Announced November 20, 2018. The most recent information will appear after the large illustration and the introductory description from the USPS.
This issuance celebrates the beauty of cactus flowers with a booklet of 20 stamps. Each stamp depicts a photograph of the flower of one of these ten cacti: Opuntia engelmannii, Rebutia minuscula, Echinocereus dasyacanthus, Echinocereus poselgeri, Echinocereus coccineus, Pelecyphora aselliformis, Parodia microsperma, Echinocactus horizonthalonius, Thelocactus heterochromus and Parodia scopa. Within the booklet, each stamp design is featured twice. With new DNA studies, botanists sometimes reclassify plants. As of the printing of these stamps, the scientific names were accurate. Cacti also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer.
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:
5350 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Opuntia engelmannii
5351 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Rebutia minuscula
5352 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Echinocereus dasyacanthus
5353 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Echinocereus poselgeri
5354 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Echinocereus coccineus
5355 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Pelecyphora aselliformis
5356 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Parodia microsperma
5357 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Echinocactus horizonthalonius
5358 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Thelocactus heterochromus
5359 (55¢) Cactus Flowers – Parodia scopa
a. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 2 each #5350-5359
Updated December 7th: These stamps will be issued Friday, February 15, in Mesa, Arizona, at the AmeriStamp Expo/ARIPEX stamp show.
Updated January 9th:
On February 15, 2019, in Mesa, AZ, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Cactus Flowers stamps (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive booklet of 20 stamps (Item 680000). The stamps will go on sale nationwide February 15, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.
These stamps celebrate the beauty of the cactus flower; each stamp features a photograph of one of these ten cacti flowers:
- Opuntia engelmannii
- Rebutia minuscula
- Echinocereus dasyacanthus
- Echinocereus poselgeri
- Echinocereus coccineus
- Pelecyphora aselliformis
- Parodia microsperma
- Echinocactus horizonthalonius
- Thelocactus heterochromus and
- Parodia scopa.
Within the booklet, each stamp design is featured twice. With new DNA studies, botanists sometimes reclassify plants. As of the printing of these stamps, the scientific names are accurate. Cacti also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer.
Availability to Post Offices: Item 680000 Cactus Flowers, (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Double-sided Booklet of 20 Stamps: Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.
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 – Cactus Flowers 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 June 15, 2019.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Cactus Flowers Stamps
Item Number: 680000Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: February 15, 2019, Mesa, AZ 85201
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Photos: John P. Schaefer, Tucson, AZ
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 400,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in./26.67 x 19.558 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in./30.226 x 23.114 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 2.375 x 5.743 in./60.325 x 145.872 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 11.486 x 9.5 in./291.744 x 241.3 mm
Colors: Pantone Cool Gray 6, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Plate Size: 800 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings: Header: CACTUS FLOWERS Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • USPS Logo • Barcode • Plate number in peel strip area • ©2018 USPS in peel strip area • Promotional text in peel strip area
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: 
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.59″x1.31″. 
The B&W Pictorial measures 1.44″x1.44″.
Updated January 11th:
[press release]
U.S. Postal Service to Dedicate Cactus Flowers Forever stamps
What: The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the beauty of cactus flowers with 10 new stamp designs. The first-day-of-issue event for the Cactus Flowers
Forever stamps is free and open to the public.
News on the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #CactusFlowers.
Who: Jacqueline Krage Strako, Chief Customer and Marketing Officer, U.S. Postal Service, and Dedicating Official
When: Friday, Feb. 15, 2019, at 11 a.m. PST
Where: AmeriStamp Expo
Mesa Convention Center, Building C
263 N. Center Street Mesa, AZ 85201
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/cactusflowers
Background:
Almost all cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from British Columbia and
Alberta in Canada to the southern regions of Argentina and Chile. The
southwestern U.S. and Mexico are home to the greatest variety and abundance
of cacti.
Cacti are among America’s most popular houseplants. Most cacti grow very
slowly, and are tough, adaptable and low maintenance. Several botanic gardens in the U.S. showcase the wide variety and stunning beauty of these plants. When cacti bloom, visitors experience a vivid floral display. Cactus flowers generally occur singly, although many separate blossoms might appear on a plant at the same time. Most cactus flowers are large and flamboyant, with colors of white, red, pink, orange, or yellow. Some flowers are also richly scented, and the nectar and colors attract pollinators such as bats, bees and birds.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer, a co-founder, along with Ansel Adams, of the Center for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.
The Cactus Flowers stamps are being issued as Forever stamps in booklets of 20 and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Wherever they have the ceremony, Goldie Hawn should be invited to speak since she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the film “Cactus Flower!”
Announced by USPS 06 DEC FDoI 15 FEB 2019 in Mesa AZ
Stamp Show?
ARIPEX
Location: Mesa Convention Center 201 N. Center St.
Mesa, Arizona 85201
Sponsor: Arizona Federation of Stamp Clubs
Next Show: Feb. 15-17, 2019 Fri. & Sat. 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Contact Info.
Kevin Lesk
Email: kwkual@aol.com
Phone: 480-240-0388
Website: http://www.aripex.org
http://www.aripex.org/
FEB 15-17 Mesa Convention Center Admission FREE
CACTUS FLOWERS: Item number 680004(Booklet of 20) will be available for Pre-Order on **JAN. 15, 2019** via USPS.COM or by Calling 1-800STAMP24 (1-800-782-6724).
Items will that will be available for purchase on the day of issue includes:
**680006 – Press Sheet
**680010 – DCP Keepsake(random) $12.95
**680016 – FDC set of 10 $9.90
**680021 – DCP set of 10 $17.00
**680030 – Ceremony Program $6.95 (date of availability varies)
Full set of order numbers at:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/stamps/messages/?msg=54441.13
https://www.facebook.com/USPS/
scroll down for the First Day of Issue Ceremony
Projected Scott 5350-59.
Sad when Linns has the scott numbers listed in the All Countries update, but the Same Issue does not have the USA Stamp list revised with these numbers. Lazy or Malicious? Does Anyone really care?
My one BIG complaint is what I see as a “design error” – – – that being, where are the NAMES of the flowers.
We all are not plant/cacti/flower specialists and some kind of ID would’ve been greatly appreciated. How many of you know/knew that some of the flowers pictured/photographed are of cacti NOT in the U.S.?
Plus, the FDOI ceremony was the shortest one I’ve ever attended — 22 minutes !
Good thing, too. The speakers/’speeches’ were rough and ill-read, the Color Guard was too dramatic (borderline amateurish), the lecture hall style room was way too small (SRO that probably exceeded capacity), problems with lighting control, and the three-girl a capella group was inappropriately dressed (though matching t-shirts, their ‘pants’ were razor-cut, well-worn ragged holes, etc. jeans).
Compared to other FDOI ceremonies I’ve been to, this one was not well thought out nor smoothly run (almost, and here’s that word again, amateurish).
I’m just glad I was able to get the freebie ‘program’ before they ran out (which never happened at the other ceremonies I’ve been to).
They did offer to take info to, supposedly, get a ‘program’ to you at a later date. Unfortunately, that did a lot of [no] good for those who wanted to get autographs at the time.
I was also a little surprised to learn that the vendors at the stamp show were able to buy the stamps BEFORE the FDOI ceremony !
In fact, my source strongly hinted that the purchases were made before the show even opened its doors to the public!
That’s not unusual. If the USPS sales booth is open before the ceremony, the new stamps may be purchased. You could also purchase the stamps at the city’s main post office, starting at midnight (assuming it was open; NYC’s used to be. I once went there after work at 2:15 a.m. to buy a new issue.)
What is unusual is when the USPS WON’T sell the stamps before the end of the ceremony. There were a couple of occasions recently where some Executive thought it would benefit the USPS.
As for “before the show even opens its doors,” again, if the USPS sales booth is up and running (and at the APS shows, it generally is around 9 a.m.), then, yes, the stamps can be purchased before the public is allowed in.
Regarding the names of the cacti on each stamp. I agree. I’ve been saying that about some of the other recently issued stamps such as the bird issues of late and the upcoming frogs as well. How about the apples a few years back? If I was on that stamp committee that would never be an issue. How are people to learn from stamps without a little help? A simple label on the stamp wouldn’t hurt.
That’s the part that is so hard to understand–the inconsistency of the USPS. Some stamps have identification of subject, and others don’t. Why so inconsistent? Whether you are producing a stamp for purely for esthetics (such as Halloween Jack-O-Lanterns or Santa Clause) that’s one thing, but if not the subject should be identified.