Announced November 20, 2018. The most recent information will appear after the large illustration and the introductory description from the USPS. The Scott catalogue number is 5348. With this Priority Mail Express stamp, the Postal Service commemorates the Bethesda Fountain, one of Central Park’s most iconic structures. Dedicated in 1873, the fountain is a gathering place beloved by New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors alike. The stamp art features a stylized depiction of the fountain. The illustration was first rendered as a pencil sketch and then scanned and finished digitally. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove.

December 19th: This stamp will be issued Sunday, January 27th, with a Kansas City MO postmark but no first-day ceremony.

December 21st:

On January 27, 2019, in Kansas City, MO, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the $25.50 Bethesda Fountain Priority Mail Express stamp in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of four stamps (Item 129900). The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 27, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.

With this Priority Mail Express stamp, the Postal Service commemorates the Bethesda Fountain, one of Central Park‘s most iconic structures. Dedicated in 1873, the fountain is a gathering place beloved by New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors alike. The stamp art features a stylized depiction of the fountain. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 129900, $25.50 Bethesda Fountain Priority Mail Express PSA Pane of Four Stamps: 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 – Bethesda Fountain 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 May 27, 2019.

Updated January 9th:

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Bethesda Fountain Stamp
Item Number: 129900
Denomination & Type of Issue: $25.50 Priority Mail Express® Rate
Format: Pane of 4 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: January 27, 2019, Kansas City, MO 64108
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Dan Cosgrove, Chicago, IL
Artist: Dan Cosgrove, Chicago, IL
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 4
Print Quantity: 1,260,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.42 x 1.085 in/36.068 x 27.559 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.56 x 1.225 in/39.624 x 31.115 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 4.12 x 3.45 in/104.648 x 87.63 mm
Plate Size: 24 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate number in two corners of pane
Back: ©2018 USPS • USPS Logo • Four barcodes (129900) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text

Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.19″x1.41″. The B&W pictorial measures 2.84″1.42″.