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 20 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS Cool Gray #10C
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.337 x 36.07 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.62 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.50 x 6.50 in./215.90 x 165.10 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 25.75 x 19.75 in./654.05 x 501.65 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header, Plate numbers in two corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (472300),verso text • Promotional text

Celebrity Chefs first day ceremony info, from the USPS on September 8th:

The event is free and open to the public.

WHEN:
11 a.m. CST, Fri., Sept. 26, 2014
Media check-in begins at 10:30 a.m. CST at the Park Grill

WHERE:    Chicago Gourmet
Park Grill, Millennium Park
11 N Michigan Ave.
Chicago IL 60602

August 27th: From the USPS main shopping website:

James Beard
Julia Child
Joyce Chen
Edna Lewis
Felipe Rojas-Lombardi

Added August 8th: Linn’s Stamp News reports these stamps will be issued September 26th in Chicago. VSC sees Chicago Gourmet scheduled to open on that date, which showcases “more than 150 of Chicago’s finest restaurants and chefs,” according to its website. The U.S. Postal Service is listed as one of the sponsors, and the hyperlink goes to the /stamps portion of the USPS website. The 2014 schedule for Chicago Gourmet is not yet posted.

August 21st: The USPS confirms all of the above, plus James Beard as one of the subjects.

“An inspiration to generations of amateur cooks and professional chefs alike, teacher and author James Beard (1903–1985) avidly fostered a more vibrant food culture in the United States. He was a passionate advocate of local ingredients and markets, his popular books covered everything from seafood to bread, and he reveled in the discovery of worldly, exotic flavors—but his cultivated palate was also famously receptive to such simple pleasures as onion sandwiches and perfectly baked potatoes.”

About the stamps in general, the USPS says, they “feature digital illustrations by Jason Seiler that depict the five chefs in a style intended to resemble oil paintings. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps. The selvage consists of a fine white linen tablecloth and a white china dish.”

The USPS would neither confirm nor deny that Julia Child will be one of the other subjects.

This stamp will be issued October 23rd in New York City at the ASDA National Postage Stamp Show 2014. The design and subject have not been announced.

Linn’s Stamp News reports these will be available in a pane of 10.

This multi-stamp issue is now confirmed, probably to be issued in August in Washington, D.C. (The June 26th Postal Bulletin confirms August 7th in Washington.)

From the USPS May 30th:

Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, flowers, and other fresh products invitingly displayed on tables or bins — farmers markets invite us to share America’s agricultural bounty.

Four se-tenant stamps depict a table laden with typical farmers-market fare. The stamp on the far left has among its products various fresh breads such as baguettes and rolls, cinnamon buns, cookies, artisan cheeses, and both brown and white eggs. The produce on the second stamp includes vegetables and fruits: apples, eggplants, watermelons, peppers, grapes, potatoes, broccoli, and gourds. Cut flowers adorn the next stamp, with bouquets of bright flowers next to a bucket of sunflowers and a collection of celosia. The final stamp on the far right features live plants, with various herbs, tomatoes, and flowers like marigolds and nasturtiums. Most items bear handwritten labels that identify the product and its price.

The artist chose and arranged the products so that each stamp has a large focal point; each stamp is complete in itself yet forms a cohesive whole with the entire stamp strip. The stamp art was created using acrylic paint.

Text on the back of the 20-stamp sheet describes the appeal of farmers markets.

Farmers markets are an old idea that’s new again. Markets were once the main way Americans shopped. As towns and cities grew in the 19th century, farms were pushed farther from the population hubs, and new distribution systems and permanent in-town shops increasingly became the middlemen between consumers and farmers. However, in 1976 Congress passed the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act, and the number of markets has soared once more.

Farmers markets flourish in every U.S. state and territory. Some markets thrive in permanent locations that operate year round; others are open only once a week during the harvest season. There are markets that sell just produce and meats; others also offer seafood, breads, prepared foods, or dairy products. Markets might include locally sourced honey or artisan crafts like soaps and candles. Live plants or cut flowers brighten many markets, and some markets feature live music or children’s activities, voter-registration drives, or local master gardeners offering advice. There are almost as many different combinations of goods and activities as there are markets.

Considered by many to be the new town square, farmers markets offer, as they did in the past, a gathering place for diverse groups of neighbors to meet and mingle and to share news, recipes, and stories—in short, to create a new sense of community.

Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with illustrations by Robin Moline.
The Farmers Markets stamps are being issued as Forever® stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate

From the Postal Bulletin, July 10th:

On August 7, 2014, in Washington, DC, at The White House Farmers Market, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Farmers Markets (Forever First-Class Mail priced at 49-cents), in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 472500).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide August7, 2014.

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the abundance and bounty of America’s farmers markets with four colorful se-tenant stamps depicting a table laden with products found at a typical farmers market. The stamp on the far left has, among its products, various baked goods, artisan cheeses, and eggs. The produce on the second stamp includes vegetables and fruits. Cut flowers adorn the third stamp. The stamp on the far right features live plants. Most items bear handwritten labels that identify the product and its price. Text on the back of the pane of 20 stamps describes the appeal of Farmers Markets. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps, which were illustrated by Robin Moline.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmarkby mail. They maypurchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affixthe stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Farmers Markets
Special Events
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20090-2282

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. Formore than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by October 6, 2014.

There are ten philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 472506 Press Sheet w/Die cut, $49.00 (print quantity 1,000).
• 472508 Press Sheet w/o Die cut, $49.00 (print quantity 1,500).
• 472510 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (Set of 4), $16.95.
• 472516 First-Day Cover (Set of 4), $3.72.
• 472521 Digital Color Postmark (Set of 4), $6.56.
• 472523 Notecards $13.95.
• 472524 Framed Art, $39.95.
• 472530 Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 472531 Stamped Deck Card, $0.95.
• 472532 Stamped Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark, $1.99.

Technical Specifications:

• Issue: Farmers Markets Stamps
• Item Number: 472500
• Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
• Format: Pane of 20 (4 designs)
• Series: N/A
• Issue Date & City: August 7, 2014, Washington, DC
• Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
• Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
• Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
• Artist: Robin Moline, Lakeland, MN
• Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
• Manufacturing Process: Offset
• Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
• Printed at: Williamsville, NY
• Press Type: Muller A76
• Stamps per Pane: 20
• Print Quantity: 100 million stamps
• Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
• Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
• Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
• Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
• Stamp Orientation: Vertical
• Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.11 in./19.56 x 28.07 mm
• Overall Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.23 mm
• Full Pane Size (w x h): 4.75 x 8.25 in./120.65 x 209.55 mm
• Press Sheet Size (w x h): 23.75 x 8.25 in./603.25 x 209.55 mm
• Plate Size: 300 stamps per revolution
• Plate Numbers: “P” followed by 1111 (4) single digits
• Marginal Markings:
  Front: Plate number • Year of issue • Header (Farmers Markets)
  Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (472500) • Descriptive text • Promotional text

The unveiling at the first day ceremony:

Photo by Daniel Afzal, USPS.

L to R:

• Katherine C. Tobin, Ph.D., Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee Member
• Bernadine Prince, Co-Executive Director, FRESHFARM Markets
• Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture
• Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer
• Jim Crawford, Farmer, and Owner, New Morning Farm
• Ruth Y. Goldway, Chairman, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission
• Robin Moline, Artist