The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:
5312 (50¢) John Lennon – red shoulders
5313 (50¢) John Lennon – red lilac shoulders
5314 (50¢) John Lennon – dark violet shoulders
5315 (50¢) John Lennon – blue shoulders
a. Vert. strip of 4, #5312-5315

Music Icons series.

Updated August 2nd, from the Postal Bulletin:
On September 7, 2018, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the John Lennon stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 16 stamps (Item 565400). The stamps will go on sale nationwide September 7, 2018. The John Lennon pane of stamps may not be split or sold individually.

The newest stamps in the Music Icons series honor singer-songwriter John Lennon (1940–1980), a rock-and-roll hero successful both as a founding member of the Beatles and as a solo artist. Still beloved around the world, Lennon‘s music remains an anchor of pop radio and continues to speak for truth, peace, and tolerance. The stamp design features a photograph of Lennon taken by noted rock-and-roll photographer Bob Gruen in August 1974 during the photo session for Lennon‘s 1974 album Walls and Bridges. For the stamps, the original black-and-white image has been treated in gradations of color.

The stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps, brief text about Lennon‘s legacy, and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. A black-and-white photograph of Lennon seated at his white piano appears on the reverse, along with Lennon‘s signature and the Music Icons series logo. Taken by photographer Peter Fordham, the original photograph was used to promote Lennon‘s landmark 1971 solo album, Imagine. Art director Antonio Alcalá worked on the stamp pane with designer Neal Ashby.

Special Dedication Postmarks:
Only the following pictorial postmark is permitted for John Lennon stamps. The word “Station” or the abbreviation “STA” is required somewhere in the design, because it will be a temporary station. Special dedication ceremonies for the John Lennon stamps are not authorized. Use of any image other than the following special pictorial image is prohibited.

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 – John Lennon Stamps
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 January 7, 2019.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: John Lennon Stamps
Item Number: 565400
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 16 (4 designs)
Series: Music Icons
Issue Date & City: September 7, 2018, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Neal Ashby, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Neal Ashby, Alexandria, VA
Existing Photo: Bob Gruen
Existing Photo: Peter Fordham
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 16
Print Quantity: 40,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, NC
Colors: Cool Gray 7, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Square
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.085 in./27.559 x 27.559 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.225 in./31.115 x 31.115 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7 x 7 in./177.8 x 177.8 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 14.1875 x 21.375 in./360.36 x 542.93 mm
Plate Size: 96 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: None
Marginal Markings:
Front: ©2017 USPS • USPS logo • Proprietary text • Barcode (565400) in lower right corner of pane • Promotional text • Biography brief
Back: • Photograph • “John Lennon” • Music Icons logo

Updated July 13th with first-day ceremony details:

What: John Lennon Forever stamp dedication ceremony, officiated by Postmaster General and CEO Megan J. Brennan

When: Friday, Sept. 7, 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time

Where: Namburg Bandshell
Central Park, near East 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10065

Background: This stamp, honoring legendary singer and songwriter John Lennon, is the latest in a series of Music Icons stamps. Beloved around the world, Lennon was successful both as a founding member of the Beatles and as a solo artist. Lennon’s music continues to speak for truth, peace, and tolerance.
The stamp artwork features a 1974 photo of John Lennon taken by noted rock music photographer Bob Gruen for Lennon’s “Walls and Bridges”album. The stamp pane resembles a vintage 45-rpm record sleeve and features Lennon at his white piano on the reverse side. The photograph, taken by Peter Fordham, was used to promote Lennon’s landmark 1971 solo album, “Imagine.”

Updated May 10th:

Imagine that! The one John Lennon stamp just turned into four, because there are four different colors on the pane of 16.
Here’s the design for back of the sheet: Original announcement:The newest stamp in the Music Icons series honors singer and songwriter John Lennon (1940–1980), a rock ’n’ roll hero successful both as a founding member of the Beatles and as a solo artist.

Updated August 18th:
Here’s is the Digital Color Postmark for this issue: It measures 2.97″ x 1.50″. Here is the B&W pictorial postmark:It measures 2.99″ x 1.28″. Here is the special postmark for use by other post offices than the first-day city: It measures 2.93″ x 1.46″.