Announced October 23, 2023:

The Save Manatees stamp will be issued to create awareness about the threats posed to this beloved marine mammal. Human vigilance is crucial for its protection — both to minimize motorboat strikes and to maintain the aquatic plants on which the manatee feeds in the warm coastal waters in and around Florida. The stamp art is a digital rendering of a manatee placidly lolling near the surface of the water. Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp and booklet cover using illustrator Nancy Stahl’s original graphic design.

Further information will be posted below the line, with the newest information at the top.

Updated March 2^nd:

Photos from the first-day ceremony, courtesy Joe Brockert, a retired U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services staffer and editor at Linn’s Stamp News/Scott Publishing, and John Mascaro. In fact, let’s start with a photo of Joe:A sign at the site: and the first day ceremony program:We received nearly identical first-day postmarked postcards from two others who attended the ceremony, Chris Lazaroff and Linn’s editor-in-chief Jay Bigalke:
Also at the ceremony was VSC member John Mascaro, who lives just nine miles from Silver Springs State Park. A former volunteer at the Park, John tells us there was a big blowup there on the first-day: Postal workers canceling FDCs and other souvenirs:The blue FDCs you see on the table were designed by a local artist and sold by the Francis Marion County Stamp Club of Ocala. We have asked for information on how to buy them.

As is becoming a trend, John reports he was told the Manatee Research Station Visitors Center in Crystal River “does not have or no longer carries postcards.” Luckily, he had two from 1996.Updated February 29^th:

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
New Save Manatees Postage Stamp to be Issued on Manatee Appreciation Day

What: The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate the new Save Manatees postage stamp on Manatee Appreciation Day.

News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #SaveManateesStamp.

Who: Michelle Krysiak, postmaster, Silver Springs, FL, Post Office
Patrick Rose, executive director, Save the Manatee Club

When: Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at 9 a.m.

Where: Silver Springs State Park
5656 E. Silver Springs Blvd.
Silver Springs, FL 34488

RSVP: Those interested in attending should RSVP at usps.com/savemanateesstamp.

Background: The gentle West Indian manatee is a vulnerable marine mammal. Manatees inhabit Florida’s inland waterways and warm areas of the coastal Atlantic, Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico.

Every day, a West Indian manatee eats up to 10 percent of its weight in aquatic plants. Adults can reach 11 feet long and 1,500 pounds. Manatees are slow swimmers and slow to reproduce — a female has one calf at a time and may tend to it for two years.

Media Webinar: Additionally, the Postal Service will be hosting a media webinar on March 26, 2024, at 10 a.m. EDT. Speakers from the Postal Service and the conservation community will discuss the new postage stamp and manatee conservation efforts. If you are interested in participating, email sue.brennan@usps.gov to RSVP and additional information will be provided.

Updated February 22^nd:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.53″ x 1.24″This is the standard “killer bar.”

On March 27, 2024, in Silver Springs, FL, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Save Manatees stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) double-sided booklet of 20 stamps (Item 684800). This stamp will go on sale March 27, 2024, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

The Save Manatees stamp is being issued to create awareness about the threats posed to this beloved marine mammal. Human vigilance is crucial for the protection of the threatened West Indian manatee — both to minimize motorboat strikes and to maintain the aquatic plants on which the manatee feeds in Florida and nearby warm-water coastal areas. The stamp art is a digital rendering of a manatee placidly lolling near the surface of the water. Art director Derry Noyes designed this booklet of 20 stamps, illustrated by Nancy Stahl.

Item 684800, Save Manatees (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Double-sided Booklet of 20 Stamps: 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 – Save Manatees 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 July 27, 2024.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Save Manatees Stamp
Item Number: 684800
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: March 27, 2024, Silver Springs, FL 34488
Designer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Illustrator: Nancy Stahl, New York, NY
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 175,000,000
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.7700 x 1.0500 in. / 19.5580 x
26.6700 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.9100 x 1.1900 in. / 23.1140 x
30.2260 mm
Booklet Size (w x h): 5.7430 x 2.3750 in. / 145.8720 x
60.3250 mm
Plate Size: 800 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: Header: “SAVE MANATEES” Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • © 2023 USPS in peel strip area • Barcode • USPS logo • Promotional text • Plate number in peel strip area

Updated November 30^th:
This stamp will be issued Wednesday, March 27, in Silver Springs, FL.