Updated January 22-23: The 70¢ Tulip stamp might have a very short life: Stamp Services of the USPS tells The Virtual Stamp Club that if there is a rate increase, there would be a new version of the Tulip stamp with the new denomination. I would point out that June is a big month for weddings; the rule of thumb is to send out invitations something like six weeks in advance, I believe, and the rate hike was requested for April 26th, making this stamp insufficient for invitations for weddings after June 7th.

First Day Cancels (“scratch” versions):
Updated January 21:
On February 14, 2015, in Riverside, CA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Vintage Rose First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 587700).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide February 14, 2015.

In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Vintage Rose, a Forever stamp. This all-occasion stamp can be used for wedding RSVP cards and thank you notes, Mother’s and Father’s Day cards, Valentine’s Day cards, birthday cards, sympathy cards, thinking-of-you cards — for all occasions when a beautiful stamp is fitting. The stamp art features an elaborate floral line drawing of a rose similar to the design of the 2015 two-ounce Vintage Tulip stamp. Jeanne Greco designed these stamps using drawings from engraved plates originally created by naturalist artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). A small, deep crimson heart on both stamps adds a dash of color to the designs and makes them a natural pair. These stamps were printed using the intaglio printing technique. Vintage Rose and Vintage Tulip are the latest additions to the Weddings series. Greg Breeding was the art director.

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:

The Vintage Rose Stamp
Postmaster
Riverside Main Post Office
3890 Orange Street
Riverside, CA 92501-3638

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 April 15, 2015.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 587706, Press Sheet with Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 500).
• 587708 Press Sheet without Die cut, $117.60 (print quantity 1,000).
• 587710 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.
• 587716 First-Day Cover, $0.93.
• 587721 Digital Color Postmark, $1.64.
• 587723 Notecards, $15.95.
• 587724 Framed Art, $29.95.
• 587731 Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
• 587732 Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark, $1.99.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Vintage Rose Stamp
Item Number: 587700
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Weddings
Issue Date & City: February 14, 2015, Riverside, CA 92501
Designer: Jeanne Greco, New York, NY
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Intaglio, Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 150 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: PMS 433, PMS 207 (Intaglio)
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in./19.56 x 26.67 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.55 x 5.76 in./140.97 x 146.30 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 16.65 x 23.04 in./422.91 x 585.22 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by two (2) single digits
Marginal Markings: Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (587700) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

On February 14, 2015, in Riverside, CA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Vintage Tulip, 70-cent mail-use stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 587800).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide February 14, 2015.

In 2015, the U.S. Postal Service will issue Vintage Tulip, an all-occasion, two-ounce stamp, available to accommodate the weight of heavy invitations for weddings and other celebrations, greeting cards, and mailings such as small gifts that require extra postage. The stamp art features an elaborate floral line drawing of a tulip similar to the design of the 2015 Vintage Rose Forever® stamp. Jeanne Greco designed these stamps using drawings from engraved plates originally created by naturalist artist Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717). A small, deep crimson heart on both stamps adds a dash of color to the designs and makes them a natural pair. These stamps were printed using the intaglio printing technique. Vintage Tulip and Vintage Rose are the latest additions to the popular Weddings series. Greg Breeding was the art director.

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:

The Vintage Tulip Stamp
Postmaster
Riverside Main Post Office
3890 Orange Street
Riverside, CA 92501-3638

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 April 15, 2015.

There are eight philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 587806, Press Sheet with Die cut, $168.00, (print quantity 500).
• 587808, Press Sheet without Die cut, $168.00, (print quantity 1,000).
• 587810 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $15.95.
• 587816 First-Day Cover, $1.14.
• 587821 Digital Color Postmark, $1.85.
• 587824 Framed Art, $29.95.
• 587831 Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
• 587832 Stamp Deck Card with Digital Color Postmark, $2.20.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Vintage Tulip Stamp
Item Number: 587800
Denomination & Type of Issue: 70-cent, Mail-Use
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Weddings
Issue Date & City: February 14, 2015, Riverside, CA 92501
Designer: Jeanne Greco, New York, NY
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Modeler: Donald Woo
Manufacturing Process: Intaglio, Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America/SSP
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 30 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive adhesive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: PMS 433, PMS 207 (Intaglio)
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in./19.56 x 26.67 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in./23.11 x 30.22 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.55 x 5.76 in./140.97 x 146.30 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 16.65 x 23.04 in./ 422.91 x 585.22 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “S” followed by two (2) single digits
Marginal Markings: Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2014 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (587800) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

Updated November 30th: These stamps will be issued at APS AmeriStamp Expo in Riverside, Calif. The show is February 13-15, making Friday, the 13th the likely first-day date. updated December 4th: on Saturday, February 14. It also means these stamps can do double-duty for Valentine’s (for procrastinators, at least).

The USPS wants to give brides and grooms a choice of different wedding stamps. These are stylized black-and-white drawings of a “Vintage Tulip” (two ounces) and “Vintage Rose” (one ounce). They will be engraved stamps. “The artwork features details from engraved plates dating from the early 1700’s,” says the USPS. The designer is Jeanne Greco of New York, who also did King & Queen of Hearts a few years ago.