Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses (U.S. 2021)

From the U.S. Postal Service announcement on November 17, 2020:From the USPS: The long-running series celebrating American lighthouses continues with five new stamps. The mid-Atlantic lighthouses featured in this issuance are: Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. The late Howard Koslow [Wikipedia entry] was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouse series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. The art director was Greg Breeding. [Koslow died in January 2016, so these designs have been “on the shelf” for a while.]

These stamps will be issued August 6th with a ceremony in Highlands, NJ.

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


Updated October 4th:
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:
5621 Montauk Point Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5622 Navesink Twin Lighthouses
a. Imperforate
5623 Erie Harbor Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5624 Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5625 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. strip of 5, #5621-5625
c. Imperforate strip of 5, #5621a-5625a

Updated July 7th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:

The Digital Color Postmark for this issue measures 1.98″ x 1.46″ The pictorial postmark measures 1.83″ x 1.26″

Updated July 7th:
[ceremony information]
New Stamps Shine Light on Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses

WHAT: Lighthouses — with their beauty, mystery and aura of romance — have fascinated and enchanted people for centuries. The Postal Service continues to share in that tradition with Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Forever stamps, the latest in its continuing series of popular lighthouse stamps.

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

WHO: Linda Malone, vice president of engineering systems, U.S. Postal Service

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, at noon ET

WHERE:
Twin Lights State Historic Site
2 Light House Road
Highlands, NJ 07732

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at
usps.com/mid-atlanticlighthouses.

BACKGROUND: For three centuries, the beacons of America’s lighthouses have been guiding mariners through treacherous waters. Though the five mid-Atlantic lighthouses being recognized have a common purpose, each has its own unique story — and its own mysterious, eternal appeal.

Authorized by George Washington and completed in 1796, Montauk Point Lighthouse (New York) is one of the oldest lights in continuous operation in the United States.

Navesink (New Jersey) is one of only seven stations in the country to feature two lighthouse towers.

The tower of the Eric Harbor Pierhead Light (Pennsylvania) tapers from its base to its midsection, then rises straight from there to the top, the only lighthouse tower with this shape in the United States.

Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse (Delaware) has stood within the breakwater since 1926 and is still an active aid to navigation.

And located in the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland), the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse has withstood the elements since 1875.

The Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Updated July 1st from the Postal Bulletin:
On August 6, 2021, in Highlands, NJ, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 481000). These stamps will go on sale nationwide August 6, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The Postal Service™ concludes its long-running series celebrating American lighthouses with five new stamps honoring mid-Atlantic lighthouses. Each stamp features an original acrylic painting of one of the following lighthouses:

  • Thomas Point Shoal, Maryland;
  • Montauk Point, New York;
  • Harbor of Refuge, Delaware;
  • Navesink, New Jersey; and
  • Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania.

Howard Koslow (1924–2016) (right, undated photo from USPS) was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouses series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. Greg Breeding art directed the project.

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 – Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses 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 6, 2021.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Stamps
Item Number: 481000
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (5 designs)
Series: Lighthouses
Issue Date & City: August 6, 2021, Highlands, NJ 07732
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist Howard Koslow
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 40,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
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): 5.92 x 7.5 in. / 150.368 x 190.5 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.84 x 22.5 in. / 300.736 X 571.5 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by four (4) single digits in bottom two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses: Seventh In A Series • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (481000) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text

Updated January 24th:
The grounds of the Twin Lights at Navesink, in Highlands, NJ, are open. The site is now a museum. Here is a link to the website.

It’s interesting that there are actually two lighthouses there, but the stamp design only shows one. They are not really “twins” or identical. According to its website, having two lights “gave the station a definite and decided character that helped distinguish it from the nearby Sandy Hook lighthouse and the Sandy Hook Lightship stationed offshore. When the present station was commissioned on May 1, 1862, the south tower contained a first order Fresnel lens that gave ships a warning of their approach to land. The north tower was lit by a lens of the second order, an indication to vessels they were coming up on a headland along the seacoast and the approach to a bay.”

8 thoughts on “Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses (U.S. 2021)

  1. The stamp design shows the second tower in the background. It’s a stronger image with the one tower in focus.

  2. Many thanks to curator Peggi Carlsen for her efforts to make this happen

  3. The best way to fit our two lighthouse towers on one stamp was this classic image, which also includes the midsection of the building where lighthouse keepers lived and worked, and the powerhouse directly behind where the site generated its own electricity beginning in 1898. Today, the Fresnel lens that once sat upon the South Tower is proudly displayed in the powerhouse, where visitors can get an up-front and personal view of the lens that revolutionized navigation and maritime safety during the golden age of sea travel.

    The new US Postal Service stamp issued in 2021 indicates the location as Navesink, New Jersey. It was originally named Navesink Light Station by the federal government when first commissioned in 1841, as it was built upon the Navesink Highlands (also spelled Neversink in olden days), the geological land mass which overlooks Sandy Hook and features the highest elevation along the Atlantic coast between Maine and South America. Hence, the name Neversink! Interestingly, there is actually no town of Navesink in New Jersey. The Twin Lights, as they are simply referred to today, are located in the town of Highlands, New Jersey.

    Jeff Tyler
    President
    Twin Lights Historical Society

    • Thanks for the information, Jeff. I’m hoping to make a quick trip down there before the stamp is issued, to take a few photographs for my Dragon Cards first day covers. (I’m in northern Bergen County.)

  4. I have been an avid collector of the lighthouse series since it’s inception.. Will this be the LAST in the series?

    • It would appear so, since these were the last stamps designed by Howard Koslow, who died in 2016. He designed all the other stamps in the Lighthouse series.

  5. From USA Philatelic 3rd Quarter USPS# 481006 Press Sheet $66.00, #08 Uncut Press Sheet $66.00

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