Scott Catalog numbers:

5008 (49¢) Coast Guard
a. Imperforate

Updated August 1st: Here’s the Digital Color Postmark for this issue: It measures 1.47″x1.47″.

Updated July 9th from the Postal Bulletin:
On August 4, 2015, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the United States Coast Guard stamp, (Forever® priced at 49 cents) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 473200).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide August 4, 2015.

This stamp honors the United States Coast Guard for its role in protecting the security of the nation and advancing its vital maritime interests. In an oil painting on masonite, renowned aviation artist William S. Phillips depicts two icons of the Coast Guard: the cutter Eagle, a three-masted sailing ship known as “America’s Tall Ship,” and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, the standard rescue aircraft of the Coast Guard. Art director Phil Jordan designed the 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 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:

United States Coast Guard Stamp
Special Events
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20090-2282

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 October 3, 2015.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 473206, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $58.80 (print quantity 500).
• 473208, Press Sheet without Die-cut, $58.80 (print quantity 1,000).
• 473210 Keepsake (stamp pane with Digital Color Postmark) $11.95.
• 473216 First-Day Cover $0.93.
• 473221 Digital Color Postmark $1.64.
• 473224 Framed Art $39.95.
• 473230 Ceremony Program $6.95.
• 473231 Stamp Deck Card $0.95.
• 473232 Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark $1.99.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: United States Coast Guard Stamp
Item Number: 473200
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail® Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 4, 2015, Washington, DC 20066
Designer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Art Director: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Typographer: Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Artist: William S Phillips, Ashland OR
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 15 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x .84 in./36.07 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x .98 in./39.62 x 24.89 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.24 x 5.92 in./183.90 x 150.37 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 21.72 x 11.84 in./551.69 x 300.73 mm
Plate Size: 120 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (473200) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text • Coast Guard Information

Updated June 23rd: From the USPS:

The United States Postal Service cordially invites you to attend the First-Day-of-Issue Stamp Dedication Ceremony for the
United States Coast Guard Commemorative Forever Stamp
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4, 2015 10:00 a.m.
Douglas A. Munro Headquarters Building
2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave, SE Washington, DC 20593

RSVP is required philatelic media, members of the stamp collecting community and their friends

To RSVP, please contact us at: nationalevents@usps.gov or call Artis Montgomery at 202-268-3418 before Tuesday July 21, 2015.

The RSVP is only to confirm that you wish to attend. Homeland Security and Coast Guard prescreening is required prior to being admitted on the Campus.

When your RSVP has been received, you will get additional guidance via email for the screening process.

Connect with us using the hashtag #COASTGUARDSTAMP

Updated February 20th: This stamp may be earlier in the summer; the USCG is asking for a reconsideration of the August date.

From earlier: First Day of Issue date and city aren’t announced but August 4 would be a good guess for the former.

This stamp commemorates both the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Revenue Cutter Service bill into law on August 4, 1790, and also the 100th anniversary of the formal establishing of the U.S. Coast Guard. The original oil painting (oil on masonite by William S. Philips) shows the cutter Eagle and a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, the standard aircraft used for rescues. The Eagle was also featured on a 1978 postcard. “We’re excited by this stamp,” said Tackett.