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Got a date?

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Some countries issue all of that month's stamps on the same day, but not the U-S. Most
of the time, it issues stamps individually, often on a date significant to the stamp
subject.

But not always.  While the Nebraska Statehood stamp was issued on the actual anniversary,
March First, the Mississippi Statehood stamp was not. The anniversary is in December, the
stamp was issued in March. The Postal Service doesn't like to issue stamps that late in
the year. It offers a collection of the year's stamps for Christmas gift-giving. It goes
on sale in October.

Often, the commissions or interest groups want the stamps in advance of the anniversary
to help publicize it. That may be why the John F. Kennedy centennial stamp was issued more
than three months before his birthday, on President's Day.

The Postal Service also doesn't like to issue stamps on Sundays — unless it needs them for
a rate change, which always occurs on a Sunday.

And sometimes it's just a matter of scheduling: Maybe there's too much else scheduled on
the specific day. Or maybe the family or a celebrity isn't available on the actual
anniversary and the Postal Service feels their presence is more important than historical
accuracy.

There are many factors in the date on which a U-S stamp is issued.

I’m Lloyd de Vries of The Virtual Stamp Club. For more on stamps and stamp collecting,
and the latest list of this year's stamp release dates, visit virtual-stamp-club-dot-com.


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