Spectrum Eagle Stamps (U.S. 2015)

Here are the exact Scott catalogue numbers:

5013 (25¢) Eagle coil – green behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
5014 (25¢) Eagle coil – blue green behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
5015 (25¢) Eagle coil – blue behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
5016 (25¢) Eagle coil – red violet behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
5017 (25¢) Eagle coil – brown orange behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
5018 (25¢) Eagle coil – yellow orange behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
a. Strip of 6, #5013-5018

On September 2, 2015, in Eagleville, MO, the U.S. Postal Service® will reissue the Spectrum Eagle Presort First-Class Mail® nondenominated stamp (priced at 25 cents), in six designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) coil of 10,000 (Item 788500).

spectrum_eagle_pbThe stamps will go on sale nationwide September 2, 2015.

The Spectrum Eagle Presorted First-Class Mail issuance celebrates the grandeur of the bald eagle with an artist’s rendering of this magnificent bird. Originally issued in 2012, these stamps are being reprinted in 2015. The eagle’s profile is depicted in white, set against a sequence of six varying shades of reds, yellows, greens, and blues. Each color blends with the one following, resulting in a gradual spectrum from left to right across the six stamps. Illustrator Michael Osborne worked with art director Ethel Kessler to create the stamp art.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. Each cover must have sufficient postage to meet the First-Class Mail requirement. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http://www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724. 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:

Spectrum Eagle Stamps
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 November 1, 2015.

There is one philatelic product for this stamp issue: 788517, First-Day Cover (set of 6), $5.64.

Technical Specifications:

 Issue: Spectrum Eagle Stamps
Item Number: 788500
Denomination & Type of Issue: Presorted First-Class Mail
Format: Coil of 10,000, 6 designs
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: September 2, 2015, Eagleville, MO 64442
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: Michael Osborne, San Francisco, CA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Coil: 10,000
Print Quantity: 150 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.87 x 0.98 in./22.10 x 24.89 mm
Plate Size: 594 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Coil Number Frequency: Plate numbers every 27th stamp below stamp image

8 thoughts on “Spectrum Eagle Stamps (U.S. 2015)

  1. any reason why the USPS is not offering this item in strips of 25?..other then the fact they don’t seem to care very much about collectors…

  2. It’s early days yet. I’m sure there will be other formats offered in USA Philatelic and online, including a strip of 25 with plate number.

    Incidentally, the press release most likely has the plate number interval wrong at 27. Since there are six stamps, and the plate number always appears on the same color stamp, it should be a multiple of six: 24, or more likely, 30. For the original 2012 printing, the plate number interval was 30.

  3. I had this problem with the Coastal Birds issue early this summer. I wanted to attach both the pane and coil stamp on my cacheted envelopes, but didn’t want to buy a coil of 100. The post office never sold them is smaller quantities. At the time I happen to be traveling with my wife and a cross country trip. I tried buying some in major post offices (San Antonio, TX, Austin, TX, San Diego, CA) but even 10 days after the issue date they didn’t have any. I finally bought a strip of 12 from the post office in Yellowstone park!

  4. From the 03 SEP 2015 Postal Bulletin
    The FDC Cancellation is USPS Item number 788561 IMI #61 (Not 17)
    All the rest the same

  5. Question. On the Spectrum Eagles Presort stamps, as with other strips of multiple designs, what is the correct number of stamps to collect for a plate strip? I’m guessing that in order for the plate number to be center this particular issue would require collecting a strip of 7.

  6. What is the exact Scott #’s for each stamp. Is this the same color order as the previous version?

    • 5013 (25¢) Eagle coil – green behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      5014 (25¢) Eagle coil – blue green behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      5015 (25¢) Eagle coil – blue behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      5016 (25¢) Eagle coil – red violet behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      5017 (25¢) Eagle coil – brown orange behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      5018 (25¢) Eagle coil – yellow orange behind “USA”, litho., serpentine die cut 10¼ vert.
      a. Strip of 6, #5013-5018

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