Category Archives: 2020 New Issues

U.S. Adds Two 2020 Issues

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[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Reveals Additional Stamps for 2020
U.S. Flag Envelope and Ruth Asawa Coming Soon

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service today announced two new stamp subjects for 2020. Details about the stamp dedication ceremonies and dates these new products will be available to purchase will be announced soon. All images are preliminary and are subject to change prior to printing.

U.S. Flag Stamped EnvelopeA familiar sight on public buildings and private homes alike, the American flag has been portrayed in myriad ways on U.S. postage. This stamped envelope features a graphic design of the flag that evokes a rich sense of history even as it presents a recognizable icon in a fresh, contemporary way. Kit Hinrichs created the artwork for this stamped envelope. Ethel Kessler served as art director. [Further details will be posted here.]

Ruth Asawa
With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, with two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer. [Further details will be posted here.]

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Artist Ruth Asawa (U.S. 2020)

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Announced by the USPS April 3rd, 2020, with no date of issue given: With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, with two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer.

These stamps will be issued Thursday, August 13, in San Francisco, CA.

The stamps may be purchased here. The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:

5504 Three Untitled Sculptures from 1958, 1978 and 1959
5505 Untitled Sculpture from 1959
5506 Untitled Sculpture from 1958
5507 Untitled Sculpture from 1955
5508 Untitled Sculpture from 1955, different
5509 Untitled Sculpture from 1980
5510 Untitled Sculpture from 1978
5511 Untitled Sculpture from 1952
5512 Untitled Sculpture from 1954
5513 Six Untitled Sculptures from various years
a. Block of 10, #5504-5513

Further information will appear below the line, with the newest items at the top.

Updated August 6th:
This will have a virtual first day ceremony:

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Honors Sculptor and Arts Education Advocate Ruth Asawa With Forever Stamps

WHAT: The U.S. Postal Service will dedicate stamps honoring pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013), who is perhaps best known for her intricate abstract wire sculptures.

News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #RuthAsawaStamps.

WHO: Sharon Owens, vice president, Pricing and Costing, U.S. Postal Service

George Takei, trustee, chair emeritus of the board of trustees and founding member, Japanese American National Museum

Jonathan Laib, director, David Zwirner

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. EDT

WHERE: The virtual stamp event will be hosted on the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook and Twitter pages. For more information, visit usps.com/asawastamps.

BACKGROUND: Inspired by natural elements such as plants, snail shells, spiderwebs, insect wings and water droplets, Ruth Asawa transformed industrial material into transparent and seemingly weightless works of art that challenged traditional definitions of sculpture. When shown together, her sculptures can evoke an undersea domain, a magical upside-down world or an environment all their own. A tireless advocate of community-based arts education, she is also acclaimed for her drawings, paintings, prints and large public projects.

Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, this pane features 20 stamps, two each of 10 designs:

  • Installation view, three looped wire sculptures (left to right): Untitled (S.114, Hanging Six-Lobed Continuous Form Within a Form With One Suspended and Two Tied Spheres), circa 1958; Untitled (S.077, Hanging Miniature Seven-Lobed Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1978; and Untitled (S.036, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Interlocking Continuous Form Within a Form, With Spheres in the First, Sixth and Seventh Lobes), 1959
  • Untitled (S.039, Hanging Five Spiraling Columns of Open Windows), 1959
  • Untitled (S.157, Hanging Two-Lobed, Three-Layered Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1958
  • Untitled (S.250, Hanging Seven-Lobed Continuous Interlocking Form With Four Interior Spheres), circa 1955
  • Untitled (S.055, Hanging Asymmetrical Nine Interlocking Bubbles), circa 1955
  • Untitled (S.018, Hanging Miniature Single-Lobed, Three-Layered Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1980
  • Untitled (S.306, Hanging Miniature Five Interlocking Double Trumpets), circa 1978
  • Untitled (S.030, Hanging Eight Separate Cones Suspended Through Their Centers), circa 1952
  • Untitled (S.042, Hanging Three-Lobed Continuous Form, With a Sphere in the Second Lobe and an Open Sphere Suspended From the Bottom), 1954
  • Installation view, six looped wire sculptures (left to right): Untitled (S.227, Hanging Five-Lobed Continuous Form With Spheres Suspended in the Second, Fourth and Fifth Lobes), circa 1962; Untitled (S.154, Hanging Nine-Lobed, Single-Layered Continuous Form), circa 1958; Untitled (S.142, Hanging Five-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form), 1990; Untitled (S.155, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Interlocking Continuous Form With a Sphere Suspended in the Top and Fifth Lobes), circa 1958; Untitled (S.065, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form With Spheres in the Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Lobes), circa 1960-1963; and Untitled (S.143, Hanging Five-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form), 1996

The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine.

Asawa began making sculptures in 1947 and soon discovered that, in addition to single-layered sculptures, she could also create continuous or intersecting surfaces. Sensual and organic, these multilayered yet still transparent works created a dynamic interplay between interior and exterior surfaces.

Since her death in 2013, public and critical appraisal of her work has continued to reach wider audiences, with much-lauded exhibitions and publications organized by major museums and galleries across the country.

Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer for this stamp pane.
The Ruth Asawa stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which means they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Updated July 12th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.49″ x 1.50″ The pictorial postmark measures 2.54″ x 1.04″The “special” postmark other post offices may use for this issue measures 2.19″ x 1.0″

Updated July 3rd, from the Postal Bulletin:

On August 13, 2020, in San Francisco, CA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Ruth Asawa stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 476300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide August 13, 2020, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Ruth Asawa pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

With these stamps, the Postal Service™ honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013). Showcasing Asawa‘s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Laurence Cuneo and Dan Bradica for David Zwirner gallery. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer for this issuance.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 476300, Ruth Asawa (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 Stamps: No automatic distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
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 usps.com/shop. 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 – Ruth Asawa Stamps
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 December 13, 2020.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Ruth Asawa Stamps
Item Number: 476300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA 94188
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Art: Ruth Asawa
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Custom Pantone Black 6, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./ 21.336 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.93 x 7.12 in./201.422 x 180.848 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 21.61 x 24.596 in./548.894 x 624.738 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) single digits in two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Ruth Asawa — Artist 1926-2013 • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (476300) • Plate position diagram (9) • Promotional text

Atlases (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release, English from Google Translate] [full pane at the bottom]
Stamps Map First Atlases

The Hague, March 24, 2020 – In 2020 it will be 450 years since the very first atlas appeared in print, in Antwerp. Soon more atlases followed, mainly published in the Netherlands. With the issue of the “The first atlases” stamp sheet on March 23, PostNL pays attention to 6 notable publishers, their atlases and their maps.

Scenic from the ground
In 1570 Abraham Ortelius published the first atlas in Antwerp, with the Latin title Theatrum orbis terrarum (literally: the scene of the earth’s soil). Antwerp and Amsterdam were important centers for the atlas. That had everything to do with the prominent position of the Netherlands in international trade and shipping.

Portraits and maps
Next to Abraham Ortelius are Gerard de Jode, Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, Willem Jansz. Blaeu and Johannes Janssonius on the stamps The first atlases. These publishers from the low countries were responsible for all kinds of beautiful atlases published in the 16th and 17th centuries. The stamps show not only portraits of the 6 publishers, but also maps of the Netherlands from their atlases. All maps shown are from atlases from the Allard Pierson | collection The Collections of the UvA. The portraits were made available by the Rijksmuseum.

Nod in the middle
Because of the legibility, the cards have been placed on the stamp as large as possible. That is why Maud van Rossum, the designer of the stamp sheetlet, left out the page mirror of the atlas page as much as possible. She left only a small border as a frame. The kink in the heart of the page can also still be seen, after all, the map comes from an atlas.

Availability
The stamp sheet The first atlases has 6 different stamps with the international value indication 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. The stamps will be available from March 23 at the post office in the Bruna stores and on the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Postzegels brengen eerste atlassen in kaart
Den Haag, 24 maart 2020 – In 2020 is het 450 jaar geleden dat de allereerste atlas in druk verscheen, in Antwerpen. Al snel volgden er meer atlassen, die vooral in de Nederlanden werden uitgegeven. Met de uitgifte op 23 maart van het postzegelvel ‘De eerste atlassen’ besteedt PostNL aandacht aan 6 opmerkelijke uitgevers, hun atlassen en hun kaarten.

Toneel van de aardbodem
In 1570 bracht Abraham Ortelius in Antwerpen de eerste atlas uit, met de Latijnse titel Theatrum orbis terrarum (letterlijk: het toneel van de aardebodem). Antwerpen en Amsterdam waren belangrijke centra voor de atlas. Dat had alles te maken met de vooraanstaande positie van de Nederlanden in de internationale handel en scheepvaart.

Portretten en kaarten
Naast Abraham Ortelius staan Gerard de Jode, Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, Willem Jansz. Blaeu en Johannes Janssonius op de postzegels De eerste atlassen. Deze uitgevers uit de lage landen waren verantwoordelijk voor allerlei prachtige atlassen die in de 16e en 17e eeuw zijn uitgeven. Op de postzegels zijn niet alleen portretten van de 6 uitgevers te zien, maar ook van kaarten van de Nederlanden uit hun atlassen. Alle afgebeelde kaarten komen uit atlassen uit de collectie Allard Pierson | De Collecties van de UvA. De portretten werden door het Rijksmuseum beschikbaar gesteld.

Knik in het midden
Vanwege de leesbaarheid zijn de kaarten zo groot mogelijk op de postzegel geplaatst. Daarom liet Maud van Rossum, de ontwerper van het postzegelvel, de bladspiegel van de atlaspagina zo veel mogelijk weg. Alleen een klein randje liet zij als omkadering staan. Ook de knik in het hart van de pagina is nog te zien, de kaart komt immers uit een atlas.

Verkrijgbaarheid
Het postzegelvel De eerste atlassen telt 6 verschillende postzegels met de waardeaanduiding internationaal 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een internationale bestemming. De postzegels zijn vanaf 23 maart verkrijgbaar bij het postkantoor in de Bruna-winkels en via de website. De postzegels zijn ook telefonisch te bestellen bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald.

Typically Dutch: Sprinkles (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release, English from Google Translate] [full pane illustration at bottom]
New stamps with the favorite toppings of young and old

The Hague, March 24, 2020 – The latest PostNL stamps contain the favorite sandwich spread of young and old in our country: sprinkles. The issue “Typically Dutch – Sprinkles” is the third in this series this year.

Successor to the beautiful Netherlands
The 6 equal stamps have the value indication 1 for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The sprinkles stamps were designed by graphic designer Edwin van Praet of Total Design. The photos were taken by Scrambled Media. Typically Dutch is the successor to Mooi Nederland, a series that has been published for 15 years.

More than a hundred years old
The oldest site for mentioning sprinkles as a sandwich spread is a Drenthe newspaper from the year 1913. Since then sprinkles are indispensable, but it is only available in the Netherlands, Indonesia, Suriname and Belgium. In other countries, similar products are for sale, but for sprinkling cakes. Different types of sprinkles are available, such as fruit sprinkles, aniseed sprinkles and – most important of course – chocolate sprinkles. According to the Commodities Act Decree on Cocoa and Chocolate, chocolate sprinkles must contain at least 32 percent cocoa.

Pure sprinkles on bread
On the stamps Typically Dutch – sprinkles is a brown sandwich with butter and sprinkles on it, lying on a white plate with a knife and fork on either side. There are also some loose grains of sprinkles on the plate. Designer Van Praet: “Who in the Netherlands has not grown up with sprinkles? I certainly. As a child you first realize how typical Dutch sprinkles are when you go on holiday abroad. There are different types of chocolate sprinkles, but pure is of course the best. And it looks powerful in the photo. Just as the cut bread is the most beautiful bread to photograph in terms of shape. ”

Availability
The stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – sprinkles has 6 equal stamps with the value indication Netherlands 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from March 23, 2020 at the post office in the Bruna stores and through the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Nieuwe postzegels met het favoriete broodbeleg van jong en oud

Den Haag, 24 maart 2020 – Op de nieuwste postzegels van PostNL staat het favoriete broodbeleg van jong en oud in ons land: hagelslag. De uitgifte ‘Typisch Nederlands – hagelslag’ is de derde uit deze serie dit jaar.

Opvolger Mooi Nederland
Op de 6 gelijke postzegels staat de waardeaanduiding 1 voor post tot en met 20 gram met een bestemming binnen Nederland. Het ontwerp van de hagelslagpostzegels is van de hand van grafisch ontwerper Edwin van Praet van Total Design. De foto’s zijn gemaakt door Scrambled Media. Typisch Nederlands is de opvolger van Mooi Nederland, een serie die 15 jaar lang is verschenen.

Ruim honderd jaar oud
De oudste vindplaats voor de vermelding van hagelslag als boterhambeleg is een krant uit Drenthe uit het jaar 1913. Sindsdien is hagelslag niet meer weg te denken, maar het ligt alleen in Nederland, Indonesië, Suriname en België in de winkel. In andere landen zijn wel soortgelijke producten te koop, maar dan om taarten mee te bestrooien. Er zijn verschillende soorten hagelslag verkrijgbaar, zoals vruchtenhagel, anijshagel en – de belangrijkste natuurlijk – chocoladehagelslag. Volgens het Warenwetbesluit Cacao en chocolade moet chocoladehagelslag minstens 32 procent cacao bevatten.

Pure hagelslag op knipbrood
Op de postzegels Typisch Nederlands – hagelslag is een bruine boterham afgebeeld met daarop boter en hagelslag, liggend op een wit bord met een mes en vork aan weerszijden. Op het bord liggen ook wat losse korreltjes hagelslag. Ontwerper Van Praet: “Wie in Nederland is er nu niet met hagelslag opgegroeid? Ik zeker. Je beseft als kind voor het eerst hoe typisch Nederlands hagelslag is als je naar het buitenland met vakantie gaat. Er zijn verschillende soorten chocoladehagelslag, maar puur is natuurlijk het lekkerst. En het ziet er krachtig uit op de foto. Net zoals het knipbrood qua vorm het mooiste brood is om te fotograferen.”

Verkrijgbaarheid
Het postzegelvel Typisch Nederlands – hagelslag telt 6 gelijke postzegels met de waardeaanduiding Nederland 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een bestemming binnen Nederland. De postzegels zijn vanaf 23 maart 2020 verkrijgbaar bij het postkantoor in de Bruna-winkels en via de website. De postzegels zijn ook telefonisch te bestellen bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald.

Anne Frank, 75 Years Later (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release, via Google Translate]
Anne Frank, 75 Years Later

The Hague, March 23, 2020 – The Netherlands will commemorate the end of World War II in 2020, 75 years ago. With 4 gold stamps, PostNL pays attention to events that have left an indelible impression. Both to those who experienced it and to the next generations, to this day.

The Secret Annex
In the series End of World War II, the golden stamp Anne Frank, 1945 – 2020, appeared last Friday. It is 75 years ago that Anne Frank passed away. Thanks to Anne Frank’s diary, published after the war as Het Achterhuis, her name has become synonymous worldwide with the horrors of persecution.

Dear Kitty
The gold stamp contains a passport photo of Anne Frank from May 1942. Anne was 12 years old at the time. At the bottom of the photo you can read the salutation “Dear Kitty”. Kitty is the fictional friend to whom Anne Frank wrote many of her diary letters.

Gold Series
The stamp about Anne Frank is part of the series End of World War II. On January 23, the stamp about Operation Market Garden was already published, the attempt of the Allies in September 1944 to get hold of the bridges over Maas, Waal and Rijn in the Netherlands. The next stamp is about the liberation of the Netherlands. This will be released on May 5. The last stamp issue in the series is on August 15, the day that the Japanese army laid down its weapons in what was then the Dutch East Indies 75 years ago.

Anne Frank Foundation
The issue of the Anne Frank stamp, 1945 – 2020, was established in consultation with the Anne Frank House. This foundation manages the hiding place of Anne – Het Achterhuis – on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam and brings her life story to the attention worldwide.

Availability
The End of World War II series is available as long as supplies last, only through the website and from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The stamp contains value indication 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The period of validity is indefinite.

[press release]
Anne Frank, 75 jaar later
Den Haag, 23 maart 2020 – Nederland herdenkt in 2020 het einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog, 75 jaar geleden. PostNL besteedt met 4 gouden postzegels aandacht aan gebeurtenissen die een onuitwisbare indruk hebben achtergelaten. Zowel op degenen die het meemaakten als op de volgende generaties, tot op de dag van vandaag.

Het Achterhuis
In de serie Einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog verscheen afgelopen vrijdag de gouden postzegel Anne Frank, 1945 – 2020. Het is dit jaar 75 jaar geleden dat Anne Frank overleed. Dankzij Anne Franks dagboek, na de oorlog uitgegeven als Het Achterhuis, is haar naam wereldwijd synoniem geworden met de verschrikkingen van vervolging.

Lieve Kitty
Op de gouden postzegel staat een paspoortfoto van Anne Frank uit mei 1942. Anne was toen 12 jaar oud. Onderaan de foto is de aanhef ‘Lieve Kitty’ te lezen. Kitty is de fictieve vriendin aan wie Anne Frank veel van haar dagboekbrieven schreef.

Gouden serie
De postzegel over Anne Frank maakt deel uit van de serie Einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Op 23 januari verscheen al de postzegel over de operatie Market Garden, de poging van de geallieerden in september 1944 om in Nederland de bruggen over Maas, Waal en Rijn in handen te krijgen. De volgende postzegel gaat over de bevrijding van Nederland. Deze komt op 5 mei uit. De laatste postzegeluitgifte in de serie is op 15 augustus, de dag dat 75 jaar geleden het Japanse leger in het toenmalig Nederlands-Indië de wapens neerlegde.

Anne Frank Stichting
De uitgifte van de postzegel Anne Frank, 1945 – 2020 is tot stand gekomen in afstemming met de Anne Frank Stichting. Deze stichting beheert de onderduikplek van Anne – Het Achterhuis – aan de Prinsengracht in Amsterdam en brengt haar levensverhaal wereldwijd onder de aandacht.

Verkrijgbaarheid
De serie Einde van de Tweede Wereldoorlog is, zolang de voorraad strekt, uitsluitend verkrijgbaar via de website en bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. Op de postzegel staat waardeaanduiding 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een bestemming binnen Nederland. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald.

Irish Women (Ireland 2020)

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From the AnPost website:
Pioneering Irish Women
‘N’ Rate Strip of 5 Stamps

Irish women have long been pioneers and innovators both at home and abroad. Amongst the visionaries who encourage the continuation of their successes in a new generation of women in Ireland are:

  • Carmel Snow, pioneering Editor-in-Chief of Harpers Bazaar, was considered the most powerful fashion arbiter in America from the 1930s to the 1950s
  • Maureen O’Hara – actor, whose stellar Hollywood film career, spanning seven decades, led to an honorary Lifetime Academy Award in 2014 aged 94
  • Lilian Bland, who flew Ireland’s first powered biplane
  • Maeve Kyle – the first woman to represent Ireland at the Olympics, when she qualified for the sprints in Melbourne 1956
  • Sarah Purser – artist, in 1923 she became the first female member of the Royal Hibernian Academy

Technical Specifications:

Date of Issue: March 5, 2020
Value & Quantity: N Strip of 5 (238k)
Design: Design HQ
Size: 30mm x 51mm
Paper: TR 102gsm Yellow Green Phosphor PVA gum
Colour: Black with various spot colours
Make-up: Sheetlet of 15
Perforations: 14 x 13.25
Printing Process: Lithography
Printer: Royal Joh. Enschedé

More information here on the AnPost website.

Ireland’s 2020 Stamp Programme

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From the AnPost website:
Each year An Post runs a programme of special and commemorative stamps on behalf of the Irish Government. We are now taking suggestions for the 2022 stamp programme.

This year the programme includes 51 stamps covering 14 different topics:

Issue Date Description Number of Stamps
23 January Galway and Rijeka – European Capitals of Culture 2020 2
30 Jan. Love and Marriage 1
20 Feb. War of Independence (Struggle for Sovereignty) 1
27 Feb. The Irish Abroad 5
5 March Pioneering Irish Women 5
9 April Centenary of the birth of Liam Cosgrave 1
23 April 25th Anniversary of Father Ted 4
11 June Ireland’s Pride Movement 2
25 June Ninth Definitive Series ‘A History of Ireland in 100 Objects’ – Phase IV 12
16 July EUROPA – Ancient Postal Routes 2
TBC Aug. GAA/County Colours 4
TBC Sept. War of Independence (Civil Society) 2
8 October U2 – A Celebration 4
29 Oct. Christmas 6
Total number of commemorative stamps, including definitives 51

Dahlia (Canada 2020)

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Issued: March 2, 2020

[press release]
Canada Post cultivates thoughts of spring with dahlia stamps
Popular wedding flower is a favourite with Canadian gardeners OTTAWA – Just in time to comfort the winter weary, Canada Post has released its annual flower stamp issue. This year’s offering features the colourful dahlia, a familiar standby for many Canadian gardeners.

Spikey, showy and uncomplicated, dahlias are part of the Asteraceae family, which includes sunflowers, daisies, chrysanthemums and zinnias. Single or double flowering, dahlias come in a rainbow of colours (except blue). Considered an annual in Canada, these robust plants will bloom in most parts of the country from mid-summer until the first frost. In the Victorian era, dahlias were exchanged by couples as a show of commitment. They are still widely used in weddings and are said to symbolize honesty, balance, inner strength, creativity, positive change and kindness. More recently, the dahlia has become symbol of diversity, given the seamless way each petal fits into the whole flower head.

The stamps are available in booklets of 10 – five of each of the two designs – with matching envelope seals, as well as in convenient coils of 50, offering 25 of each design, for use on wedding invitations and stationery. A two-stamp souvenir sheet is available for collectors, along with strips of four and 10 stamps from the coil. An Official First Day Cover featuring both stamps is cancelled in Bloomfield, N.L. The stamp was designed by Lionel Gadoury, Umaymah Motala and Malika Soin of Context Creative, with photography by Veronique Meignaud. The booklet, souvenir sheet and Official First Day Cover were printed by Canadian Bank Note and the coil by Lowe-Martin.

Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and at postal outlets across Canada.

Postes Canada annonce l’arrivée du printemps avec ses timbres sur le dahlia
Cette fleur très prisée par les jardiniers canadiens est souvent utilisée à l’occasion de mariages

OTTAWA – Juste à temps pour nous soulager des rigueurs de l’hiver, Postes Canada a lancé son émission de timbres annuelle sur les fleurs. Les vignettes de cette année mettent en vedette le coloré dahlia, l’une des fleurs préférées des jardiniers canadiens.

À la fois spectaculaire et simple, tout petit ou imposant et garni de pétales pointus, le dahlia appartient à la famille des astéracées, qui comprend le tournesol, la marguerite, le chrysanthème et le zinnia. Que ce soit en fleurs simples ou doubles, le dahlia existe dans un nombre infini de couleurs, à l’exception du bleu. Cette plante robuste, considérée comme une annuelle au Canada, fleurit dans la plupart des régions du pays du milieu de l’été jusqu’au premier gel. À l’époque victorienne, les couples s’échangeaient un dahlia comme promesse d’engagement. Encore très utilisée à l’occasion de mariages, cette fleur symbolise traditionnellement l’honnêteté, l’équilibre, la force intérieure, la créativité, le changement positif et la bonté. De nos jours, elle représente la diversité, en raison de la façon harmonieuse dont ses nombreux pétales forment la corolle.

Les timbres, offerts en carnets de 10 (5 de chacun des deux motifs) avec les sceaux d’enveloppe assortis, de même qu’en rouleaux de 50 (25 de chaque motif), se prêtent bien aux invitations de mariage et au papier à lettres en général. Les collectionneurs peuvent se procurer un bloc-feuillet de 2 timbres ainsi que des bandes de 4 et de 10 timbres du rouleau. Un pli Premier Jour officiel est également proposé, orné des deux motifs et rehaussé d’un cachet d’oblitération portant la mention « BLOOMFIELD NL ». Lionel Gadoury, Umaymah Motala et Malika Soin, de la maison Context Creative, signent le design et Veronique Meignaud, la photographie. Le carnet, le bloc-feuillet et le pli Premier Jour officiel ont été imprimés par Canadian Bank Note et le rouleau par Lowe-Martin.

Les timbres et autres articles de collection sont en vente à postescanada.ca et dans les comptoirs postaux d’un bout à l’autre du pays.

From Canada Post’s Details magazine: “In what has become a much-anticipated postal tradition, Canada Post welcomes spring with its annual flower issue – this year, featuring brightly coloured dahlias – just in time for the wedding season and other bloom-worthy celebrations.

“Dahlias can be found in almost every colour of the rainbow, except blue. Said to symbolize honesty, balance, inner strength, creativity, positive change and kindness, they have more recently come to be associated with diversity because of the seamless way their many petals form a single, dazzling blossom.

“According to Carolyn Cutt, President of the Hamilton & District Chrysanthemum & Dahlia Society, “Canadian gardeners enjoy dahlias for their long- blooming, show-stopping appeal, and because they provide a nectar source for pollinators until winter.”

“The fact that Victorian couples gave each other dahlias as a symbol of commitment may be a reason they’re still such a popular choice for wedding floral arrangements.”

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Typically Dutch: Carrots (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release, translated by Google and VSC]
Orange carrots: also so typically Dutch

The Hague, 25 February 2020 – Orange carrots really belong to our country. That is why they are depicted on the latest stamp sheet from the Typisch Nederlands series that PostNL is publishing today.

Separate aspects
Foreigners often find what is common for Dutch people very special. Those distinct aspects of our society are featured in the Typisch Nederlands [“Typically Dutch”] series by PostNL, of which the second stamp sheet has been released today. Typically Dutch is the successor of Mooi Nederland, a series that has been published for 15 years.

Willem van Oranje
The popularity of carrots in the Netherlands is mainly due to the color. Still, carrots have not always been orange, but white, yellow, red and even purple. In the sixteenth century, farmers in the Low Countries deliberately began to grow orange carrots. According to tradition it was to support Willem van Oranje [William of Orange] during the Uprising against Spain.

Heart
Typically Dutch carrots are designed by graphic designer Edwin van Praet from Total Design in Amsterdam. The photos are made by Scrambled Media, also from Amsterdam. Various formats and types of carrots were tested during the photo session. The medium-sized specimens proved to work best. Designer Van Praet: ìWe have placed them close together so that you can recognize a heart in it. With a little bit of green, because that is such a beautiful combination with orange. ”

Availability
The Typically Dutch – Carrots stamp sheet has 6 equal stamps with the value designation Netherlands 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from 24 February 2020 at the post office in the Bruna stores and via the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

United Nations 2020 Stamp Programme

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10 January Chinese Lunar Calendar – Year of the Rat
New York Personalized Stamp Sheet of 10 stamps – $1.20

17 February Endangered Species
$1.20, CHF 1,50, €0,90 (4 designs per sheet – 3 sheets of 16 stamps)
3 Maximum Cards
2020 Endangered Species Collection Folder
Limited Edition Silk Cover

22 April International Mother Earth Day
55¢, $1.20, CHF 1,00, CHF 2,00, € 0,85, € 1,35
(Mini-Sheets of 10 stamps)

11 June Sports for Peace (2020 Olympic Games – Tokyo)
0.55¢, $1.20, CHF 1,00, CHF 1,50, €0,85, €0,90 (Mini-Sheets of 8 stamps)
$1.20, CHF 2,00, € 1,80 – Souvenir Sheets

20 August Flag Series
(Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, Cyprus, Dominika, Lebanon, Mauritania)
$1.20 – 4 Designs per sheet – 2 Sheets of 8 Stamps

4 September World Heritage (UNESCO) Russia
0.55¢, $1.20, CHF 1,00, CHF 1,50, €0,90, €1,80 (Sheets of 20 stamps)
Prestige Booklets

17 September Balkanfila 2020
Special Event Mini-Sheet of 3 stamps – $1.20, CHF 2,00 and € 1,80

2 October UNPA at Övebria 2020
VI Special Event Sheet – €0,90

24 October United Nations 75th Anniversary
$1.20, CHF 2,00, € 1,80 (3 Mini-Sheets of 2 stamps)