The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released sometime in November, at a not-yet-determined city.

From my article from the October press preview:

Two more stamps featuring the Medal of Honor — this time for the Korean War — will be issued, likely around Medal of Honor Day (March 25th).

Although it would appear that “March 25th” is wrong, then why include it on this partial schedule that only otherwise goes up to June?

[The post-ceremony press release is at the bottom of this entry, along with better-quality images of the stamp designs. A photo essay on the first day ceremony in Petersburg, Virginia, can be found here.]

The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released sometime in June, at Petersburg, Va.

From my article from the October press preview:

There will be another souvenir sheet in the Civil War series, this one commemorating the 1864 battles of Petersburg and Mobile Bay. The two stamps will be issued on the anniversary of the Petersburg battle, possibly June 15-18, in Petersburg, Va., but McGowan wouldn’t rule out a same-day first day ceremony in Mobile, Alabama. The reverse of the sheet shows a cannon crew.

April 25th: There will be first day ceremonies in both Petersberg and Mobile on July 30th.

From the USPS June 12th:

The Civil War (1861-1865), the most wrenching chapter in American history, claimed the lives of more than 620,000 soldiers and brought vast changes to the country. The Postal Service™ continues its commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the war by issuing a souvenir sheet of two stamp designs for 2014.

One stamp depicts the 22nd United States Colored Troops engaged in the June 15-18, 1864, assault on Petersburg, Virginia, at the beginning of the Petersburg Campaign. The other stamp depicts Admiral David G. Farragut’s fleet at the Battle of Mobile Bay (Alabama) on August 5, 1864.

Art director Phil Jordan created the stamps using iconic images of the battles. The Petersburg Campaign stamp is a reproduction of a painting, dated 1892, by J. André Castaigne. The Battle of Mobile Bay stamp is a reproduction of a painting by Julian Oliver Davidson, published ca. 1886 by Louis Prang & Co.

For the background image on the souvenir sheet, Jordan used a photograph of Battery A, 2nd U.S. Colored Artillery (Light), Department of the Cumberland, 1864.

The souvenir sheet includes comments on the war by Ulysses S. Grant, Jeremiah Tate, Harrie Webster, and Howell Cobb. It also includes some of the lyrics from the Negro spiritual “O Mary, Don’t You Weep.”

The Petersburg Campaign and the Battle of Mobile Bay 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.

Added June 25th: The first-day postmarks for this issue:

Both Digital Color Postmarks measures 2.43″ x 1.23″.
Both B&W postmarks measure 2.63″ x 1.17″.

From the June 26th Postal Bulletin:

On July 30, 2014, in Petersburg, Virginia at the Peters­burg National Battlefield, and in Mobile, Alabama at the History Museum of Mobile, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue a Civil War: 1864 (Forever® priced at 49 cents) com­memorative se-tenant First–Class Mail stamp pair (two designs) in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) souvenir sheet of 12 stamps (Item 587300). The $5.88 Civil War: 1864 souvenir sheet may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 30, 2014.

In 2014, the U.S. Postal Service continues its five-year commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War with this souvenir sheet, which includes two stamps. One depicts the 22nd United States Colored Troops engaged in the June 15-18, 1864, assault on Petersburg, Virginia, at the beginning of the Petersburg Campaign. The stamp is a reproduction of a painting, dated 1892, by J. André Castaigne (painting courtesy of the West Point Museum, United States Military Academy, West Point, New York). The other stamp depicts Admiral David G. Farragut’s fleet at the Battle of Mobile Bay (Alabama) on August 5, 1864. The background image on the pane is a photograph of Bat­tery A, 2nd U.S. Colored Artillery (Light), Department of the Cumberland, 1864 (photograph courtesy of the Chicago History Museum, ICHi-07774). The souvenir sheet also includes period quotes and lyrics from a Negro spiritual. The Civil War Sesquicentennial series was designed by art director Phil Jordan.

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:

Civil War: 1864 (Mobile, AL)
Supervisor Customer Service Support
250 Saint Joseph Street
Mobile, AL 36601-9998

Civil War: 1864 (Petersburg, VA)
Retail Manager – Richmond District
1801 Brook Road
Richmond, VA 23232-9640

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 28, 2014.

There are eleven philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 587306 Press Sheet w/Die cuts, $35.28 (print quantity 1,500).
• 587308 Press Sheet w/o Die cuts, $35.28 (print quantity 2,500).
• 587310 Keepsake w/Digital Color Postmark (Set of 2), $9.95.
• 587316 First-Day Cover (Set of 2), $1.86.
• 587319 First-Day Cancelled Full Sheet, $8.38.
• 587321 Digital Color Postmark (Set of 2), $3.28.
• 587324 Framed Art, $39.95.
• 587327 Folio, $16.95.
• 587330 Ceremony Program (2 stamps, 2 cancels), $6.95.
• 587331 Stamped Deck Card, $0.95.
• 587332 Stamped Deck Card w/Digital Color
• Postmark (2 stamps, 2 cancels), $2.98.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Civil War: 1864 Stamps
Item Number: 587300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 12 (2 designs)
Series: Civil War Sesquicentennial
Issue Date & City: July 30, 2014, Petersburg, VA 23803 (Petersburg National Battlefield) and Mobile, AL 36601 (History Museum of Mobile)
Designer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Art Director: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Typographer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Engraver: N/A
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 12
Print Quantity: 10,800,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, Warm Grey 6
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 2.0 x 1.06 in./50.81 x 26.87 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 2.10 x 1.20 in./53.45 x 30.42 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.88 x 6.75 in./225.55 x 171.45 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 17.89 x 20.5 in./ 454.28 x 520.70 mm
Plate Size: 72 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: N/A
Marginal Markings:
Back: Civil War 1864 Bio© • Plate Grid
• UPC Code • USPS Logo
• Copyright date 2013 USPS

July 8th: Ceremony Details:

The History Museum of Mobile
111 South Royal Street
Mobile, AL 36602
10 a.m. July 30

Petersburg National Battlefield (next to the Crater)
5001 Siege Road
Petersburg, VA 23803
10 a.m. (suggest wearing sunscreen and a hat. It’s going to be hot!) July 30

Also, there’s going to be a postcard mailing to residents in the area via Every Door Direct Mail product.

Post-ceremony press release:

Battles of Mobile Bay, Petersburg Memorialized on Civil War Forever Stamps
Fourth of Five-Year Civil War Sesquicentennial Stamps Series Continues

MOBILE, AL — Two of the most important events of the Civil War — the Battle of Mobile Bay (AL) and the siege at Petersburg, VA — were memorialized on Forever stamps July 30, 2014, at the sites where these conflicts took place. [VSC’s photo essay on the Petersburg ceremony can be found here.]

One stamp depicts Admiral David G. Farragut’s fleet at the Battle of Mobile Bay (AL) on Aug. 5, 1864. The other stamp depicts the 22nd U.S. Colored Troops engaged in the June 15-18, 1864, assault on Petersburg, VA, at the beginning of the Petersburg Campaign.

“The Civil War was one of the most intense chapters in our history, claiming the lives of more than 620,000 people,” said Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe in dedicating the Mobile Bay stamp. “Today, through events and programs held around the country, we’re helping citizens consider how their lives — and their own American experience — have been shaped by this period of history.”

In Petersburg, Chief U.S. Postal Service Inspector Guy Cottrell dedicated the stamps just yards from the location of an underground explosion — that took place150 years ago today — which created a huge depression in the earth and led to the battle being named “Battle of the Crater.” Confederates — enraged by the sight of black soldiers — killed many soldiers trapped in the crater attempting to surrender.

“The soldiers shown on the Petersburg stamp were part of the 175 regiments — more than 178,000 African-American men — who made up the United States Colored Troops,” Cottrell explained. “They were free blacks from the north as well as escaped and freed slaves from the south. These brave men placed their lives on the line to prove they were fit to be citizens. Beyond fighting to preserve the nation — they were fighting for their freedom and freedom of their families.”

Customers may purchase the Civil War Sesquicentennial 1864 collectible Forever Souvenir Stamp sheet at usps.com/stamps, at 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide.

The Postal Service began the Civil War Sesquicentennial Forever stamp series in 2011 with the Fort Sumter and Battle of Bull Run Forever stamps. In 2012, stamps memorializing the Battles of Antietam and New Orleans were issued. The battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg were recognized on Forever stamps last year.

Art director Phil Jordan of Falls Church, VA, selected historic paintings for the stamp designs. The Petersburg Campaign stamp is a reproduction of a painting, dated 1892, by J. André Castaigne (painting courtesy of the West Point Museum, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY). The Battle of Mobile Bay stamp is a reproduction of a painting by Julian Oliver Davidson, published circa 1886 by Louis Prang & Co.

For the background image on the souvenir sheet, Jordan used a photograph of Battery A, 2nd U.S. Colored Artillery (Light), Department of the Cumberland, 1864 (photograph courtesy of the Chicago History Museum).

The souvenir sheet includes comments on the war by Ulysses S. Grant, Jeremiah Tate, Harrie Webster and Howell Cobb. It also includes some of the lyrics from the Negro spiritual “O Mary, Don’t You Weep.”

The Petersburg Campaign, June 15 – July 4, 1863
In the spring of 1864, Grant launched an offensive targeting Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy.

During the first month of the massive operation, the Union sustained losses to Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at the Battle of the Wilderness, west of Fredericksburg, and at Cold Harbor, just north of Richmond. Instead of retreating, Grant in early June moved his forces across the James River in an attempt to approach Richmond from the south through Petersburg.

Pierre G.T. Beauregard, the general in command of Petersburg’s defense, had fewer than 6,000 soldiers and local militia on June 15 when William F. Smith’s Eighteenth Corps, some 14,000 strong, stormed the city’s fortifications. Two brigades of African-American soldiers spearheaded the assault and were poised to enter the city.

Battle of the Crater and the role of U.S. Colored Troops
A long siege of 10 months ensued, despite a Union attempt on July 30 to blast through Confederate defenses at the Battle of the Crater. After digging a 500-foot tunnel under a Confederate strongpoint, a regiment of Pennsylvania coal miners in Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’s Ninth Corps (Army of the Potomac) set off a massive explosion. Union soldiers charged into the resulting crater but became sitting ducks for Confederates as they tried to climb its steep sides. Grant called the battle “a stupendous failure.”

As in the initial June assault, black troops participated in the fighting at the Battle of the Crater. However, by the time the all-black Fourth Division of the Ninth Corps entered the battle, the crater was clogged with Federal troops and their offensive was stalling. As Confederates counterattacked, according to witnesses, they became enraged at the sight of black soldiers and killed many who were essentially trapped in the crater and attempting to surrender. The Fourth Division lost more than 1,000 men, nearly 40 percent of the Ninth Corps’ losses that day.

After the Union defeat at the Battle of the Crater, both sides settled into trench warfare that lasted another eight months. The battle caused a decline in Northern morale and nearly prevented Lincoln from winning a second term as president. The Petersburg Campaign ultimately led to Richmond and to the South’s surrender at Appomattox.

Battle of Mobile Bay Aug, 5, 1864
Beyond Virginia, Grant set his sights on Mobile, coordinating an attack with Gen. William T. Sherman’s advance further south toward Atlanta. Adm. David G. Farragut, hero of the U.S. Navy’s conquest of New Orleans in 1862, headed the operations against Mobile. To reach the city, his fleet had to face fire from two forts guarding Mobile Bay — and navigate around mines (then called torpedoes) laid at the entrance.

‘Damn the Torpedos! Full speed ahead!’
On Aug. 5, the lead ironclad USS Tecumseh hit a torpedo and sank, losing 94 men. Farragut climbed the rigging of his flagship USS Hartford. From this high perch, he is said to have given the famous order “Damn the Torpedoes! Full speed ahead.”

Farragut and his flagship USS Hartford guided the rest of the fleet through the minefield, and when Fort Morgan surrendered Aug. 23, the Confederacy lost the use of the crucial port of Mobile for the rest of the war.

The March 6h USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released May 22nd at a “TBD” [To Be Determined] city, but I can’t imagine any city other than San Francisco. Update on April 11th: The first-day ceremony will be at the White House, May 22.

Tech-Specs and other details added May 2nd.

Digital Color Postmark first-day cancel added May 15th.

We found the design on April 11th, although it still has not been released by the USPS. (The design was released on April 21st; see below.)

From my article from the October press preview:

There is a Harvey Milk Day each May 22nd (in 2014, it’s a Thursday), but USPS spokesman Mark Saunders doesn’t know if the stamp is tied to that date. This will be a stand-alone issue, not part of a group of four or five subjects.

From the USPS on April 11th:

Harvey Milk Forever Stamp
to be Dedicated at White House May 22

WASHINGTON — The official first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp will take place at the White House May 22.

Harvey Milk was a visionary leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk’s achievements gave hope and confidence to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the United States and elsewhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination. Milk believed that government should represent all citizens, ensuring equality and providing needed services.

His remarkable career was tragically cut short nearly a year after he took office, when he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated.

In 2009, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
May 22 is Harvey Milk Day in California.

The stamp image will be previewed at a later date and a public dedication ceremony will take place in San Francisco May 28. Additional details will be forthcoming.

That “later date” for the stamp design was April 21st:

Postal Service Reveals Harvey Milk Stamp Image
May 22 Dedication Ceremony at the White House;
May 28 San Francisco Ceremony

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service officially revealed the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp today. The stamp’s official first-day-of-issue ceremony will take place May 22 at the White House.

The public is invited to attend the May 28 Harvey Milk Forever Stamp special dedication ceremony in San Francisco. Details on the time and location will be forthcoming. Customers may order the Harvey Milk stamp now at usps.com/shop for delivery following the May 22 stamp issuance.

The stamp image is based on a circa 1977 black and white photograph of Milk in front of his Castro Street Camera store in San Francisco taken by Daniel Nicoletta of Grants Pass, OR. Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, was art director for the stamp.

Harvey Milk was a visionary leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk’s achievements gave hope and confidence to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the United States and elsewhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination. Milk believed that government should represent all citizens, ensuring equality and providing needed services.

His political career was tragically cut short less than a year after he took office in California when he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978.

In 2009, he was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

From the May 1st Postal Bulletin:

On May 22, 2014, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Harvey Milk 49-cent Forever Commemorative stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 472000).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide May 22, 2014.

With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service honors Harvey Milk, a visionary leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. In the stamp art, a well-known black-and-white photograph of Milk by Daniel Nicoletta is accented at top left by a vertical strip showing the colors of the gay pride flag. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp.

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:

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

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue.

• 472006, Press Sheet w/ Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 1,000).
• 472008, Press Sheet w/o Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 1,000).
• 472010, Keepsake w/Digital Color Postmark, $11.95.
• 472016, First-Day Cover, $0.93.
• 472021, Digital Color Postmark, $1.64.
• 472024, Framed Art, $39.95.
• 472030, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 472031, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
• 472032, Stamp Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark. $1.99.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Harvey Milk Stamp
Item Number: 472000
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: May 22, 2014, Washington, DC 20066
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, 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: Overall Phosphor Tagged Paper
Adhesive Type: Pressure sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.82 x 1.42 in./20.83 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): 5.92 x 7.40 in./150.36 x 187.96 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 23.68 x 21.72 in./601.47 x 551.69 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by 1111 (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (472000) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text • Harvey Milk’s Bio • HARVEY MILK Licensed by the Harvey Milk Foundation

And a photo from the unveiling of the stamp design during the White House first day ceremony:

From left to right, Rep. Mark Takano, Singer Mary Lambert, The honorable Evan Low, Rep.  John Lewis, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Stuart Milk, Deputy Postmaster General Ronald Stroman, UN Ambassador Samantha Power, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Anne Kronenberg, Torey Carter, Rep. Mark Pocan. USPS photo by Daniel Afzal

The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released April 25th in New York City. The April 17th Bulletin just has “October.”

From my article from the October press preview:

Details for the Pioneers of Graphic Design sheet of 12 stamps are still not set, since there are rights issues. The sheet will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and the first day ceremony will be tied into an AIGA event, probably in New York City in April. April. One of the designers whose work was shown was Bradbury Thompson, a major stamp designer of the mid-20th century (although, surprisingly, Wikipedia doesn’t mention that). The consensus among the reporters present was that Thompson should be a lock for whatever the final choices are.

The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released in April at an unspecified city.

From my article from the October press preview:

flowers figure prominently in the designs for the ten Songbirds stamps. Each bird is shown perching on a fence post or branch embellished with vines, pinecones, leaves, or flowers. The ten species are:

• the western meadowlark
• the mountain bluebird
• the western tanager
• the painted bunting
• the Baltimore oriole
• the evening grosbeak
• the scarlet tanager
• the rose-breasted grosbeak
• the American goldfinch
• the white-throated sparrow

From the USPS on January 24th:

The U.S. Postal Service celebrates ten melodic voices with the Songbirds stamps: the western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), the western tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), the painted bunting (Passerina ciris), the Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), the evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus), the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea), the rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), the American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), and the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis).

Each colorful bird is shown perching on a fence post or branch embellished with vines, pinecones, leaves, or flowers. The artwork appears against a plain, white background.

Why do songbirds make such a glorious racket every morning? In a word, love. Males sing to attract females, and to warn rivals to keep out of their territory. Between 4,000 and 4,500 different types of songbirds can be found around the planet, accounting for nearly half of all bird species. Songbirds are identified by their highly developed vocal organs, although some, like the crow, have harsh voices, and others sing rarely, or not at all. All songbirds are classified as perching birds. With three toes that point forward and one that points backward, they can grip branches, grasses, or telephone wires with ease.

Illustrator Robert Giusti painted the portraits, based on photographs. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamps.

Songbirds will be issued as Forever® stamps in booklets of 20. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail® one-ounce rate.

From the March 20th Postal Bulletin:
On April 5, 2014, in Dallas Texas, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue Songbirds First-Class Mail® stamps (Forever® priced at 49 cents), in ten designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 689300).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide April 5, 2014.

The U.S. Postal Service® celebrates ten melodic voices with the Songbirds stamp issuance, which features the western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), the mountain bluebird (Sialia currucoides), the western tanager (Piranga ludoviciana), the painted bunting (Passerina ciris), the Baltimore oriole (Icterus galbula), the evening grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus), the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea), the rose-breasted grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus), the American goldfinch (Spinus tristis), and the white-throated sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis). Illustrator Robert Giusti painted the portraits based on photographs. Art director Derry Noyes 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:

Songbirds Stamp
Postmaster
401 Tom Landry Frwy, Room 645

Dallas, TX 75260-9998

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 June 4, 2014.

There are six philatelic products for this stamped issue:

• 689306, Press Sheet with Die Cut, $78.40 (print quantity of 2,500).
• 689308, Press sheet w/o Die Cut, $78.40 (print quantity of 2,500).
• 689310, Keepsake (booklet & random DCP), $11.95.
• 689316, First-Day Cover (set of 10), $9.30.
• 689321, Digital Color Postmarks (set of 10), $16.40.
• 689331, Stamped Deck Card, $0.95.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Songbirds Stamp
Item Number: 689300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: April 5, 2014, Dallas, TX 75260
Art Director: Derry Noyes
Designer: Derry Noyes
Typographer: Derry Noyes
Artist: Robert Giusti
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Engraver: N/A
Printer: Ashton Potter
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller Martini A76
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 400 million
Paper Type: Nonphospheored Type III, Overall Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter Williamsville, NY
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.90 x 39.62 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 6.18 x 3.12 in./156.97 x 79.25 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h)
25.10 x 6.24 in./ 637.41 x 158.50 mm
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Plate Size: 640 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: © 2014 • Songbirds, Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • Barcode • Plate numbers in peel strip area • USPS in peel strip area

  We don’t have a good image yet of the Digital Color Postmark for this issue, but here’s a small version from the Postal Bulletin.

There will be a First Day of Sale ceremony at 12 noon on April 5th at the Philadelphia National Stamp Exposition in Oaks, Pa. Two different pictorial postmarks will be offered: From Oaks and from neighboring Audubon, Pa. These pictorials, designed by American First Day Cover Society immediate past president Chris Lazaroff, who will also lead the ceremony, are shown here.

Here is the design of the FDOS program:

Here’s the Digital Color Postmark:

The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this $1.15 issue will be released April 22nd. The April 3rd Postal Bulletin gives the first-day city as Washington.

From my article from the October press preview:

The round Global Forever stamp will be issued in sheets of 10 rather than this year’s 20, because customers commented that a pane of 20 was too expensive. It looked to me like a thermal image of North America, with a little of South America.

USPSstamps.com gave this stamp a new name and some details, but not a first-day or first-day city, and provided the design:

The March 6th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released April 11th in Los Angeles.

From my article from the October press preview:

Of the revealed subjects, the headliner is Charlton Heston in the Legends of Hollywood series. The eighteenth stamp in the series is a Drew Struzan painting based on a photograph taken by Heston’s wife. The selvage for the issue’s pane will feature a scene from the movie “Ben-Hur.”

Although Heston appeared in dozens of blockbuster films over six decades, he was also a political activist — present at the March on Washington and later president of the National Rifle Association. I asked if there was any political pressure to move Heston to the head of the list for the Legends of Hollywood series; I was told there was not.

USPS added on January 30th:

From the March 6th Postal Bulletin:

Stamp Announcement 14-21: Charlton Heston (471800)

On April 11, 2014, in Hollywood, CA, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Charlton Heston commemorative stamp, in one design in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 471800).

The 18th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series celebrates the career of Charlton Heston (1923-2008). Known for tackling heroic roles in epic blockbusters, Heston made more than 70 films in a career that spanned seven decades. He won a Best Actor Oscar for his role in the 1959 film ”Ben-Hur.” The stamp art features a color portrait of Heston based on a photograph taken by the actor’s wife, Lydia Clarke Heston. A color-tinted image of Heston from ”Ben-Hur” decorates the selvage. The back of the stamp pane includes verso text. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp, illustrated by Drew Struzan.

The stamp will go on sale nationwide April 11, 2014.

Distribution: Item 471800, Charlton Heston Commemorative First Class Mail (Forever priced at 49 cents) PSA Pane of 20 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:

Charlton Heston
Special Events
USPS Marketing ñ Admin Building
7001 S CENTRAL AVE RM 307
LOS ANGELES CA 90052-9998

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 June 10, 2014.

Philatelic Products

There are ten philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
• 471806*, Press sheet with die cuts, $88.20
• 471808*, Press sheet without die cuts, $88.20
• 471810*, Keepsake (pane of 20, 1 DCP) $11.95
• 471816*, First Day Cover, $0.93
• 471818*, First Day Cover Full Pane, $12.30
• 471819*, Cancelled Full Pane, $12.30
• 471821*, Digital Color Postmark, $1.64
• 471830*, Ceremony Program, $6.95
• 471831*, Stamped Deck Card, $0.95
• 471832*, Stamped Deck Card with DCP, $1.99

Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 bar code from Stamp Fulfillment Services. All other philatelic products will continue to use bar code series A, with the exception of the Yearbook and the Guide Book.

Technical Specifications:
Issue: Charlton Heston Stamp
Item Number: 471800
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever Commemorative
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Legends of Hollywood
Issue Date & City: April 11, 2014, Hollywood, CA
Designer: Greg Breeding
Art Director: Greg Breeding
Typographer: Greg Breeding
Artist: Drew Struzan
Engraver:
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 20 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III Blocked Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter, Williamsville, NY
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): .84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
Overall Size (w x h): .98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.63 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.47 x 7.17 in./ 215.24 x 182.10 mm
Press Sheets (w x h) 25.922 x 22.01 in. / 658.42 x 558.98 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: ìPî followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: LEGENDS of HOLLYWOOD Plate numbers in two corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram •
Barcode (471800) in upper right and lower left corners of pane •
Promotional text • Proprietary notice • Biographical text