Raven Story (U.S. 2021)

Posted on by

From the U.S. Postal Service announcement on November 17, 2020:From the USPS: Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast. Among the cultures of the region, Raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. Inspired by the traditional story of Raven setting free the sun, the moon and the stars, Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl depicts Raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.

This stamp will be issued July 30th with a ceremony in Juneau, Alaska.

The Scott catalogue number is 5620.

Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent at the top.

Updated July 7th:
[ceremony information]
U.S. Postal Service Honors Raven Story with Stamp
Tlingit Artist Designed Stamp To Be Unveiled in Alaska

WHAT: The U.S. Postal Service will unveil the Raven Story Forever Stamp at the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau, AK.

Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast, part of the area that ranges from Southeast Alaska through coastal British Columbia and south into Washington state.

News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #RavenStoryStamp and #NativeAmericanRavenStory.

The Raven Story stamps can be preordered at USPS.com.

The story behind the stamp will also be featured on the U.S. Postal Service Facebook and Twitter pages, posting at 5 p.m. ET on July 30, 2021. A pictorial postmark of the designated first-day-of-issue city, Juneau, is available at usps.com/shopstamps.

WHO: Jakki Krage Strako, U.S. Postal Service chief commerce and business solutions officer and executive vice president

Rosita Worl, president, Sealaska Heritage Institute

Rico Worl, stamp artist

WHEN: Friday, July 30, 2021, at 11 a.m. AKDT

WHERE:
Sealaska Heritage Institute
105 S. Seward St.
Juneau, AK 99801

BACKGROUND: The stamp was created by Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl. The stamp design depicts a raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. To create the stamp art, Worl used formline, the traditional design style of the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast. The art director is Antonio Alcalá.

Among the cultures of the region, the raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. The stamp is inspired by the traditional story of the raven setting the sun, moon and stars free.

The Raven Story stamps are being issued as a Forever stamp in panes of 20. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1 ounce price.

Updated June 17th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.55″ x 1.45″ The pictorial postmark measures 2.36″ x 1.14″

Updated June 17th from the Postal Bulletin:
On July 30, 2021, in Juneau, AK, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Raven Story stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 478000). This stamp will go on sale nationwide July 30, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast, part of the area that ranges from Southeast Alaska through coastal British Columbia and south into Washington state. Among the cultures of the region, the raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. Inspired by the traditional story of Raven setting free the sun, the moon, and the stars, Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl depicts Raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. To create the stamp art, Worl used formline, the traditional design style of the Indigenous people of the northern Northwest Coast. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.

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 – Raven Story Stamp
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 November 30, 2021.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Raven Story Stamp
Item Number: 478000
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 30, 2021, Juneau, AK 99801
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Artist:: Rico Worl, Juneau, AK
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Flexographic, Foil Stamping, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Grey PMS 429, Kurz Luxor 220 Gold
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in. / 36.068 x 21.336 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 in. / 39.624 x 24.892 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.24 x 6.23 in. / 183.896 x 158.242 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 12.71 x 21.71 in. / 322.834 X 551.4334 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by two (2) single digits in bottom two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Raven Story • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (478000) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text

11 thoughts on “Raven Story (U.S. 2021)”

  1. Though this is an impressive stamp it may be worth noting, however, that the Northwest Coast at no point enters the Northwest.

    • I’m very interested in this stamp. I am a bit confused though about your comment. Can you elaborate, please?

      • A bit counterintuitively, the Northwest is the area of Michigan-Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana-Ohio, roughly speaking, which is not the northwest part of the United States, nor, really, anywhere near it. I’ve always imagined the “Pacific Northwest” is called “Pacific” to distinguish it from the Northwest.

        • I must say coming from the southwest, the states you mention are decidedly mid-western states in current jargon. The non-pacific northwest is actually Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. You are actually in an area that us westerners refer often refer to as “back east”, frankly. Northern but not western to anyone but East Coasters.

  2. however a search of Tlingit/Athabascan results,
    Athabascan Cultures – Alaskan Natives
    http://www.alaskan-natives.com/alaskan-native-cultures/athabascan-cultures
    Athabascan Indians live in interior Alaska and have the largest land base of any other Alaska Native group. The Athabascan are efficient hunters and fishers and the moose, caribou, salmon and the birch tree are the most important resources. These provide food, clothes and shelter.

    Tlingit Culture – Alaska Natives
    https://www.alaskan-natives.com/alaskan-native-cultures/tlingit-culture
    The Tlingit are a tribe, people and culture that are indigenous to the United States. They have owned and occupied Southeast Alaska since time immemorial. They are a federally recognized region-wide tribe under the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. search of “Tlingit/Athabascan”

    So perhaps what the PO is referring to is correct

    • I think to refer to Ohio-Michigan-Wisconsin as the Northwest (and certainly it not a coast) in this day is certainly an anachronism. I think if you showed 100 people a map of the U.S. and asked where the northwest coast of the U.S. is located that almost all (perhaps all) would point toward Washington-Oregon-Alaska.

      • Again, the northwest coast is not in the Northwest, which is what is weird about it. The Northwest remains the Northwest, and otherwise, there would be no reason to talk about the Pacific Northwest. I was born in the Northwest.

  3. From USA Philatelic 3rd Quarter USPS# 480006 Press Sheet $66.00 #08 Uncut Press Sheet $66.00

Comments are closed.