Boston 2026 on “Fast Track”

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Boston 2026 on the “Fast Track”

With over three years to go before America’s next international opens its doors, progress on several fronts is ahead of schedule according to the Boston 2026 Leadership Team.

One month into the formal booth selection process sale of dealer booths have been stronger than expected according to Mark Butterline, show Executive Director. “All 10’x30′ booths are now sold out, with several other popular sizes expected to sell out soon.” USA/Canada Bourse Manager Mark Reasoner (Mark.Reasoner@Boston2026.org) encourages prospective dealers to reach out to him as soon as possible to avoid disappointment in getting the right-size booth for their business. Dealers from other parts of the world may contact International Bourse Manager Sandeep Jaiswal to facilitate their arrangements (Sandeep.Jaiswal@Boston2026.org).

“Philatelic organizations and individuals have been generous in their support of Boston 2026,” says Yamil Kouri, show President. “Our efforts in quietly seeking financial support from a variety of sources are paying off thanks to the behind-the-scenes assistance of many Boston 2026 supporters.” Information on making donations can be found on the Donor page of the show’s web site at Boston2026.org. Remember, as a 501(c)3 organization, donations may be tax deductible for those who itemize.

Schuyler Rumsey Philatelic Auctions of San Francisco has become the first auction house to confirm their staging of live auctions at Boston 2026. Each of the show’s eight days offers auction firms the opportunity to host an exclusive live auction. Schuyler Rumsey has chosen Tuesday, May 26 and Wednesday, May 27, 2026, for their events. Start gathering your consignments!

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at Boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook.

ATA Course: Buying Covers for Thematic Collections

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
ATA Course: Buying Covers for Thematic Collections

Damian Läge, the highest award-winning thematic exhibitor in the world, will present a three-part course sponsored by the American Topical Association (ATA) in May, via Zoom. He was recently chosen to sign the Roll of Distinguished Philatelists, one of the most prestigious honors in our hobby.

The course will cover aspects of recognizing, evaluating and shopping for covers with multiple frankings for a collection and/or exhibit. Läge points out that many covers you encounter at dealer booths and online have more than one stamp. These covers, with multiple frankings, vary dramatically in their philatelic importance. The course will show how to add some important items to your collection, often at a low price. Collectors and exhibitors will benefit from the course content.

Läge will share his research and insights in three sessions:

  • Saturday, May 6, 6 p.m., via Zoom – Multiple Frankings in Topical/Thematic Collections and Exhibits: How and Why
  • Sunday, May 7, 6 p.m., via Zoom – The Evaluation of Multiple Frankings: Great, Greater, Greatest – Learn to identify quality covers
  • Sunday, May 14, 6 p.m., via Zoom – How to Find Multiple Frankings for Your Collection and Exhibit

For those in time zones that make it difficult to attend the live presentation, the sessions will be taped and made available to those who register for the course. Those who enroll will be able to watch the programs again, at their convenience. Cost for the three sessions is $25 for members, $45 for non-members, with an option to purchase the course and membership at a discounted rate. Registration is open in the Events section on the ATA website at americantopical.org.

Läge has won the highest exhibiting awards and has lectured widely throughout the world. His high enthusiasm makes his presentations both educational and entertaining. In 2015, his was the first thematic exhibit to receive 98 points at an international competition (ECTP 2015). In 2020, his one-frame exhibit, The Maori Pigeon, won the Grand Prix at ALPE-ADRIA in competition with all multiple frame exhibits in all classes. Last year he won the Grand Prix at CAPEX in Toronto. He has been winning top awards since he began exhibiting as a teenager.

This course is the result of Läge’s research and evaluation of many covers with multiple frankings. He discovered that online sellers often have philatelically significant covers for sale at good prices, as their prices often don’t differentiate great covers from mediocre ones.

This is an opportunity to learn from one of the most accomplished philatelists in the world.

Flowers (UK 2023)

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[from press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Royal Mail Reveals Flowers Special Stamps

  • The new silhouette marks a significant milestone in British philatelic history
  • The 10-stamp set showcases some of the most popular types of flowers grown in gardens across the UK:
    • Sweet pea
    • Iris
    • Lily
    • Sunflower
    • Fuchsia
    • Tulip
    • Peony
    • Nasturtium
    • Rose
    • Dahlia
  • Royal Mail worked closely with gardening writer Naomi Slade on the stamp issue
  • The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flowers and by telephone on 03457 641 641
  • All 10 stamps in a Presentation Pack go on general sale from 23 March and are priced at £10.40

Royal Mail is releasing a set of 10 stamps celebrating some of the most popular flowers which are grown in gardens across the UK.

These Special Stamps mark a significant milestone in British philatelic history as they are the first to feature the silhouette of HM King Charles III. This is the first change of silhouette since 1968. [more on the silhouette]

The stamps feature striking photographs of flowers against a white background alongside their common names and show:

  • Sweet pea
  • Iris
  • Lily
  • Sunflower
  • Fuchsia
  • Tulip
  • Peony
  • Nasturtium
  • Rose
  • Dahlia

Royal Mail worked closely with gardening writer Naomi Slade on the stamp issue.

The UK’s Favourite Blooms:
Although they are steeped in the familiarity of long association, many of the UK’s most identifiable flowers have arrived here from all over the world.

In addition to our native dog roses, a key ancestor of the garden favourite is the fragrant, multi-petalled French rose, Rosa gallica. It was prized by the Greeks and the Romans, and legend has it that new varieties arose when a cultivated form, Rosa gallica var. of ficinalis, was carried from Syria to France after the Crusades, where it became the Rose of Provins.

Peonies, too, are a footloose breed. The tree peony is esteemed in China as Hua Wang, the King of Flowers, and although 8th-century Buddhist monks originally valued peonies for their medicinal properties, this has been overshadowed by the sheer magnificence of their blossoms. Frequently held up as paragons of simplicity, lilies are more complex and culturally significant than most of us imagine. Cherished for millennia, the various species can be found in rocky Chinese gorges, flourishing in American meadows, or baking in Mediterranean heat. Yet throughout history, they have represented gods and purity, death and seduction, and have appeared in art for thousands of years.

Dahlias arrived in Spain from Central America, and inspired Europeans with their flamboyance and in finite variety. Like 17th-century ‘tulip mania’, dahlia-fancying soon became an expensive hobby. By the 19th century, dahlia tubers could fetch as much as £100 – then several years’ wages for many people.

It seems that even the UK’s best-loved traditional blooms are wanderers. Sweet peas hail from Sicily, while fuchsias, nasturtiums and sunflowers – often the first seeds we sow as children – are from the Americas.

In many ways, however, geography and provenance are irrelevant to the glorious melting pot that is a garden. Flowers mark our celebrations, our joys and our sorrows and, above all, they unify us through a pleasure that we can all understand.

David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Britain is a nation of gardeners, and a love of flowers runs deep in our collective consciousness. His Majesty is known to be a passionate gardener and we are delighted that the first Special Stamps to feature his silhouette should be a celebration of some of the most popular flowers in British gardens”.

The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flowers and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 10 stamps in the set is available on general sale from 23 March and priced at £10.40.

[VSC: Philatelic products include first day covers (two postmarks, the Tipton alternate shown below], unserviced cacheted envelope, picture postcards and sheets and half-sheets with just five of the 10 designs.]

Technical Specifications:
Number of stamps: Ten
Value of stamps: First Class
Design: Charlie Smith Design
Stamp format: Square
Stamp size: 35mm x 35mm
Number per sheet: 25/50
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Print process: Lithography
Perforations: 14.5 x 14.5
Phosphor Bars: as appropriate
Gum: PVA

 

First UK Stamps with Charles Silhouette

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
HM King Charles III Silhouette Takes Its Place on UK Stamps

The creation of the new HM King Charles III silhouette was a collaboration between the illustrator Andrew Davidson, Head of Design and Editorial at Royal Mail, Marcus James, and Ian Chilvers, from design agency, Atelier Works.

The project began with Andrew Davidson working on a likeness that would work at stamp size.

The second major stage of development was the digitising and fine-tuning of the detail in the silhouette. This was conducted by both Royal Mail and Atelier Works with visual adjustments that were tested at actual size to ensure the silhouette would work at the diminutive dimensions required.

The final image was adjusted to ensure a likeness to the new Definitive ’everyday’ stamp.

OSIRIS-REx (U.S. 2023)

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Announced by the USPS on March 14th. No issue date was given. (See May 31 entry.)

[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
OSIRIS-REx Stamp Announced

The Postal Service has announced an additional stamp to its 2023 stamp program honoring NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to deliver asteroid samples to Earth. OSIRIS-REx — a collaboration between NASA, the University of Arizona, and Lockheed Martin — exemplifies American ingenuity, perseverance, and teamwork. Details of the issue date and location are forthcoming.

With this new stamp, the U.S. Postal Service celebrates NASA’s seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission to study and map the asteroid Bennu and deliver a sample of the surface to Earth in September 2023. The sample will help scientists learn how the solar system formed.

OSIRIS-REx is an acronym for the mission’s goals: Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer. More simply, “Origins” refers to the study of the pristine carbon-rich material the spacecraft collected. “Spectral Interpretation” means measuring the composition of the asteroid. “Resource Identification” is assessing potential fuel, oxygen, water, and minerals on the asteroid. “Security” relates to scientists’ calculating the odds that Bennu might collide with Earth. The final part of the mission’s name, REx, is short for “Regolith Explorer,” and it refers to studying the regolith—or layer of loose material on the asteroid’s surface.

The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, which is the size of a large passenger van, left Earth aboard a rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 8, 2016. Once released from the rocket, it orbited the Sun for a year until it passed by Earth again. At that point, our planet’s gravity helped propel the spacecraft toward Bennu, which also orbits the Sun but at a different angle than Earth. Our planet and the asteroid come closest to each other every six years. After OSIRIS-REx arrived in the asteroid’s orbit, in December 2018, it got to work. With its special cameras and spectrometers, it began photographing and mapping Bennu’s surface to determine the best site from which to collect samples.  [Below left] Scientists were surprised to learn, from the photographs the spacecraft sent back, that the asteroid’s surface was much different from what they had expected. Instead of being relatively smooth, it was rocky and cratered, so finding a sample-collection site posed challenges. Eventually they chose a site about the size of a tennis court, located in a crater.

The time for the rendezvous arrived in October 2020. To carry out its task, the spacecraft did not actually land on the asteroid but instead slowly descended toward the surface and extended a robotic arm. A collection device at the hand-end of the arm then released a sudden puff of nitrogen gas that sent up a cloud of dust and rocks from Bennu’s surface. More than two ounces of these materials were captured in a special container in the

OSIRIS-REx stowing samples. (Courtesy NASA)

collection device, which then closed and retracted into the spacecraft. Even though this seems like a miniscule amount considering the effort involved, it’s the largest sample ever collected from an asteroid, and the first asteroid sample by the United States.

On May 10, 2021, OSIRIS-REx began its flight back toward Earth. Its container of asteroid dust and rocks, enclosed in a special capsule, is expected to parachute down to the Utah desert on Sept. 24, 2023.

The OSIRIS-REx pane of 20 stamps will be issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1 ounce price. News of the OSIRIS-REx stamp is being shared with the hashtag #OsirisRexStamp.

The latest information will be posted below the line, the most-recent at the top.

Updated November 7:
The Scott catalogue number for this issues is 5820.

Updated September 8:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.57″ x 1.20″The Pictorial Postmark measures 2.75″ x 1.24″

Updated August 19:
[ceremony details] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
U.S. Postal Service to Issue OSIRIS-REx Stamp

What: The U.S. Postal Service will commemorate NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft and the samples of the asteroid Bennu that it will deliver to Earth in September 2023.

The first-day-of-issue event for this Forever stamp is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #OSIRISRExStamp.

Who: Robert Raines, Business Solutions vice president, U.S. Postal Service

Lori Glaze, Planetary Science Division director, NASA

Michael Puzio, Engineering student who named the asteroid Bennu in 2013 at age 8.

When: Friday, Sept. 22, at 11 a.m. MDT

Where:
Clark Planetarium
110 S 400 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84101

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/osirisrex

Background: This new 20-stamp pane from the U.S. Postal Service celebrates NASA’s seven-year OSIRIS-REx mission to study and map the asteroid Bennu and return a sample of the surface to Earth in September 2023. This is the first pristine sample of an asteroid collected by the United States, and it will help scientists learn how our solar system formed.

The stamp artwork shows the capsule containing the sample parachuting to the Utah Test and Training Range, a U.S. Department of Defense facility in the desert. A depiction of Bennu’s surface appears at the bottom of the pane’s selvage with outer space above — deep blue and dappled with celestial bodies. A view of the asteroid is in the upper right corner.

OSIRIS-REx left Earth aboard a rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, FL, on Sept. 8, 2016, then orbited the sun for a year before passing close to Earth for a gravity assist. The spacecraft arrived in the asteroid’s vicinity in December 2018 and got to work. With its special cameras and spectrometers, it began photographing and mapping Bennu’s surface to determine the best site from which to collect samples.

The time for the rendezvous arrived in October 2020. To carry out its task, the spacecraft did not actually land on the asteroid but instead slowly descended toward the surface and extended a robotic arm. A collection device at the hand-end of the arm then released a sudden puff of nitrogen gas that sent up a cloud of dust and rocks from Bennu’s surface. More than 2 ounces of these materials were captured in a special container in the collection device, which then closed and retracted into the spacecraft. On May 10, 2021, OSIRIS-REx began its flight back toward Earth. Its container of asteroid dust and rocks, enclosed in a special capsule, will parachute to the Utah desert on Sept. 24, 2023.

Alan Dingman illustrated the stamp and pane, basing his work on images supplied by NASA. Antonio Alcalá, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp and pane.

The OSIRIS-REx stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp, which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce rate.

From the Postal Bulletin:

On September 22, 2023, in Salt Lake City, UT, the United States Postal Service® will issue the OSIRIS-REx stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 484200). This stamp will go on sale nationwide September 22, 2023, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.

This new stamp celebrates NASA’s 7-year OSIRIS-REx mission to study and map the asteroid Bennu and return a sample of its surface to Earth in September 2023. The sample will help scientists learn how our solar system formed. The stamp artwork shows the capsule containing the sample parachuting to the Utah Test and Training Range in the desert. A depiction of Bennu’s surface appears at the bottom of the pane’s selvage with outer space above. A view of the asteroid is in the upper-right corner.

Along the left side of the pane are four images that illustrate crucial milestones in OSIRIS-REx’s mission. On the reverse side of the pane is text courtesy of NASA that describes the OSIRIS-REx mission and explains each image. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp and pane with illustrations by Alan Dingman, who based his work on images supplied by NASA.

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 store.usps.com/store/home. 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 – OSIRIS-REx 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 January 22, 2024.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: OSIRIS-REx Stamp
Item Number: 484200
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: September 22, 2023, Salt Lake City, UT 84199
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Artist: Alan Dingman
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 18,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Pantone Warm Grey 2
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): 7.50 x 8.50 in / 109.50 x 215.90 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 23.00 x 26.00 in / 584.20 x 660.40 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by five (5) single digits in two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: “OSIRIS-REx” • Mission to Asteroid Bennu and Return to Earth • Plate number in bottom 2 corners
Back: ©2023 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (484200) • Plate position diagram (9) • Promotional text • Verso text

Updated May 31:
This stamp will be issued Friday, September 22nd, in Salt Lake City.

Typically Dutch: Flower Fields

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[from PostNL’s press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Typically Dutch – Flower Fields

Date of issue: 20 March 2023
Appearance: sheet of six stamps in six identical designs
Item number: 430361
Design: Adam Lane and Edwin van Praet, Total Design, Amsterdam

On 20 March 2023, PostNL will publish the Typically Dutch – Flower Fields stamp sheet. This issue is the third in the Typically Dutch series this year. The multi-annual series started in 2020 and, in 2023, will be dedicated to a variety of sights and attractions that are significant for and typical of the Netherlands. The six identical postage stamps will be marked ‘Nederland 1’, the denomination for items weighing up to 20g destined for the Netherlands. A sheet of ten stamps costs €6.06. The Typically Dutch – Flower Fields issue was designed by senior graphic designer Adam Lane and creative director Edwin van Praet from Total Design in Amsterdam. As part of this stamp series, stamps featuring museums (2 January) and mills (13 February) were published earlier this year. Stamps featuring cheese markets (15 May) and the wadden mud flats (14 August) will follow later this year.

The first flower fields were created between Leiden and Haarlem on geest lands at around 1850. Geest land soil consists of sand mixed with clay or peat, a type of soil that proved very suitable for growing flower bulbs. Such bulb fields can also be found elsewhere in the Netherlands, including in northern Noord-Holland, near Venlo, on Texel, in north-western Friesland, in the Noordoost Polder and on the Zeeland and Zuid-Holland islands. The flowering of the fields annually attracts around 2 million tourists. After the crocuses in February, tulips, daffodils and hyacinths bloom from March to May. In late summer, gladioli, dahlias, carnations and asters take over for the next colourful period.

Flowers may be lovely, but really, cultivation is all about the bulbs themselves multiplying underground.

The floriculture of flowers and plants is an important economic sector in our country, with an export value of €7.3 billion in 2021. The Netherlands also plays an important role in the trade of flowers grown elsewhere. 52 percent of the world trade in cut flowers, both home grown and imported from other countries, passes through Dutch hands. The FloraHolland cooperation is the world’s largest flower auction, handling over 90 per cent of Dutch trade. The history of Dutch flower culture dates back to the 16th century, when the tulip first arrived in the Netherlands. The famous flower originated in the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey) and was first planted by Carolus Clusius in the hortus botanicus in Leiden. Its name, tulip, also comes from the East. Ottoman sultans wore the flower on their turban – dūlbend in Persian – which is what the word tulip is derived from, meaning white tulip.

Design: The Typically Dutch – Flower Fields stamp sheet features colourful illustrations of stylised tulips. Each stamp features three tulips side by side. The stem and leaves of the tulip on the left and right continue on the stamp below. The iconic shapes of the tulips are grouped in a tight pattern across the stamps. The pattern is interrupted on the sheet edge. The background of the stamp sheet and stamps is a soft shade of green. The other colours match the background: purple, yellow and pink for the tulips’ flowers, dark green for the stem and leaves. Along the bottom of each stamp runs a white strip containing the sorting hook, the year 2023, the country (Nederland) and the denomination (1). The logo for the Typically Dutch series is printed above each stamp, with a folded Dutch banner on the left and right. The Typically Dutch logo appears once more on the top edge of the sheet, while the right edge features a short explanatory text. The title of this issue on flower fields in the Netherlands is printed in dark green on the sheet border between the large pictorial logo at the top of the stamp sheet and the stamps.

The choice of the tulip as the flower on the stamps of Typically Dutch – Flower Fields was pretty obvious, stamp designer Edwin van Praet believes. ‘It is a typically Dutch flower. In fact, you won’t find a flower that’s more Dutch than the tulip. Moreover, it is pretty easy to turn the tulip into an iconic shape. Tulips are at their most beautiful when you see them outside together. I often travel along the geest lands by rail, from The Hague to Amsterdam and back. In spring, you can admire the flower fields with their gorgeous colours through the train window. You really get the best views from the train.’

The other stamp designer, Adam Lane, has also got to know the Dutch flower fields. ‘I cycled there once, from Amsterdam to Lisse. In England, where I come from, flowers are a lot less important than they are here. And when you see flowers in England, they usually come from the Netherlands. For the design of the flower field stamps, I used the simplest geometric tulip shape. It is the art of leaving things out – the balance between slightly too much and too little detail. When you put multiple tulip shapes in a pattern, they become easily recognisable. It also helps that the colours remind you of a bouquet. Or rather, of a field full of flowers.’

The Typically Dutch – tulips stamps are available while stocks last at the post office counter in Bruna shops and through the webshop. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service on telephone number +31 (0)88 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Technical Details:

Stamp size: 40 x 30mm:
Sheet size: 122 x 170mm
Paper: normal with phosphor print
Gum: gummed
Printing technique: offset
Printing colours: cyan, magenta, yellow and black
Print run: 75,000 sheets
Appearance: sheet of 6 stamps in 6 identical designs
Design: Adam Lane and Edwin van Praet, Total Design, Amsterdam
Printer: Cartor Security Printers, Meaucé-La Loupe, France
Item number: 430361

China Society Backs Boston 2026 Show

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
China Stamp Society Joins Boston 2026

Boston 2026 World Expo is pleased to announce that another major society will be participating in the international exposition.

China Stamp SocietyThe China Stamp Society plans on holding its annual convention and additional seminars for those interested in philately of the region according to H. James Maxwell, show liaison and editor of the group’s award winning bi-monthly publication, “The China Clipper.”

Formed in 1936 the CSS is the world’s largest English-speaking philatelic society specializing in China and related regions, including Hong Kong, Macau, Manchukuo, Tibet, Shanghai and the Treaty Ports, Foreign Offices in China and the Japanese Occupation of China. It is the oldest affiliate of the American Philatelic Society. Their web site is at chinastampsociety.org.

President of Boston 2026 Yamil Kouri and Executive Director Mark Butterline both welcomed the news. “We are happy organizations continue to choose our exhibition as their society’s destination of choice for meetings and conventions. An additional thanks to those, including the CSS, that are able to financially support us as well,” said Kouri.

Philatelic groups from around the world are encouraged to contact Mark Schwartz, Boston 2026 Society Chair, as soon as possible by email at Mark.Schwartz@Boston2026.org to make their show interests known, whether it be for a society table or meeting space.

Boston 2026 World Expo takes place May 23-30, 2026, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. Full show details may be found at boston2026.org and on Twitter and Facebook.

Current U.S. Postal Rates (as of July 2023)

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These are the current basic rates, as of July 9, 2023:

Product
Letters (1 oz.)
Additional ounces
Letters (metered 1 oz.)
Domestic Postcards
International Postcards
International Letter (1 oz.)
Priority Mail Express Flat Rate Envelope
Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope
Large Envelopes (flats) (1 oz.)
Ground Advantage, starts at		 Prices
66¢
24¢
63¢
51¢
$1.50
$1.50
$28.75
$9.65
$1.35
$4.75

 

Scott Catalogue U.S. Update (March 2023)

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5745 (60¢) Love – Kitten and Heart
a. Imperforate
5746 (60¢) Love – Puppy and Heart
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. or vert. pair, #5745-5746
c. Imperforate horiz. or vert. pair, #5745a-5746a

5747 (48¢) Two Sailboats, serpentine die cut 11¼x11
5748 (48¢) One Sailboat, serpentine die cut 11¼x11
a. Horiz. or vert. pair, #5747-5748
5749 (48¢) One Sailboat coil stamp, serpentine die cut 9½ vert.
5750 (48¢) Two Sailboats coil stamp, serpentine die cut 9½ vert.
a. Pair, #5749-5750

5751 $9.65 Florida Everglades
5752 $28.75 Great Smoky Mountains

5753 (63¢) Ernest J. Gaines

Flying Scotsman (UK 2023)

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[press release] [click on any of the pictures for larger versions]
Royal Mail Marks Flying Scotsman’s Centenary with a Set of Special Stamps
The Final Set Of Special Stamps Featuring Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Silhouette

  • Steam locomotive Flying Scotsman celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023
  • The 12-stamp set features the National Railway Museum’s Flying Scotsman in various locations across the UK:
    • Pickering Station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
    • In the Yorkshire Dales National Park
    • Crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
    • Steaming through the town of Blyth in Northumberland
    • In a blizzard at Heap Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway
    • Crossing the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed
    • At London’s Victoria Station
    • In close-up at Shildon, County Durham
  • A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet show images of Flying Scotsman and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s
  • These will be the final Special Stamps to feature Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s silhouette
  • The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flyingscotsman and by telephone on 03457 641 641
  • All 12 stamps in a Presentation Pack go on general sale from 9 March and are priced at £17.70

Royal Mail and the National Railway Museum are marking the 100th anniversary of steam locomotive Flying Scotsman with a set of 12 Special Stamps.

The images feature Flying Scotsman in various locations across the UK:

  • Pickering Station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
  • The ‘Christmas Dalesman’ steam special in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
  • The ‘Cathedrals Express’ crossing the Ribblehead Viaduct in the Yorkshire Dales National Park
  • Steaming through the town of Blyth in Northumberland
  • In a blizzard at Heap Bridge on the East Lancashire Railway
  • The ‘Cathedrals Express’ excursion crossing the Royal Border Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed
  • At London’s Victoria Station
  • In close-up at Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham

A further four stamps presented in a miniature sheet feature images of Flying Scotsman and London North Eastern Railway (LNER) poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s.

  • ‘Scotland by the Night Scotsman’ poster, artwork by Robert Bartlett, 1932
  • ‘LNER train service to and from Scotland’ advertisement, designed by HL Oakley, 1923
  • ‘Edinburgh: Mons Meg’ poster, artwork by Frank Newbould, 1935
  • ‘Refuelling the Flying Scotsman’ poster, artwork by Frank Newbould, 1932

David Gold, Director of External Affairs & Policy, Royal Mail, said: “Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel. This remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved all by people over the world. We are honoured to mark this landmark milestone with a set of Special Stamps.”

Royal Mail worked closely with Bob Gwynne, Associate Curator at the National Railway Museum, (part of the Science Museum Group), to select the images featured on the stamps that were chosen from amongst hundreds of period photographs.

About Flying Scotsman:
The steam locomotive Flying Scotsman left the LNER’s Doncaster Works in February 1923.

It was named the following year after the principal express which ran between London and Edinburgh. In 1928, it hauled the first regular non-stop service from London to Edinburgh.

Built as an ‘A1’ class engine with a boiler pressure of 180psi (pounds per square inch), it was rebuilt in 1947 as an ‘A3’, with a higher boiler pressure of 220psi.

The engine ushered in an era of big locomotives, and its long history of operation has included several ‘firsts’, such as being the first steam locomotive to achieve a speed of 100mph (161kmh).

Over a 40-year career on British rails, Flying Scotsman travelled over two million miles (3.2 million km) and became the first steam locomotive to reach a speed of 100mph (161kmh).

After Flying Scotsman’s retirement from scheduled service in 1963, it was bought by businessman Alan Pegler and given a1920s LNER livery and the number 4472. Pegler was ambitious, and in 1969 he took his loco on a ‘Buy British’ tour of the United States. The journey attracted big crowds, and over several years the engine steamed from Texas to Canada and then over the Rockies to San Francisco, garnering publicity but losing Pegler his fortune.

The locomotive was rescued from an uncertain fate by British millionaire Sir William McAlpine, who returned it to the UK in 1973, determined that this national treasure would never again be threatened with exile. In 1988, Flying Scotsman went to Australia for the country’s bicentenary and visited Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs and Perth. The tour ‘down under’ was a triumph, with the return journey via Cape Horn ensuring another ‘first’: the locomotive had circumnavigated the globe.

Since 2004, Flying Scotsman has been part of the collection of the National Railway Museum in York, following a global public campaign to save the engine for the nation. As the oldest operating steam locomotive on the main line, it remains a potent symbol of the steam age and an inspiration to many.

Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s silhouette:
Flying Scotsman’s stamp issue will be the last to feature the silhouette of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

The silhouette has been in constant use on Special Stamps since 1968 (55 years).

The first version of Queen Elizabeth’s silhouette to appear on Special Stamps was adapted from a 1953 design by sculptor and medallist, Mary Gillick, used on coinage from 1953 to 1967. It was first used on the Landscapes stamp issue in May 1966.

Stamp illustrator, David Gentleman, re-worked the Gillick Head silhouette. The updated design was first used on the British Bridges issue in 1968 and has remained in use until today.

The only occasion on which the silhouette has not featured on a Special Stamp is when an actual image of The Queen was used in the design of the stamp.

Future Special Stamps will feature a silhouette of His Majesty King Charles III.

The stamps are available to pre-order now at www.royalmail.com/flyingscotsman and by telephone on 03457 641 641. A Presentation Pack including all 12 stamps in the set is available on general sale from 16 February and priced at £17.70.

VSC adds:

There are 32 philatelic products available for this issue, including three different first day covers, each available with one of two postmarks (Doncaster and Tallents House). The third cover above is a “Prestige FDC.” There is also a set of postcards: