This stamp will be issued October 4th in Noblesville, Indiana, at the Indypex World Series of Philately stamp show. Press release below.

Announced July 30th by the USPS:

“The Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military with the issuance of the Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp that depicts the medal suspended from its ribbon. This stamp is a redesign of the 2012 Purple Heart Medal stamp and features a purple border matching the brilliant purple of the medal and its ribbon. The type on the stamp — PURPLE HEART, FOREVER, USA — is displayed in red. Ira Wexler photographed the medal. William J. Gicker served as art director with Bryan Duefrene as designer.

“The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.”

New information about this issue will appear below the line, with the most recent at the top.

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Updated October 3rd — ceremony information:
[press release]
Honoring the Sacrifices
U.S. Postal Service Dedicates Purple Heart Medal Forever Stamp Oct. 4

What: First-Day-of-Issue dedication ceremony for the Purple Heart Medal Forever Stamp. The event is free and open to the public.

When: Friday, Oct. 4, 2019, 11 a.m. EDT

Where: INDYPEX, Hamilton County Fairgrounds & Exhibition Center
2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville, IN 46060

Who:
Todd Hawkins, Greater Indiana District Manager
Greater Indiana District
United States Postal Service

Christi Johnson-Kennedy, Indianapolis Postmaster
Greater Indiana District
United States Postal Service

Robert G. Zeigler, President
American Philatelic Society

Mike Tomes
Specialist 4th Class, USA
Purple Heart Recipient

Steffani Pieart, Master of Ceremonies
Retail Manager
Greater Indiana District
United States Postal Service

Linda Reid, National Anthem
United States Postal Service

Presentation of Colors by the United States Postal Service Color Guard.

Background: The Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military.

The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in action.

According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is “the oldest military decoration in the world
in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier.”

Established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, the Badge of Military Merit — a heart made of purple cloth — was discontinued after the war.
In 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth, the decoration was reinstated and redesigned as a purple heart of metal bordered by gold, suspended from a purple and white ribbon.

In the center of the medal is a profile of George Washington beneath his family coat of arms.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is a redesign that features a purple border matching the brilliant purple of the medal and its ribbon. Ira Wexler photographed the medal. William J. Gicker served as art director with Bryan Duefrene as designer.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20.

Updated September 26th:
Here is the first-day postmarks for this issue: It measures 2.72″ x 1.48″. There is no DIgital Color Postmark for this issue. There is, however, a “special” postmark other post offices may use in connection with this issue: It measures 2.89″ x 1.15″

Updated September 17th:
APS chief content officer Tom Loebig notes that registration is required for Indypex, but not for the stamp ceremony: It’s in a different building. There is no admission charge for either the first-day ceremony nor Indypex itself.

Updated September 9th:
[press release]
Honoring the Sacrifices
U.S. Postal Service Dedicates Purple Heart Medal Forever Stamp Oct. 4

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service today announced the Purple Heart Medal Forever stamp will be dedicated at INDYPEX sponsored by the Indiana Stamp Club in Noblesville, IN, and go on sale nationwide Oct. 4.

The stamp dedication ceremony will be held at INDYPEX, Hamilton County Fairgrounds and Exhibition Center, 2003 Pleasant St., Noblesville, IN, 46060. The start time will be announced at a later date.

[American Philatelic Society chief content officer Thomas Loebig says the ceremony’s start time is 11 a.m. One of the speakers will be APS president Bob Zeigler, an Indianapolis resident [shown on the left]. “If anyone knows of a Purple Heart recipient in the Indianapolis area, please connect me with them,” he posted on Facebook. “I’d like to make sure they are part of the ceremony.” His email address is tloebig@stamps.org —VSC]

With this stamp, the Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military. The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the president of the United States to members of the military who have been wounded or killed in action. According to the Military Order of the Purple Heart, an organization for combat-wounded veterans, the medal is “the oldest military decoration in the world in present use and the first award made available to a common soldier.”

Established by General George Washington during the Revolutionary War, the Badge of Military Merit — a heart made of purple cloth — was discontinued after the war. In 1932, on the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth, the decoration was reinstated and redesigned as a purple heart of metal bordered by gold, suspended from a purple and white ribbon. In the center of the medal is a profile of George Washington beneath his family coat of arms.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is a redesign that features a purple border matching the brilliant purple of the medal and its ribbon. Ira Wexler photographed the medal. William J. Gicker served as art director with Bryan Duefrene as designer.

The Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp in self-adhesive sheets of 20. This Forever stamp is always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through The Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

Updated August 29th:
Still no first-day date, but other information is in the Postal Bulletin. Foster Miller in The Stamp Collecting Forum expects the first-day to be October 4 or 5, since the Indypex stamp show (World Series of Philately) is being held in Noblesville October 4-6.

In October 2019, in Noblesville, IN, the United States Postal Service will issue the Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 120700). The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 2019, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue, which will be announced in a future Postal Bulletin.

The Postal Service continues to honor the sacrifices of the men and women who serve in the U.S. military with the issuance of the Purple Heart Medal 2019 stamp, which depicts the medal suspended from its ribbon. This stamp is a redesign of the 2012 Purple Heart Medal stamp and features a purple border matching the brilliant purple of the medal and its ribbon. The type on the stamp, “PURPLE HEART, FOREVER, USA,” is displayed in red. Ira Wexler photographed the medal. William J. Gicker served as art director with Bryan Duefrene as the designer.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 120700, Purple Heart Medal 2019 (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 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 – Purple Heart Medal 2019 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. The postmark date will be announced in a future Postal Bulletin.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Purple Heart Medal 2019 Stamp
Item Number: 120700
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: October 2019, Noblesville, IN 46060
Art Director: William J. Gicker, Washington, DC
Designer: Bryan Duefrene, Washington, DC
Typographer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Photographer: Ira Wexler, Braddock Heights, MD
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 400,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Pantone 266, Pantone 1805, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.73 x 0.84 in/18.542 x 21.336 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.87 x 0.98 in/22.098 x 24.892 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.3 x 4.88 in/134.62 x 123.952 mm
Plate Size: 400 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by six (6) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Purple Heart: The Medal for the Combat Wounded • Plate numbers in four corners
Back: ©2019 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (120700) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text