Added October 22nd:: These cancellations are also available, two of which may be used as first-day postmarks. They are all available from Cancellation Services in Kansas City, but requests for these five should be sent to a different post office box 449992, zip 64144-9992:

Added October 11-12:

• Photos from the first-day ceremony
• Batman is a stamp collector!

Added October 3rd: Local post offices may use several pictorial postmarks in connection with this issue:

From the October 2nd Postal Bulletin:

On October 9, 2014, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Batman stamps (Forever® First-Class Mail® priced at 49 cents) in eight designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) souvenir sheet of 20 stamps (Item 588400). The $9.80 Batman souvenir sheet may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The stamps will go on sale nationwide October 9, 2014.

Showcasing eight unique designs in a pane of 20 stamps, this new issuance from the U.S. Postal Service celebrates the 75th anniversary of Batman. Four versions of the iconic DC Comics super hero are depicted from four eras of comic book history. In addition, there are four circular stamps showcasing the evolution of the Bat-Signal. The background illustration features a silhouette of Batman standing on a bridge with the skyline of Gotham City looming above him. The verso side of the pane features two illustrations of Batman and text about the history of the character. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp pane.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-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:

Batman Stamps
Special Events Coordinator
380 West 33rd Street, Room 4032
New York, NY 10199-9998

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 December 8, 2014.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 588406, Press Sheet with Die cut, $88.20 (print quantity 2,500).
• 588408, Press Sheet without Die cut, $88.20 (print quantity 2,500).
• 588410, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake (random), $11.95.
• 588416, First-Day Cover (set of 8), $7.44.
• 588421, Digital Color Postmark (set of 8), $13.12.
• 588424, Framed Art, $39.95.
• 588430, Ceremony Program (random), $6.95.
• 588431, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
• 588432, Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark, $1.99.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Batman stamps
Item Number: 588400
Denomination & Type of Issue: Forever First-Class Mail
Format: Pane of 20 (8 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: October 9, 2014, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset/Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta Model 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 80 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Round/Vertical
Image Area (w x h):
Round: 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.34 x 36.07 mm
1.04 x 1.04 in/26.42 x 26.42 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.89 x 39.62 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.5 x 7.25 in./215.90 x 184.15 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 25.5 x 21.75 in./ 647.70 x 552.45 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: N/A
Marginal Markings:
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (588400)
• Promotional text • Batman logo and Trademark Information • DC Comics
• Batman images • Batman Story line

October 1st: see below for the two first-day postmarks.

Later September 28th: USPS press release, complete images.

Batman Honored by U.S. Postal Service to Celebrate 75 Years of the Timeless Super Hero
Eight Limited Edition Forever Stamps Celebrate Batman’s Evolution in Comics
[Click on the images for larger versions]

WASHINGTON, D.C. and BURBANK, CA — The U.S. Postal Service, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products and DC Entertainment, is proud to announce that Batman, one of DC Comics’ most beloved characters, will be immortalized in a Limited Edition Forever postage stamp collection.

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Limited Edition Forever Batman Stamp Collection Set will take place in “Gotham City,” at 10:30 a.m., Oct. 9 at the Javits Center to kick off New York Comic Con 2014.

In honor of Batman’s 75th anniversary as the protector of Gotham City, he will join the elite ranks of American pop-culture icons that have been given this honor. The stamp collection will feature multiple images of the Caped Crusader from artistically distinct periods across his comic book history, exhibiting the evolution of the Dark Knight over the past seven-and-a-half decades.

“The U.S. Postal Service has a long history of celebrating America’s icons, from political figures to pop-culture’s most colorful characters. We are thrilled to bring Batman off the pages of DC Comics and onto the limited edition Forever Batman stamp collection, marking his place in American history,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Nagisa Manabe.

“Over the past 75 years Batman has captured the imagination of fans around the world — from comic books to television, film, video games and beyond,” said Jim Lee, renowned comic book artist and co-publisher of DC Entertainment. “Today Batman is more relevant than ever and his popularity continues to expand, reaching the generations to come in the next 75 years and beyond.”

Showcasing eight unique designs in a pane of 20 stamps, the Batman Limited Edition Forever Stamps celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Super Hero. The set includes Batman depicted from the four eras of comic book history as well as the four incarnations of the famed Bat emblem:

The Modern Age, top row.

The Bronze Age, second row.

The Silver Age, third row.

and the Golden Age, bottom row.

Batman’s Legacy
First appearing in the comic book Detective Comics #27, which hit newsstands March 30, 1939, featuring artwork by Bob Kane and a script by Bill Finger, Batman emerged from the shadows to become the one of the world’s most popular Super Hero and dominate media. In feature films, television shows, radio, video games, publishing and merchandise, this most human of Super Heroes has battled some of fiction’s greatest villains using his intellect, cunning and an arsenal of gadgets to further his quest for justice.

These stamps chronicle the evolution of the character, from his origins to present day. Batman spans generations fighting for justice in the pages of the comics, on the silver screen, and in the imaginations of fans across the world.

The Batman Limited Edition stamps are being issued as Forever stamps and always will be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

September 28th: USA Today has a few more details and a design image. The articles says there will be eight designs depicting four eras; the one shown here is from the bottom row.and “highlights Batman as first envisioned by creator Bob Kane…”

More designs below.

September 18th: The USPS is listing this issue on the Events Calendar on its national website. The listing says the first day ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on October 9th at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. No further details are available at this time. The unannounced event listing was first reported by Jay Bigalke in Linn’s Stamp News.

However, New York Comic Con is being held at the Javits Center October 9-12. As of September 19th, there were no references or event listings about the stamp on NYCC’s website.

Earlier, as detailed here, Linn’s expected the stamp to be issued this past summer.

And at a press briefing during StampShow 2015 in Hartford in August, USPS Stamp Services chief Susan McGowan said there was one still-unannounced issue, a blockbuster, in the 2014 stamp program.

Batman made his debut in 1939, 75 years ago….although that issue of Detective Comics was published in May, 1939. McGowan indicated in August that the USPS was still negotiating with someone about that “blockbuster.”

 

First day postmarks:

DCP Size: 3.22″ x 1.38″

B&W Size: 2.51″ x 1.20″