First Day Postmark (added January 20th; we’re having trouble getting good quality cancellation design images this year): December 12th: We’ve split this page into the $1 and $2 stamps, with a new page for the $2 Patriotic Waves stamp.

Surprisingly, there is a Digital Color Postmark for this issue!

December 8th: The $1 stamp is confirmed for January 12th with no ceremony in Kansas City, Mo. The $2 stamp will be issued at Southeastern Stamp Show in Norcross, Georgia, on January 30th.

December 3rd: There is a report that the $2 stamp will be issued January 30, 2015 at the Southeastern Stamp Expo in Norcross, Georgia. We’re seeking confirmation, and also wondering about the $1 stamp.

There is no issue date or even month for this issue; it will depend on current inventory of the Waves of Color $1 and $2 definitives. It’s the same artist as Color (Michael Dayer), and the stamps will come in panes of ten. The $2 is standard commemorative size, the $1 is the “special” size.

From the USPS Postal Bulletin December 11th:

On January 12, 2015, in Kansas City, Missouri, the U.S. Postal Service will issue a $1 Patriotic Waves mail use stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 10 stamps (Item 117400).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 12, 2015.

In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service offers the $1 Patriotic Waves, a new, high-denomination stamp. This contemporary stamp design was created to lend a patriotic appearance to packages, large envelopes, and other mailings. $1 Patriotic Waves stamp features red and blue intersecting lines on a white background in an abstract pattern reminiscent of billowing flags. A portion on the lower right side of the stamp provides white space to display the dollar sign and numeral 1. Designer Michael Dyer worked with art director Antonio Alcalá to create this 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 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:

$1 Patriotic Waves Stamp
Cancellation Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-0001

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 March 13, 2015.

There are six philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 117406, Press Sheet with Die cuts, $140.00, (print quantity 500).
• 117408, Press Sheet without Die cuts, $140.00, (print quantity 1,000).
• 117410 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $12.95.
• 117416 First-Day Cover, $1.44.
• 117421 Digital Color Postmark, $2.15.
• 117431 Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: $1 Patriotic Waves Stamp
Item Number: 117400
Denomination & Type of Issue: $1.00, Mail Use
Format: Pane of 10 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: January 12, 2015, Kansas City,
MO 64144
Designer: Michael Dyer, Brooklyn, NY
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Michael Dyer, Brooklyn, NY
Artist: Michael Dyer, Brooklyn, NY
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 10
Print Quantity: 100 Million Stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag applied
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: PMS 2174 C Blue, PMS 185 C Red, PMS Cool Gray C #8
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in./26.67 x 19.56 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in./30.23 x 23.11 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 3.52 x 6.09 in./89.41 x 154.69 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 24.64 x 12.08 in./625.86 x 306.83 mm
Plate Size: 280 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by three (3) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate block numbers in two positions
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Two Barcodes • Promotional text