Announced November 1, 2022:
This stamp honors all of the women cryptologists of World War II. One of the conflict’s best-kept secrets, their service played an inestimable role in the Allied victory. The stamp art features an image from a World War II–era WAVES recruitment poster with an overlay of characters from the “Purple” code. In the pane selvage, seemingly random letters can be deciphered to reveal some key words. The reverse side of the pane discloses the cipher needed to read the words. Antonio Alcalá was the art director and designer for the stamp and pane.
I have read this book on this subject, and recommend it highly:
Updated December 1st:
The Scott Catalog number for this issue is 5738 (5738a for an imperforate single)
Updated September 21st:
On October 18, 2022, in Annapolis Junction, MD, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Women Cryptologists of World War II stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 482200). This stamp will go on sale nationwide October 18, 2022, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
With this stamp, the Postal Service™ honors all of the women cryptologists of World War II. The stamp art features an image from a World War II–era WAVES recruitment poster with an overlay of characters from the “Purple” code, used by the Japanese government to encrypt diplomatic messages.
Established in July 1942, the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) were part of the U.S. Naval Reserve. The key to the Purple code was discovered by a female cryptologist with the U.S. Army‘s Signal Intelligence Service. In the pane selvage, seemingly random letters (ZRPH QF UB SWRORJLVWV RIZRUOGZDULL, FLSKHU, DQDOBCH, and VHFUHW) can be deciphered to reveal some key words. The reverse side of the pane discloses the cipher needed to read the words. Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp and 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 store.usps.com/store/home. 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 – Women Cryptologists of World War II 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 February 18, 2023.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Women Cryptologists of World War II Stamp
Item Number: 482200
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: October 18, 2022, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, 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 7.50 in/150.368 x 190.50 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 12.62 x 22.75 in/330.548 x 577.85 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header “ZRPH QF UB WOMEN CRYPTOLOGISTS OF WORLD WAR II SWRORJLVWV RIZRUOGZDULL” • Left side: “DQ DOB CH” • Right side: “FL SKH U” • Bottom: “VHFUHW • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: Encryption Cipher • ©2021 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (482200) • Promotional text • Plate position diagram (6)
Updated September 19th:
[first-day ceremony information]
Women Cryptologists Crack the Code on New Forever Stamps
What: With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service honors the women cryptologists of World War II, whose work played a significant role in the Allied victory.
The first-day-of-issue event for the stamps is free and open to the public. News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #WomenCryptologistStamp.
Who: Jakki Krage Strako, chief commerce and business solutions officer and executive vice president, U.S. Postal Service
When: Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, at 11 a.m. ET
Where: National Cryptologic Museum
8290 Colony Seven Road
Annapolis Junction, MD 20701
RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at: usps.com/wwiiwomencryptologists.
Background: During World War II, some 11,000 women helped to process and decipher an endless stream of enemy military messages. Both frustrating and exhilarating, their work was one of the conflict’s best-kept secrets.
These women helped break and decipher the encryption systems that revealed vital shipping and diplomatic messages, built the machines that allowed cryptologists to break encrypted messages and performed many other duties.
Today, they are widely considered STEM pioneers, whose contributions opened the door for women in the military and have helped shape information security efforts for future generations.
The stamp art features an image from a World War II-era Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, or WAVES, recruitment poster with an overlay of characters from the “Purple” code. In the pane selvage, seemingly random letters can be deciphered to reveal some key words. The reverse side of the pane discloses the cipher needed to read the words.
Updated September 13th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: The Digit
The Digital Color Postmark for this issue measures 2.97″ x 1.48” 
The Pictorial Postmark for this issue measures 2.73″ x1.25″.
Updated June 15th:
This stamp will be issued October 18 with an Annapolis Junction, MD postmark.
This appears to be the closest post office to National Security Agency headquarters and, more importantly, the National Cryptologic Museum (and on Wikipedia).
POSSIBLY The British will issue a stamp commemorating the women that worked at Bletchley Park, England during the war To Coincide with the issue of this stamp. https://bletchleypark.org.uk/
Are you implying a joined issue?
There are Joint issues and there are Joint issues: Strictly, same basic design, same issue date, representatives from each postal service. But another country could choose to issue a stamp or stamps on the same subject on or around the same date. Britain issued a stamp for Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birth anniversary in 2009. Here’s an example:
Ah, got it. Very interesting. I always follow joint issues, considering how rare they are for USA. From as far as I remember, there was a couple joint issues between USA and: France, Sweden, Canada, USSR, Israel and one with Russia. I think the next country they should try to issue a joint stamp is with Ukraine. Remind me, was Mother Theresa a joint issue in 2010?
Hi. I tried to reply to your comment but it doesn’t show it?
Some comments have to be approved by the moderator (me) before they show. Sorry, I was busy!
Just finished reading Code Girls. They certainly deserved a lot more than postage stamp recognition.
I agree, but a stamp is about all the USPS can do. So much of what they did was classified until a few years ago. The women had been indoctrinated not to talk about their work during the war. According to the book many were reluctant to do so even after the information could be made public. I get the feeling that the stamp was a late addition to the program (it wasn’t in the first version of the press release) and may have been spurred by the books and recent declassifications.
Code Girls is one book every American should read to fully realize what these ladies did and how it affected not only their lives at the time but for many years afterward. The stamp is a small but fitting tribute to their war efforts and sacrifices.
Nothing in USA Philatelic Q2 about this stamp. Still a Mystery I guess…
( Maybe they’re out drinking Tequilla and Margaritas with the Mexican Musicians…)
Still waiting to order but no information has been given. Maybe they are on Margaritas!
I’ve been wanting to buy these stamps and why is the Philatelic vol.27 not have an order number? When will it be out?
The release date is October 18th. They may not want preorders this early.
It’s not the closest post office to CIA as wiki suggests. I worked at NSA. Annapolis Junction is indeed the closest to NSA and the Cryptologic Museum. If I hadn’t retired and moved to North Carolina, I’d attend that one!
Pre-orders are only accepted 30 days prior to the first day. For this issue, the stamp will be available for pre-order on September 18.
Re: This stamp will be issued October 18 with an Annapolis Junction, MD postmark.
This appears to be the closest post office to CIA and National Security Agency headquarters and, more importantly, the National Cryptologic Museum (and on Wikipedia).
The first day postmark will read Annapolis Junction, Maryland because the National Cryptologic Museum, the site of the first day ceremony, is located at 8290 Colony Seven Road, Annapolis Junction, MD 20701. The Colony Seven was once a motel. Urban legend is that when the motel closed, the Russian embassy in DC made an offer for the property due to its proximity to NSA. At that point, NSA decided it needed a museum and bought the property. If go behind the museum to one of NSA’s parking lots, you are in Fort Meade rather than Annapolis Junction. Lloyd also needs to learn the locations of three letter intelligence agencies. NSA’s headquarters is located on Fort Meade, Marland; CIA is Langely (an unicorporated part of McLean, Virginia). Cryptology (code breaking) is one of the missions of NSA (“gather and process FOREIGN intelligence”), not CIA.
The women cryptologists of World War II actually worked at Arlington Hall, a former girls school, located on the grounds of Fort Myer in Arlington, Virginia. When NSA was established in 1951,, Arlington Hall has its first headquarters, before moving to Fort Meade starting the late 1950s.
CIA? Who mentioned CIA? [error fixed as if it had never been]
According to Google Maps, the Annapolis Junction post office is 2.6 miles from the National Cryptologic Museum while the Fort Meade post office is 4.0 miles away. However, access to Fort Meade is restricted to those with a Common Access Card (CAC Card – yes the second card in the name is redundant but that how everyone calls it) so don’t plan to go to the Fort Meade post office for unofficial location postmarks unless you have a CAC card (I have retiree CAC card)
From Post Bull SEP 8 USPS# 4822 No Auto-Distrib DCP and PIC
It is too bad the actual stamp did not have a code to decipher.