The December 12th USPS Postal Bulletin indicates that this issue will be released on February 12th (Lincoln’s birthday, appropriately enough), probably in Springfield, Illinois.
It will cover the second-ounce rate, whatever that is next year. At present, that’s 20¢; the USPS has asked for 21¢. From my article from the October press preview:
A second-ounce denominated definitive in February will feature Abraham Lincoln, based on a black-and-white photo of the head of the Daniel Chester French statue in the Lincoln Memorial. The format is still not determined. McGowan thinks this stamp will be produced even if the second-ounce rate does not change (as has happened in the last two rate cases), because stocks of the 20-cent George Washington stamp are running low.
From the USPS on December 26th:
With this striking stamp, the U.S. Postal Service honors one of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln.
The stamp features a black-and-white photograph of a close-up view of the statue of Abraham Lincoln by sculptor Daniel Chester French housed inside the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The image shown in the stamp is slightly cropped to showcase the President’s rugged facial features cast in marble.
French’s iconic statue enshrines the sixteenth President as he looked during the Civil War. Composed of 28 blocks of white Georgia marble, the statue is an immense 19-foot tall figure. Two of Lincoln’s great speeches — the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address — adorn the north and south interior walls of the memorial, reminding visitors of his powerful and universal ideals.
Carol Highsmith took the original photograph. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
This stamp is being issued at the second-ounce rate for envelopes and mailings that require additional postage.
“Slightly cropped?” His entire body and the throne are missing, and “slightly cropped?”
This is still one of my favorite designs for 2014.
Here’s the Digital Color Postmark for this issue:
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:
Abraham Lincoln Stamp
Postmaster
FDOI Postmark
2105 East Cook Street
Springfield, IL 62703-9998
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, 2014.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Abraham Lincoln Stamp
Item Number: 116800
Denomination & Type of Issue: 21-cent Definitive
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: February 12, 2014, Springfield,
IL 62701
Designer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Typographer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Existing Photo: Carol M. Highsmith
Engraver: WRE
Modeler: CCL Label, Inc.
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: CCL Label, Inc.
Printed at: Clinton, SC 29325
Press Type: Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 120 million stamps
Paper Type: Prephosphored, Type II
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: CCL Label, Inc., Clinton, SC
Colors: 8 (Cool Gray), 7 (Cool Gray), Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.87 x 0.98 in./22.10 x 24.89 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.25 x 4.825 in./133.35 x 122.56 mm
Plate Size: 60 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “C” followed by three (3) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2013 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (116800) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Abraham Lincoln Stamp
Item Number: 774400
Denomination & Type of Issue: 21-cent Definitive
Format: Coil of 100 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: February 12, 2014, Springfield, IL 62701
Designer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Typographer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Existing Photo: Carol M. Highsmith
Engraver: WRE
Modeler: CCL Label, Inc.
Manufacturing Process: Gravure
Printer: CCL Label, Inc.
Printed at: Clinton, SC 29325
Press Type: Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Stamps per Coil: 100
Print Quantity: 200 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored, Type III; Phosphor Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: CCL Label, Inc., Clinton, SC
Colors: 8 (Cool Gray), 7 (Cool Gray), Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.87 x 0.98 in./22.10 x 24.89 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): N/A
Plate Size: 480 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “C” followed by three (3) single digits
Coil Number Frequency: Plate numbers every 20th stamp
