Flag Act of 1818 (U.S. 2018)

The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5284.

Latest updates at the bottom.

From the USPS:

Flag Act of 1818 With this stamp, the Postal Service marks the 200th anniversary of the Flag Act of 1818, which gave us the basic design of the current American flag: 13 stripes symbolizing the original 13 colonies and one star for each state in the union.

This stamp will be issued June 9 in Appleton, Wisconsin, which holds a large Flag Day Parade each year.This year’s parade will be held June 9th, the same day the stamp will be issued.

The Flag Act of 1818 was enacted by Congress on April 4, 1818. For more on this Act, visit Wikipedia.

Appleton was the first-day city for the Edna Ferber stamp (Sc. 3433) in 2002. It is also the birthplace of Harry Houdini (Sc. 3651), although that stamp was issued in New York.

—VSC

Updated May 1st:

[press release]
Celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Flag Act of 1818
U.S. Postal Service Dedicating a New Forever Stamp Marking the Historic Milestone

What: With this stamp, the U.S. Postal Service is pleased to highlight the 200th anniversary of the Flag Act of 1818, which provided the basic design of the current American flag: 13 stripes symbolizing the original 13 colonies and one star for each state in the union.
The stamp art celebrating this anniversary shows a flag with 20 stars, the number of states in the Union when the Flag Act of 1818 went into effect. Ethel Kessler was art director for the stamp and typography was by Kit Hinrichs. Hinrichs shows a flag with crisp folds and a layering effect that conveys a sense of the dynamism of the young nation. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #FlagActStamp.

Who:
Pat Mendonca, U.S. Postal Service Senior Director for the Postmaster General/CEO

When:
Saturday, June 9, 2018, 11:30 a.m., Central Daylight Time

Where: 68th Appleton Flag Day Parade
Houdini Plaza
100 W. Lawrence Street
Appleton, WI 54911

Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the ceremony live at facebook.com/USPS.

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/flagact to gain entrance to the event.

Background: Two hundred years ago the Flag Act of 1818 gave us the basic design of the current American flag: 13 stripes and one star for each state in the Union.

Prior to the act, the nation’s official flag showed 15 stars and 15 stripes. The expansion of the union to 20 states by 1817 required a rethinking of the flag’s configuration. Rather than increasing the number of stripes every time a new state joined the union, the Flag Act reduced their number to 13, signifying the original 13 colonies, and increased the number of stars to reflect the current number of states in the union. The act specified that a new star would be added on the Fourth of July following the admission of a new state.

The United States flag has had 50 stars since July 4, 1960, when a new star was added after Hawaii became the 50th state.

Updated May 10th: Here are the first-day cancels for this issue: The DCP measures 2.34″ x 1.49″ The pictorial cancel measures 2.91″ x 1.47″

From the Postal Bulletin:

On June 9, 2018, in Appleton, WI, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Flag Act of 1818 stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 477800). The stamp will go on sale nationwide June 9, 2018.

With this stamp, the Postal Service™ marks the 200th anniversary of the Flag Act of 1818, which provided the basic design of the current American flag: 13 stripes symbolizing the original 13 colonies and one star for each state in the Union. The stamp art features a flag with 20 stars, the number of states in the Union when the Flag Act of 1818 was implemented. The flag‘s crisp folds and layering effect convey a sense of the dynamism of the young nation. Ethel Kessler served as art director for the project with stamp design and typography by Kit Hinrichs.

Stamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices.

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 usps.com/shop. 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 – Flag Act of 1818 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 October 9, 2018.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Flag Act of 1818 Stamp
Item Number: 477800
Denomination &T ype of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: June 9, 2018, Appleton, WI 54911
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Kit Hinrichs, San Francisco, CA
Typographer: Kit Hinrichs, San Francisco, CA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Offset, Microprint
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 20,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, PMS 2145C Blue, PMS 186C Red, and PMS Cool Gray 6C
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 0.84 in./36.07 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 0.98 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
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in two corners
Back: ©2017 USPS • USPS Logo • Two barcodes (477800) • Plate Position Diagram • Promotional Text

9 thoughts on “Flag Act of 1818 (U.S. 2018)

    • Mr Bessette, Postmaster 1104 Plainfield Pike, Oneco CT 06373 already has these, and can ship on the first-day date.

    • Micro-Print “USPS” on lower-red stripe, below the 3rd column of stars. It is on the left-side diagonal red stripe. My scanner’s resolution isn’t good enough for an image.

  1. Harry Houdini (birth name Erik Weisz) was born in Budapest, Austria-Hungary, not in the U.S.

    USPS has been rather lax with historical facts in its releases this year (RE: the release dates of C1, C2, and C3 mentioned in the release for the upcoming Airmail Service centennial stamp).

    Tsk, tsk.

  2. Can anyone, or someone in authority,come up with a four-digit Scott number after a thirty-day delay?

    • Scott generally only issues new U.S. numbers at the beginning of the month (on a Monday, or in Linn’s two days earlier), and then only if it has been able to obtain the stamp, stamps or stationery through normal sales outlets. (That is, not samples sent by a postal agency.)

      This stamp was issued in early June, so around July 1 would have been the first opportunity. I expect the number for this issue in the August update.

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