Canada Post Message to Stamp Collectors (April 2020)

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As an essential service, Canada Post is doing everything it can to ensure the safety of its customers, employees and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since temporary changes have been made to how stamps are distributed to postal outlets, there is no guarantee that new issues will be available at all retail sites. To be sure you don’t miss anything, our online store is ready to take your order at canadapost.ca/shop.

The following changes have also been made over the short term:

  • This issue of Details No. 3 is available in digital format only.
  • Fewer editions of Details will be published until the COVID-19 crisis has passed.
  • Stamp unveiling events will be cancelled for the months of April and May.
  • The shipping of April standing orders will be delayed for several weeks.

Shown above: The Eid stamp, issued April 24th without an unveiling event.

Canada Post is also postponing two issues planned for the first half of 2020:

  • Legends of Canadian Ballet has been postponed to a later date (to be determined)
  • Vintage Travel Posters stamps will now be issued in 2021

Canada Post director of media relations Phil Legault adds that the agency will “provide collectors additional content – and in the case of the Victory in Europe stamp issue, a special video – on the Canada Post Magazine website.”

Eid (Canada 2020)

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Issue date: April 24, 2020

From Canada Post:
Eid Mubarak! The traditional Arabic greeting of “have a blessed Eid” is presented in calligraphy on this stamp issued to mark the two most important festivals in the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are celebrated by Muslims around the world, including more than one million Muslims in Canada.

Designed by Context Creative, the stamp features Arabic calligraphy that reads Eid Mubarak – a common greeting that means “Have a blessed Eid.” Printed by Lowe-Martin, the Permanent™ stamps are available in a booklet of 10 PERMANENT™ domestic-rate stamps (130,000 booklets/1.3 million stamps) and an Official First Day Cover (7,000). Order directly here.The booklet pane (above)

Eid Moubarak! Un nouveau timbre annonciateur de deux fêtes islamiques

TORONTO, le 24 avril 2020 – Aujourd’hui, Postes Canada a émis un nouveau timbre commémoratif en l’honneur des deux plus importantes fêtes de la religion islamique : l’Aïd al-Fitr et l’Aïd al-Adha. Les événements, qui cette année commenceront le 23 mai et le 30 juillet respectivement, sont célébrés par plus d’un million de musulmans au Canada.

Au sujet des fêtes
L’Aïd al-Fitr, la fête de la rupture du jeûne, marque la fin du ramadan, le mois sacré du calendrier islamique durant lequel de nombreux musulmans jeûnent de l’aube au crépuscule. L’Aïd al-Adha, la fête du sacrifice, souligne la fin du pèlerinage annuel à La Mecque, dont les plans pourraient changer cette année en raison de la pandémie de COVID-19. D’une durée de plusieurs jours, ces deux fêtes sont généralement synonymes de prières en groupe, de visites familiales, de festins communs, de cadeaux et d’actes de charité.

À propos du timbre
Créé par Context Creative et imprimé par Lowe-Martin, le timbre porte la mention calligraphiée Eid Mubarak qui signifie « Vœux d’un Aïd béni » en arabe. Un carnet de 10 timbres PermanentsMC au tarif du régime intérieur et un pli Premier Jour officiel sont offerts. The Official First Day Cover (above)

Romantic Poets (UK 2020)

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[press release]
Royal Mail Issues New Stamps on the 250th Anniversary of the Birth Of William Wordsworth

  • Wordsworth is regarded as having been at the forefront of the Romantic movement of British poetry
  • The stamps also celebrate other notable Romantic poets from the period: William Blake; John Keats; Lord Byron; Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Mary Robinson; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Walter Scott; John Clare; and Letitia Elizabeth Landon
  • Each stamp uses an extract from one of their most popular and enduring works, along with a specially-commissioned illustration by the artist, Linda Farquharson
  • Royal Mail worked with the award-winning biographer, Jonathan Bate on the stamp; issue
  • A full set of all 10 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £8.50
  • The stamps and a range of collectible products are available now at www.royalmail.com/romanticpoets and by phone on 03457 641 641
  • The stamps will be available on general sale from today (7 April)

Royal Mail has announced the launch of 10 new Special Stamps on the 250th anniversary of the birth of William Wordsworth, the renowned Romantic poet, born on 7th April 1770.

The stamps also celebrate other major Romantic poets: William Blake; John Keats; Lord Byron; Samuel Taylor Coleridge; Mary Robinson; Percy Bysshe Shelley; Walter Scott; John Clare; and Letitia Elizabeth Landon.

Each stamp uses an extract from one of their most popular and enduring works, along with a specially-commissioned, monochrome design that reflects the theme of the poem.

The Romantic poets made poetry more passionate and more personal than ever before, and they embraced romantic landscapes and the natural world with vigour. Some became international household names. Lord Byron (1788–1824) was the original celebrity author and Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832) became famous as the inventor of the historical novel. By contrast, the genius of some others, notably William Blake (1757–1827) and John Clare (1793– 1864), was recognised only after their deaths.

The poet who came to be seen as the primary voice of the Romantic movement, was William Wordsworth (1770–1850). Wordsworth’s early work was initially neglected. Lyrical Ballads (written with his friend and contemporary, Samuel Taylor Coleridge) and published anonymously, was often derided, but leading Victorian thinkers would come to regard him as the greatest English poet since Shakespeare.

In 1843, Queen Victoria made Wordsworth her Poet Laureate. When he died seven years later, his influence was immense, and his poetry genuinely changed the world.

Coleridge (1772– 1834) wrote some of his best work around the turn of the century – penning the mysterious ‘Kubla Khan’ as well as his beautiful poem ‘Frost at Midnight’, addressed to his sleeping baby son Hartley.

An admired female poet of the era was Mary Robinson (1757–1800) [stamp illustrated above]. In her mid-twenties, Mary was crippled by rheumatic fever and lost the use of her legs. She remade herself as a bestselling novelist, an author of a book arguing for women’s rights and a prolific lyric poet.

Many other women poets were celebrated during this period, including Letitia Elizabeth Landon (1802–38), who published under the initials LEL, and became known as ‘the female Byron’. Her life was beset by scandal, but her poetry – most of it published in the early 19th-century – was greatly admired for its intelligence and imagination.

Technically, Lord Byron was a master of every poetic form, as adept in satire and wit as in the lyric of love or the evocation of Mediterranean landscapes. In exile on the Continent following a scandalous divorce, he befriended Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) [stamp design above]. Shelley was both a romantic idealist and a political radical: he was at his best in his glorious odes addressed to the skylark and to the west wind. He died, tragically, just before his 30th birthday, when out sailing in a storm off the Italian coast.

Another early death was that of John Keats (1795–1821), who succumbed to tuberculosis in Rome, aged just 25. Keats was the epitome of the Romantic poet: impoverished but idealistic, full of vitality in everything he wrote but always conscious of mortality. As with Shelley, his most anthologised poems are his odes, lyrical works addressed to a particular subject – in Keats’s case, a nightingale or the season of autumn or a beautiful urn that has survived since ancient Greece, with its depictions of sensuous scenes and its message that truth is beauty and beauty truth.

Some of the Romantics were highly respectable figures, such as Sir Walter Scott, whose poem, The Lady of the Lake,inspired generations of tourists to visit the Scottish Highlands; others were marginal, isolated figures. William Blake [stamp design below] published his own works in tiny, illustrated, hand-engraved editions. Though his ‘Jerusalem’ is now known by everyone, and his Songs of Innocence and of Experience are much loved, not many read his poems while he was alive. John Clare, meanwhile, achieved brief fame as ‘the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet’ – he suffered from poverty, neglect and mental illness, spending the last 25 years of his life in a lunatic asylum.

Royal Mail spokesperson Philip Parker said: “The Romantic poets composed some of the most loved poetry of all time, and our striking new stamps celebrate the genius of their imaginations.”

Royal Mail worked with the award-winning biographer, Jonathan Bate, on the stamp issue. The images are lino-cut illustrations by the artist, Linda Farquharson.

The full range of stamps, and other collectible products are available now at www.royalmail.com/romanticpoets and by phone on 03457 641 641.

The full set of 10 stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £8.50.

Typically Dutch: Tompouce (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release via Google Translate]
Ode to the Pink (and Sometimes Orange) Tompouce

The Hague, April 6, 2020 – PostNL has released new stamps in the Typically Dutch series. This time the tompouce is central, the famous pink pastry that is usually orange on King’s Day. This year, the Typically Dutch series focuses on foods and dishes that are characteristic of our country.

Pink glaze
After it was the turn of the smoked sausage, carrots and sprinkles earlier this year, PostNL is paying tribute to the tompouce with these latest stamps. Each tompouce consists of 2 layers of puff pastry, with pastry cream or whipped cream in between. On the top is pink (and sometimes orange) glaze.

Three times Amsterdam
The design of Typically Dutch – tompouce is by graphic designer Edwin van Praet of Total Design from Amsterdam. The photos were taken by Scrambled Media, also from Amsterdam. Coincidence lends a hand, because the first tompouce is also said to have been made around 1845 by a confectioner from Amsterdam, as a variant of the French pastry millefeuille. Tom Pouce is in French what Tom Thumb is in English and Klein Thumb in Dutch.

Crumbly dough
According to tradition, the pastry chef named his pastry after a circus artist named General Tom Thumb who was reportedly only 66 cm tall. Another explanation is that the puff pastry of a tompouce crumbs when you eat it. Just like in the fairy tale of Klein Thumb who sprinkled crumbs in the forest to find the way back home.

Availability
The stamp sheetlet Typically Dutch – tompouce has 6 equal stamps with the value indication Netherlands 1, intended for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from April 6, 2020 at the Bruna stores and through the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

First U.S. Postal Worker Dies From COVID-19

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The first known U.S. postal worker has died from the coronavirus, according to the National Postal Mail Handlers Union. Anthony Smith (below) was a member of Local 307 in Detroit.

Smith worked for the USPS for 30 years, and served in the Army for 12. He “was married and loved kids; he helped raise fifteen children,” the NPMHU said. “Anthony loved music, a good barbeque and singing karaoke. He was a funny man that enjoyed telling jokes and spending time with family and friends.”

Scott Catalogue Update (April 2020)

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5434 (55¢) Celebrate

5435 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Platanthera grandiflora, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5436 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Cyrtopodium polyphyllum, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5437 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Calopogon tuberosus, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5438 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Spiranthes odorata, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5439 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Triphora trianthophorus (two flowers), serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5440 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Cypripedium californicum, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5441 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Hexalectris spicata, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5442 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Cypripedium reginae, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5443 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Platanthera leucophaea, serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
5444 (55¢) Wild Orchids coil stamp, Triphora trianthophorus (one flower), serpentine die cut 10¾ vert.
a. Horiz. strip of 10, #5435-5444

5445 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Triphora trianthophorus (two flowers), serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5446 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Cypripedium californiacum, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5447 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Hexalectris spicata, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5448 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Cypripedium reginae, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5449 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Spiranthes odorata, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5450 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Platanthera leucophaea, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5451 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Triphora trianthophorus (one flower), serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5452 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Platanthera grandiflora, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5453 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Cyrtopodium polyphyllum, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
5454 (55¢) Wild Orchids booklet stamp, Calopogon tuberosus, serpentine die cut 10¾x11 on 2 or 3 sides
a. Block of 10, #5445-5454
b. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 2 each #5445-5454

5455 (55¢) Arnold Palmer

75 Years of Freedom (Netherlands)

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[press release via Google Translate]

75 Years of Freedom On Stamps

The Hague, April 4, 2020 – It is 75 years ago this year that the Netherlands was liberated. On the occasion of this anniversary, PostNL is issuing the stamp sheet “75 years of freedom”.

Born in freedom
The 75 years of freedom stamp sheet consists of 6 stamps in 2 designs. The first design contains a portrait of Jan van der Linden, born on May 5, 1945. The second design contains a portrait of the pregnant Yvette Hartman-Mercier in the same style. The birth of her son is due on May 5, 2020. The 2 dates are on the stamps, with the mention “born in freedom”.

Commemoration and celebration
In 2019 and 2020, the Netherlands will commemorate the end of World War II 75 years ago. On May 4, we commemorate all victims – civilians and military personnel – who have been killed or murdered in the Kingdom of the Netherlands or anywhere in the world since the outbreak of World War II, in war situations and in peace operations. On May 5 we celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945 and that we have lived in freedom ever since.

The youngest and the oldest
The design of the stamp sheetlet 75 years of freedom is by Gijs van den Berg, creative director and partner of KesselsKramer in Amsterdam. The portraits were taken by photographer Bert Teunissen, also from Amsterdam. Teunissen photographed 76 people, 1 for each year of birth that has passed since the liberation on May 5, 1945. The oldest and the youngest are on the stamps.

Impressive stories
The 76 years of birth since the liberation have been used as the overarching theme for this commemoration year: one lives for 75 years in freedom, the other 14, 57 or 39 years, and so on. Van den Berg: “The stories themselves can be read in the book published on the occasion of 75 years of freedom. A book about impressive people with a story, a story with a relationship with war and peace. From relatives of resistance fighters and Holocaust victims to refugees from war zones and military personnel who have been on a peace mission. ”

Availability
The 75 years of freedom stamp sheet consists of 6 stamps in 2 different designs with the value indication Nederland 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps will be available from April 4 at the post office in the Bruna stores and through the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

75 jaar vrijheid op postzegels
Den Haag, 4 april 2020 – Het is dit jaar 75 jaar geleden dat Nederland bevrijd werd. PostNL geeft ter gelegenheid van dit jubileum het postzegelvel ’75 jaar vrijheid’ uit.

Geboren in vrijheid
Het postzegelvel 75 jaar vrijheid telt 6 postzegels in 2 ontwerpen. In het 1e ontwerp is een portret opgenomen van Jan van der Linden, geboren op 5 mei 1945. In het 2e ontwerp staat in dezelfde stijl een portret van de zwangere Yvette Hartman-Mercier. De geboorte van haar zoon is uitgerekend op 5 mei 2020. De 2 data staan op de postzegels, met de vermelding ‘geboren in vrijheid’.

Herdenking en viering
In 2019 en 2020 wordt in Nederland herdacht dat 75 jaar geleden de Tweede Wereldoorlog ten einde kwam. Op 4 mei herdenken we alle slachtoffers – burgers en militairen – die in het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden of waar ook ter wereld zijn omgekomen of vermoord sinds het uitbreken van de Tweede Wereldoorlog, in oorlogssituaties en bij vredesoperaties. Op 5 mei vieren we de bevrijding van Nederland in 1945 en dat we sindsdien in vrijheid leven.

De jongste en de oudste
Het ontwerp van het postzegelvel 75 jaar vrijheid is van de hand van Gijs van den Berg, creative director en partner van KesselsKramer in Amsterdam. De portretten zijn gemaakt door fotograaf Bert Teunissen, ook uit Amsterdam. Teunissen fotografeerde 76 mensen, 1 voor elk geboortejaar dat sinds de bevrijding op 5 mei 1945 is verstreken. De oudste en de jongste staan op de postzegels.

Indrukwekkende verhalen
De 76 geboortejaren sinds de bevrijding zijn gebruikt als overkoepelend thema voor dit herdenkingsjaar: de een leeft 75 jaar in vrijheid, de ander 14, 57 of 39 jaar, enzovoort. Van den Berg: “De verhalen zelf zijn te lezen in het boek dat ter gelegenheid van 75 jaar vrijheid verschijnt. Een boek over indrukwekkende mensen met een verhaal, een verhaal met een relatie met oorlog en vrede. Van familieleden van verzetsstrijders en Holocaustslachtoffers tot vluchtelingen uit oorlogsgebieden en militairen die op vredesmissie zijn geweest.”

Verkrijgbaarheid
Het postzegelvel 75 jaar vrijheid telt 6 postzegels in 2 verschillende ontwerpen met de waardeaanduiding Nederland 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een bestemming binnen Nederland. De postzegels zijn vanaf 4 april verkrijgbaar bij het postkantoor in de Bruna-winkels en via de website. De postzegels zijn ook telefonisch te bestellen bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald.

U.S. Adds Two 2020 Issues

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[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Reveals Additional Stamps for 2020
U.S. Flag Envelope and Ruth Asawa Coming Soon

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Postal Service today announced two new stamp subjects for 2020. Details about the stamp dedication ceremonies and dates these new products will be available to purchase will be announced soon. All images are preliminary and are subject to change prior to printing.

U.S. Flag Stamped EnvelopeA familiar sight on public buildings and private homes alike, the American flag has been portrayed in myriad ways on U.S. postage. This stamped envelope features a graphic design of the flag that evokes a rich sense of history even as it presents a recognizable icon in a fresh, contemporary way. Kit Hinrichs created the artwork for this stamped envelope. Ethel Kessler served as art director. [Further details will be posted here.]

Ruth Asawa
With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, with two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer. [Further details will be posted here.]

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Artist Ruth Asawa (U.S. 2020)

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Announced by the USPS April 3rd, 2020, with no date of issue given: With these stamps, the U.S. Postal Service honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013). Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, with two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Dan Bradica and Laurence Cuneo. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer.

These stamps will be issued Thursday, August 13, in San Francisco, CA.

The stamps may be purchased here. The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:

5504 Three Untitled Sculptures from 1958, 1978 and 1959
5505 Untitled Sculpture from 1959
5506 Untitled Sculpture from 1958
5507 Untitled Sculpture from 1955
5508 Untitled Sculpture from 1955, different
5509 Untitled Sculpture from 1980
5510 Untitled Sculpture from 1978
5511 Untitled Sculpture from 1952
5512 Untitled Sculpture from 1954
5513 Six Untitled Sculptures from various years
a. Block of 10, #5504-5513

Further information will appear below the line, with the newest items at the top.

Updated August 6th:
This will have a virtual first day ceremony:

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Honors Sculptor and Arts Education Advocate Ruth Asawa With Forever Stamps

WHAT: The U.S. Postal Service will dedicate stamps honoring pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926-2013), who is perhaps best known for her intricate abstract wire sculptures.

News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #RuthAsawaStamps.

WHO: Sharon Owens, vice president, Pricing and Costing, U.S. Postal Service

George Takei, trustee, chair emeritus of the board of trustees and founding member, Japanese American National Museum

Jonathan Laib, director, David Zwirner

WHEN: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. EDT

WHERE: The virtual stamp event will be hosted on the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook and Twitter pages. For more information, visit usps.com/asawastamps.

BACKGROUND: Inspired by natural elements such as plants, snail shells, spiderwebs, insect wings and water droplets, Ruth Asawa transformed industrial material into transparent and seemingly weightless works of art that challenged traditional definitions of sculpture. When shown together, her sculptures can evoke an undersea domain, a magical upside-down world or an environment all their own. A tireless advocate of community-based arts education, she is also acclaimed for her drawings, paintings, prints and large public projects.

Showcasing Asawa’s wire sculptures, this pane features 20 stamps, two each of 10 designs:

  • Installation view, three looped wire sculptures (left to right): Untitled (S.114, Hanging Six-Lobed Continuous Form Within a Form With One Suspended and Two Tied Spheres), circa 1958; Untitled (S.077, Hanging Miniature Seven-Lobed Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1978; and Untitled (S.036, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Interlocking Continuous Form Within a Form, With Spheres in the First, Sixth and Seventh Lobes), 1959
  • Untitled (S.039, Hanging Five Spiraling Columns of Open Windows), 1959
  • Untitled (S.157, Hanging Two-Lobed, Three-Layered Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1958
  • Untitled (S.250, Hanging Seven-Lobed Continuous Interlocking Form With Four Interior Spheres), circa 1955
  • Untitled (S.055, Hanging Asymmetrical Nine Interlocking Bubbles), circa 1955
  • Untitled (S.018, Hanging Miniature Single-Lobed, Three-Layered Continuous Form Within a Form), circa 1980
  • Untitled (S.306, Hanging Miniature Five Interlocking Double Trumpets), circa 1978
  • Untitled (S.030, Hanging Eight Separate Cones Suspended Through Their Centers), circa 1952
  • Untitled (S.042, Hanging Three-Lobed Continuous Form, With a Sphere in the Second Lobe and an Open Sphere Suspended From the Bottom), 1954
  • Installation view, six looped wire sculptures (left to right): Untitled (S.227, Hanging Five-Lobed Continuous Form With Spheres Suspended in the Second, Fourth and Fifth Lobes), circa 1962; Untitled (S.154, Hanging Nine-Lobed, Single-Layered Continuous Form), circa 1958; Untitled (S.142, Hanging Five-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form), 1990; Untitled (S.155, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Interlocking Continuous Form With a Sphere Suspended in the Top and Fifth Lobes), circa 1958; Untitled (S.065, Hanging Seven-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form With Spheres in the Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Lobes), circa 1960-1963; and Untitled (S.143, Hanging Five-Lobed, Multilayered Continuous Form Within a Form), 1996

The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine.

Asawa began making sculptures in 1947 and soon discovered that, in addition to single-layered sculptures, she could also create continuous or intersecting surfaces. Sensual and organic, these multilayered yet still transparent works created a dynamic interplay between interior and exterior surfaces.

Since her death in 2013, public and critical appraisal of her work has continued to reach wider audiences, with much-lauded exhibitions and publications organized by major museums and galleries across the country.

Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer for this stamp pane.
The Ruth Asawa stamps are being issued as Forever stamps, which means they will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

Updated July 12th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.49″ x 1.50″ The pictorial postmark measures 2.54″ x 1.04″The “special” postmark other post offices may use for this issue measures 2.19″ x 1.0″

Updated July 3rd, from the Postal Bulletin:

On August 13, 2020, in San Francisco, CA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Ruth Asawa stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 476300). The stamps will go on sale nationwide August 13, 2020, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Ruth Asawa pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

With these stamps, the Postal Service™ honors pioneering Japanese American artist Ruth Asawa (1926–2013). Showcasing Asawa‘s wire sculptures, the pane includes 20 stamps, two each of 10 designs, featuring photographs by Laurence Cuneo and Dan Bradica for David Zwirner gallery. The selvage features a photograph of Asawa taken by Nat Farbman in 1954 for Life magazine. Ethel Kessler served as art director and designer for this issuance.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 476300, Ruth Asawa (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Pane of 20 Stamps: No automatic distribution.

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 – Ruth Asawa 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 December 13, 2020.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Ruth Asawa Stamps
Item Number: 476300
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: August 13, 2020, San Francisco, CA 94188
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Art: Ruth Asawa
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Custom Pantone Black 6, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./ 21.336 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.93 x 7.12 in./201.422 x 180.848 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 21.61 x 24.596 in./548.894 x 624.738 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) single digits in two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Ruth Asawa — Artist 1926-2013 • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (476300) • Plate position diagram (9) • Promotional text

Atlases (Netherlands 2020)

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[press release, English from Google Translate] [full pane at the bottom]
Stamps Map First Atlases

The Hague, March 24, 2020 – In 2020 it will be 450 years since the very first atlas appeared in print, in Antwerp. Soon more atlases followed, mainly published in the Netherlands. With the issue of the “The first atlases” stamp sheet on March 23, PostNL pays attention to 6 notable publishers, their atlases and their maps.

Scenic from the ground
In 1570 Abraham Ortelius published the first atlas in Antwerp, with the Latin title Theatrum orbis terrarum (literally: the scene of the earth’s soil). Antwerp and Amsterdam were important centers for the atlas. That had everything to do with the prominent position of the Netherlands in international trade and shipping.

Portraits and maps
Next to Abraham Ortelius are Gerard de Jode, Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, Willem Jansz. Blaeu and Johannes Janssonius on the stamps The first atlases. These publishers from the low countries were responsible for all kinds of beautiful atlases published in the 16th and 17th centuries. The stamps show not only portraits of the 6 publishers, but also maps of the Netherlands from their atlases. All maps shown are from atlases from the Allard Pierson | collection The Collections of the UvA. The portraits were made available by the Rijksmuseum.

Nod in the middle
Because of the legibility, the cards have been placed on the stamp as large as possible. That is why Maud van Rossum, the designer of the stamp sheetlet, left out the page mirror of the atlas page as much as possible. She left only a small border as a frame. The kink in the heart of the page can also still be seen, after all, the map comes from an atlas.

Availability
The stamp sheet The first atlases has 6 different stamps with the international value indication 1, intended for mail up to 20 grams with an international destination. The stamps will be available from March 23 at the post office in the Bruna stores and on the website. The stamps can also be ordered by telephone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number 088 – 868 99 00. The period of validity is indefinite.

Postzegels brengen eerste atlassen in kaart
Den Haag, 24 maart 2020 – In 2020 is het 450 jaar geleden dat de allereerste atlas in druk verscheen, in Antwerpen. Al snel volgden er meer atlassen, die vooral in de Nederlanden werden uitgegeven. Met de uitgifte op 23 maart van het postzegelvel ‘De eerste atlassen’ besteedt PostNL aandacht aan 6 opmerkelijke uitgevers, hun atlassen en hun kaarten.

Toneel van de aardbodem
In 1570 bracht Abraham Ortelius in Antwerpen de eerste atlas uit, met de Latijnse titel Theatrum orbis terrarum (letterlijk: het toneel van de aardebodem). Antwerpen en Amsterdam waren belangrijke centra voor de atlas. Dat had alles te maken met de vooraanstaande positie van de Nederlanden in de internationale handel en scheepvaart.

Portretten en kaarten
Naast Abraham Ortelius staan Gerard de Jode, Gerard Mercator, Jodocus Hondius, Willem Jansz. Blaeu en Johannes Janssonius op de postzegels De eerste atlassen. Deze uitgevers uit de lage landen waren verantwoordelijk voor allerlei prachtige atlassen die in de 16e en 17e eeuw zijn uitgeven. Op de postzegels zijn niet alleen portretten van de 6 uitgevers te zien, maar ook van kaarten van de Nederlanden uit hun atlassen. Alle afgebeelde kaarten komen uit atlassen uit de collectie Allard Pierson | De Collecties van de UvA. De portretten werden door het Rijksmuseum beschikbaar gesteld.

Knik in het midden
Vanwege de leesbaarheid zijn de kaarten zo groot mogelijk op de postzegel geplaatst. Daarom liet Maud van Rossum, de ontwerper van het postzegelvel, de bladspiegel van de atlaspagina zo veel mogelijk weg. Alleen een klein randje liet zij als omkadering staan. Ook de knik in het hart van de pagina is nog te zien, de kaart komt immers uit een atlas.

Verkrijgbaarheid
Het postzegelvel De eerste atlassen telt 6 verschillende postzegels met de waardeaanduiding internationaal 1, bedoeld voor post tot en met 20 gram met een internationale bestemming. De postzegels zijn vanaf 23 maart verkrijgbaar bij het postkantoor in de Bruna-winkels en via de website. De postzegels zijn ook telefonisch te bestellen bij de klantenservice van Collect Club op telefoonnummer 088 – 868 99 00. De geldigheidstermijn is onbepaald.