From the first day ceremony May 31: Left to right, Dr. Dan Durda; Dr. Constantine Tsang; Cindy Conrad; Alice Bowman; Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute; David Williams, COO and Executive VP, USPS; Dr. Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist; Dr. Jim Green, NASA Director of Planetary Science; Delontae Jenkins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Norman Kuring, Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD. (Ceremony photographs courtesy USPS/Daniel Afzal.)

[USPS press release; NASA press release below]
NASA’s Breathtaking Planet Images Get Stamps of Approval
Pluto—Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever Stamps Issued

NEW YORK CITY — Less than a year following NASA’s nine-year, three-billion plus mile New Horizons mission to explore Pluto, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated Forever stamps to commemorate the historic event, while dedicating a second set of stamps depicting NASA’s stunning images of our planets.

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Pluto—Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever stamps took place before a crowd of 500 at the world’s largest stamp show that only occurs in the United States once a decade, World Stamp Show-NY 2016. The show runs through Saturday. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtags #PlutoExplored and #PlanetStamps. Visit Our Planets Forever Stamps to view images of the stamps and background on the planets.

“In 1991, the Postal Service issued a Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp that served as a rallying cry for those who very much wanted to explore it,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams in dedicating the stamps. “At the time, Pluto was still considered a planet, and it was the only one in our solar system that hadn’t been visited by a spacecraft.”

Pluto is now officially designated as a dwarf planet. The Postal Service is issuing the Pluto—Explored! Souvenir sheet as a companion to the Views of Our Planets stamp pane.

“In 2006,” Williams continued. “NASA placed a 29-cent Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which is safe to say, makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.”

The New Horizons spacecraft, launched into space on the fastest rocket ever built, traveled 3.26 billion miles at a speed exceeding 34,000 m.p.h. to reach Pluto on July 14, 2015. Placing that in perspective, it took three days for Apollo 11 to reach the moon. New Horizons passed the moon in nine hours.

The Postal Service learned of the 29-cent stamp’s journey aboard New Horizons on the eve of last July’s flyover and quickly put plans into place to set the record straight as noted in NASA’s celebratory photo.

“Now, the Views of Our Planets and Pluto—Explored! stamps will begin their own journeys today — on letters and packages to millions of homes and businesses throughout America,” added Williams. “We trust they’ll find a home in your own collections too.”

Joining Williams in the dedication were NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan (right); NASA Director of Planetary Science Dr. Jim Green; Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, Norman Kuring, who created the Earth stamp image; and, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute, Dr. Alan Stern. Honored guests included Astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld, a veteran of five space shuttle flights who logged 58 days in space, including more than 58 hours of spacewalk time, and Alice Bowman, New Horizons first female Mission Operations Manager.

“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green (left). “With the 2015 Pluto flyby, we’ve completed the initial reconnaissance of the solar system, and we’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”

“The 1991 stamp that showed Pluto ‘not yet explored’ highlighted some important, unfinished business for NASA’s first exploration of the planets of our solar system,” said Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons mission. “I’m thrilled that 25 years later, these new stamps recognize that Pluto has indeed been explored by the New Horizons spacecraft and revealed to be a complex and fascinating world.”

Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.

The Pluto—Explored! Forever stamps will only be available online at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724.

[NASA press release]
New Pluto and Planetary Stamps Wow at World Stamp Show

Breathtaking images of Pluto and the planets are getting a stamp of approval from the U.S. Postal Service, which unveiled striking new Forever stamps at the World Stamp Show NY-2016 on Tuesday.

“The issuing of these ‘Views of our Planets’ and ‘Pluto Explored’ stamps has special significance for NASA, since this represents the culmination of a half-century of space exploration,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “With the July 14, 2015 flyby of Pluto, we’ve completed the checklist of all the classical planets and can now declare—‘mission accomplished.’”

Joining Stofan in delivering remarks were NASA’s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green, New Horizons’ Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and Norman Kuring, oceanographer at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland—creator of the iconic “Blue Marble” image of Earth.

The crowd of about 500 philatelists cheered as Stofan quipped, “I may have to stop emailing and start writing letters again.”

In dedicating the stamps, U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams noted, “In 2006, NASA placed a 29-cent ‘Pluto: Not Yet Explored’ stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which – it is safe to say – makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.”

The 45-minute ceremony was followed by an autograph session, in which speakers and VIPs signed first day of issue programs for hundreds of stamp enthusiasts—the line snaking through the hallways of the Javits Center in New York City (Photos above (USPS), left, and below (NASA)). The planetary stamps are now being sold at most U.S. post offices. The Pluto—Explored! Forever stamps are available online or by calling 800-782-6724.

“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green (left). “We’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”

Updated April 29th: The first day postmarks: The DCP measures 2.51” x 1.38” The pictorial measures 2.19 x 1.17”

Updated April 29th, from the Postal Bulletin:
On May 31, 2016, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Pluto – Explored! stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents) in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of four stamps (Item 586600). The Pluto – Explored! pane of stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 31, 2016.

With this issuance, the U.S. Postal Service recognizes the history-making first reconnaissance of Pluto in 2015 by NASA’s New Horizons mission. The Pluto—Explored! souvenir sheet contains two new stamps (each appear twice on the sheet). The first stamp shows an artist’s rendering of the New Horizons spacecraft. The second shows the spacecraft’s striking image of Pluto taken near closest approach. The view — which is color-enhanced to highlight surface texture and composition — is a composite of four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, combined with color data from the imaging instrument, Ralph. It clearly reveals the now-famous heart-shaped feature (informally called Tombaugh Regio) that measures about 1,000 miles across at its widest point. The stamp issuance includes verso text. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the souvenir sheet.

Initial Supply to Post Offices: Item 586600, $1.88, Pluto – Explored! (Forever priced at 47 cents) Commemorative PSA Pane of Four Stamps
Stamp Fulfillment Services will not make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps prior to the FDOI through SFS Web.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http:⁄⁄www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Pluto – Explored! Stamps
Special Events Coordinator
380 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10199-9998

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 July 31, 2016.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 586606, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $26.32 (print quantity 3,000)
• 586610 Keepsake, (2 panes w⁄Digital Color Postmark, set of 2), $7.95
• 586616 First-Day Cover (set of 2), $1.82
• 586618 First-Day Cover, Full Pane, $4.38
• 586619 Cancelled Full Pane, $4.38
• 586621 Digital Color Postmark (set of 2), $3.24
• 586624 Framed Art, $39.95
• 586630 Ceremony Program (random single), $6.95
• 586633 Panel, $17.95

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Pluto – Explored! Stamp
Item Number: 586600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Souvenir Sheet of 4 (2 designs)
Series: N⁄A
Issue Date & City: May 31, 2016, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 4
Print Quantity: 15 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Spot Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 422 C Grey
Stamp Orientation: Square
Image Area (w x h): 1.09 x 1.09 in.⁄27.56 x 27.56 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.23 x 1.23 in.⁄31.12 x 31.12 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 3.50 x 3.50 in.⁄88.90 x 88.90 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 24.50 x 7.00 in.⁄622.30 x 177.80 mm
Plate Size: 196 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: N⁄A
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Pluto – Explored!
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Barcode (586600) • Promotional text • Verso text

From the USPS:

2 designs
FDOI: May at the World Stamp Show – NYC 2016, Jacob Javitz Center
Format: Souvenir Sheet of 4

With this issuance, the U.S. Postal Service® recognizes the history-making first reconnaissance of Pluto in 2015 by NASA’s New Horizons mission.

This souvenir sheet contains two new stamps (each appear twice on the sheet). The first stamp shows an artist’s rendering of the New Horizons spacecraft. The second shows the spacecraft’s striking image of Pluto taken near closest approach.

The view—which is color-enhanced to highlight surface texture and composition—is a composite of four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), combined with color data from the imaging instrument Ralph. It clearly reveals the now-famous heart-shaped feature.

Designer and Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

From the first day ceremony May 31st: Left to right, Dr. Dan Durda; Dr. Constantine Tsang; Cindy Conrad; Alice Bowman; Dr. Alan Stern, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute; David Williams, COO and Executive VP, USPS; Dr. Ellen Stofan, NASA Chief Scientist; Dr. Jim Green, NASA Director of Planetary Science; Delontae Jenkins, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Norman Kuring, Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt MD. (Ceremony photographs courtesy USPS/Daniel Afzal.)

[press release; NASA press release below]
NASA’s Breathtaking Planet Images Get Stamps of Approval
Pluto—Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever Stamps Issued

NEW YORK CITY — Less than a year following NASA’s nine-year, three-billion plus mile New Horizons mission to explore Pluto, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated Forever stamps to commemorate the historic event, while dedicating a second set of stamps depicting NASA’s stunning images of our planets.

The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Pluto—Explored! and Views of Our Planets Forever stamps took place before a crowd of 500 at the world’s largest stamp show that only occurs in the United States once a decade, World Stamp Show-NY 2016. The show runs through Saturday. The public is asked to share the news on social media using the hashtags #PlutoExplored and #PlanetStamps. Visit Our Planets Forever Stamps to view images of the stamps and background on the planets.

“In 1991, the Postal Service issued a Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp that served as a rallying cry for those who very much wanted to explore it,” said U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams (right) in dedicating the stamps. “At the time, Pluto was still considered a planet, and it was the only one in our solar system that hadn’t been visited by a spacecraft.”

Pluto is now officially designated as a dwarf planet. The Postal Service is issuing the Pluto—Explored! Souvenir sheet as a companion to the Views of Our Planets stamp pane.

“In 2006,” Williams continued. “NASA placed a 29-cent Pluto: Not Yet Explored stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which is safe to say, makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.”

The New Horizons spacecraft, launched into space on the fastest rocket ever built, traveled 3.26 billion miles at a speed exceeding 34,000 m.p.h. to reach Pluto on July 14, 2015. Placing that in perspective, it took three days for Apollo 11 to reach the moon. New Horizons passed the moon in nine hours.

The Postal Service learned of the 29-cent stamp’s journey aboard New Horizons on the eve of last July’s flyover and quickly put plans into place to set the record straight as noted in NASA’s celebratory photo.

“Now, the Views of Our Planets and Pluto—Explored! stamps will begin their own journeys today — on letters and packages to millions of homes and businesses throughout America,” added Williams. “We trust they’ll find a home in your own collections too.”

Joining Williams in the dedication were NASA Chief Scientist Dr. Ellen Stofan (right); NASA Director of Planetary Science Dr. Jim Green; Oceanographer, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, Norman Kuring, who created the Earth stamp image; and, New Horizons Principal Investigator, Southwest Research Institute, Dr. Alan Stern. Honored guests included Astronaut Dr. John Grunsfeld, a veteran of five space shuttle flights who logged 58 days in space, including more than 58 hours of spacewalk time, and Alice Bowman, New Horizons first female Mission Operations Manager.

“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green (left). “With the 2015 Pluto flyby, we’ve completed the initial reconnaissance of the solar system, and we’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”

“The 1991 stamp that showed Pluto ‘not yet explored’ highlighted some important, unfinished business for NASA’s first exploration of the planets of our solar system,” said Dr. Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons mission. “I’m thrilled that 25 years later, these new stamps recognize that Pluto has indeed been explored by the New Horizons spacecraft and revealed to be a complex and fascinating world.”

Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price. Art director Antonio Alcalá of Alexandria, VA, designed the stamps.

The Pluto—Explored! Forever stamps will only be available online at usps.com/shop or by calling 800-782-6724.

[NASA press release]
New Pluto and Planetary Stamps Wow at World Stamp Show

Breathtaking images of Pluto and the planets are getting a stamp of approval from the U.S. Postal Service, which unveiled striking new Forever stamps at the World Stamp Show NY-2016 on Tuesday.

“The issuing of these ‘Views of our Planets’ and ‘Pluto Explored’ stamps has special significance for NASA, since this represents the culmination of a half-century of space exploration,” said NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan. “With the July 14, 2015 flyby of Pluto, we’ve completed the checklist of all the classical planets and can now declare—‘mission accomplished.’”

Joining Stofan in delivering remarks were NASA’s Director of Planetary Science Jim Green, New Horizons’ Principal Investigator Alan Stern of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and Norman Kuring, oceanographer at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland—creator of the iconic “Blue Marble” image of Earth.

The crowd of about 500 philatelists cheered as Stofan quipped, “I may have to stop emailing and start writing letters again.”

In dedicating the stamps, U.S. Postal Service Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President David Williams noted, “In 2006, NASA placed a 29-cent ‘Pluto: Not Yet Explored’ stamp on board the New Horizons spacecraft, which – it is safe to say – makes it the most widely-traveled stamp in the universe.”

The 45-minute ceremony was followed by an autograph session, in which speakers and VIPs signed first day of issue programs for hundreds of stamp enthusiasts—the line snaking through the hallways of the Javits Center in New York City. (Photos above (USPS), left, and below (NASA)). The planetary stamps are now being sold at most U.S. post offices. The Pluto—Explored! Forever stamps are available online or by calling 800-782-6724.

“These breathtaking new images of Pluto and our planets make for an exciting day for NASA and for all who love space exploration,” said Green. “We’re grateful to the U.S. Postal Service for commemorating this historic achievement.”

Updated April 29th: The first day postmarks: The DCP measures 2.76” x 1.57” The pictorial postmark measures 2.42 x 1.45”

Updated April 29th, from the Postal Bulletin:
On May 31, 2016, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Views of Our Planets stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents) in eight designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 16 stamps (Item 473600). The Views of Our Planets pane of 16 stamps may not be split, and the stamps may not be sold individually.

The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 31, 2016.

With this pane of 16 stamps, the U.S. Postal Service showcases some of the more visually compelling full-disk images of the planets obtained during this era. Eight new colorful Forever stamps, each shown twice, feature Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. Some show the planet’s “true” color — what we might see with our own eyes if traveling through space. Others use colors to represent and visualize certain features of a planet based on imaging data. Still others use the near-infrared spectrum to show things that cannot be seen by the human eye in visible light. Verso text explains what these images reveal and identifies the spacecrafts and powerful telescopes that helped obtain them. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.

Initial Supply to Post Offices: Item 473600, $7.52, Views of Our Planets (Forever priced at 47 cents) Commemorative PSA Pane of 16 Stamps
Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales. Distribution quantities for the automatic push distribution will be available by logging on to SFS Web at https:⁄⁄sfsweb.usps.gov. Post Offices may begin ordering stamps prior to the FDOI through SFS Web. However, offices should check the website noted above to determine the amount they will receive on their automatic push distribution.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http:⁄⁄www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Views of Our Planets Stamps
Special Events Coordinator
380 West 33rd Street
New York, NY 10199-9998

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 July 31, 2016.

There are nine philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 473606, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $60.16 (print quantity 3,000)
• 473610 Keepsake, $9.95
• 473616 First-Day Cover (set of 8), $7.28
• 473618 First-Day Cover, Full Pane, $10.02
• 473619 Cancelled Full Pane, $10.02
• 473621 Digital Color Postmark (set of 8), $12.96
• 473624 Framed Art, $39.95
• 473630 Ceremony Program (random single), $6.95
• 473633 Panel, $10.95

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Views of Our Planets Stamp
Item Number: 473600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 16
Series: N⁄A
Issue Date & City: May 31, 2016, New York, NY 10199
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 16
Print Quantity: 40 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Spot Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: PMS422C Grey, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Square
Image Area (w x h): 1.085 x 1.085 in.⁄27.56 x 27.56 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.225 x 1.225 in.⁄31.12 x 31.12 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6.00 x 6.00 in.⁄152.40 x 152.40 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 12.125 x 24.00 in.⁄307.98 x 609.60 mm
Plate Size: 256 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: N⁄A
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Views of Our Planets
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Barcode (473600) • Promotional text • Verso text • Plate Block

From the USPS:

This issue will be released at World Stamp Show-New York 2016 in May.
8 designs
Format: Pane of 16

With this pane of 16 stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® showcases some of the more visually compelling full-disk images of the planets obtained during this era. Eight new colorful Forever® stamps, each shown twice, feature Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Some show the planet’s “true” color—what we might see with our own eyes if traveling through space. Others use colors to represent and visualize certain features of a planet based on imaging data.
Still others use the near-infrared spectrum to show things that cannot be seen by the human eye in visible light.

The verso text explains what these images reveal and identifies the spacecrafts and powerful telescopes that helped obtain them.
Designer and Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

Updated June 7th: The blue background is correct. Following this new illustration are two advisories regarding ceremonies for this stamp: [press release]
U.S. Postal Service Commemorating the Two Most Important Muslim Festivals With Issuance of New Eid Stamp

What:
The Postal Service observes the two most important festivals – or eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha at the First-Day-of-Issue ceremony for the new Eid stamp.

Like other stamps in the Postal Service’s Holiday Celebrations series, the Eid stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.

Who:

• Derron Bray, USPS Executive Postmaster, Detroit, Michigan
• Samie U. Rehman, USPS Manager, Revenue and Volume Forecasting
• Fouad Khalil, USPS Communication Specialist, Information Technology
• Barbara L. McQuade, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan
• Sam Salamey, Chief Judge, Dearborn’s 19th District Court, Michigan
• Dr. Albert Harp, Retired Educator and Emeritus Trustee Islamic Center of America
• Zena Elayan, Student, Chamberlain College
• Muslim American Youth Academy (MAYA) Students, Islamic Center of America
• Boy Scouts of America, Troop 1139

Where:
Islamic Center of America
19500 Ford Road
Dearborn, MI 48128
(Note: The public should feel free to RSVP at usps.com/eid .)

When: Friday, June 10, 2016; Noon EST

Background:
The U.S. Postal Service® has issued stamps to commemorate these two Islamic holidays since 2001. The first Eid stamp, featuring gold calligraphy on a blue background, was issued on September 1, 2001. A new Eid stamp with gold calligraphy against a reddish background debuted in 2011 and was reissued with a green background in 2013. All Eid issuances to date have featured the work of world-renowned calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya of Arlington, Virginia.

Zakariya created the gold-colored calligraphy on this stamp. The script reads Eidukum mubarak, “May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed).” The calligraphy on previous Eid stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service has read Eid mubarak, “may the religious holiday be blessed,” with the “your” implied, but Zakariya added the word to this new stamp to give the text more body within a horizontal frame.

In 2016, Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in North America on July 6 and Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Sept. 12. In 2017, Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in North America on June 25 and Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Sept 1. (These dates, which are based on geographical location and predicted sightings of the moon, are preliminary and may vary slightly as each festival approaches.)

Find more information about the new stamp at usps.com/stamps, facebook.com/uspsstamps or uspsstamps.com

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

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Commemorating the Two Most Important Muslim Festivals With Issuance of New Eid Stamp

What:
The Postal Service observes the two most important festivals – or eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha with a special dedication ceremony for the new Eid stamp.

Like other stamps in the Postal Service’s Holiday Celebrations series, the Eid stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp. Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.

Who:

• Joseph W. Meimann, USPS Louisville, KY, Postmaster
• Donald Lassere, President and Chief Executive Officer, Muhammad Ali Center
• Ambassador Shabazz; Eldest daughter; Malcolm X Shabazz and Dr. Betty Shabazz
• Greg Fischer, Mayor of Louisville
• Attica Scott, State Representative
• Bryan Warren, Director of Globalization, Louisville Metro Government
• Iman Abass, 4th Grade Student, Blue Lick Elementary
• Cozad Terry Taylor, Former Executive Director, Interfaith Paths to Peace
• Montford Point Marine Association
• Humanity Passport Project Greater Community Choir

Where:
Muhammad Ali Center
144 North Sixth Street
Louisville, KY 40202

When: Monday, June 13, 2016; 11:00 a.m. EST

Background:
The U.S. Postal Service® has issued stamps to commemorate these two Islamic holidays since 2001. The first Eid stamp, featuring gold calligraphy on a blue background, was issued on September 1, 2001. A new Eid stamp with gold calligraphy against a reddish background debuted in 2011 and was reissued with a green background in 2013. All Eid issuances to date have featured the work of world-renowned calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya of Arlington, Virginia.

Zakariya created the gold-colored calligraphy on this stamp. The script reads Eidukum mubarak, “May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed).” The calligraphy on previous Eid stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service has read Eid mubarak, “may the religious holiday be blessed,” with the “your” implied, but Zakariya added the word to this new stamp to give the text more body within a horizontal frame.

In 2016, Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in North America on July 6 and Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Sept. 12. In 2017, Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated in North America on June 25 and Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Sept 1. (These dates, which are based on geographical location and predicted sightings of the moon, are preliminary and may vary slightly as each festival approaches.)

Find more information about the new stamp at usps.com/stamps, facebook.com/uspsstamps or uspsstamps.com

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 May 14th: Here is the Digital Color Postmark first-day cancel for this issue:

This measures 2.6″x1.3″. However, I wouldn’t trust the colors in the postmark, because the illustration shows the stamp background as blue, and other illustrations of the stamp design, as well as the Technical Specifications (below) indicate the color is purple. There is no B&W pictorial first-day postmark for this issue.

Updated May 11th, from the Postal Bulletin:
On June 10, 2016, in Dearborn, MI, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the EID Greetings stamp (Forever® priced at 47 cents) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 556200).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide June 10, 2016.

With a design that evokes centuries of tradition, this stamp featuring gold calligraphy and an olive branch against a brilliant blue background commemorates the two most important festivals — or eids — in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. On these days, Muslims wish each other Eidukum mubarak, the phrase shown in Islamic calligraphy on the stamp. Eidukum mubarak translates literally as “May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed),” a phrase that can be applied to both Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Artist and calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya worked with art director Ethel Kessler to create this design.

Initial Supply to Post Offices: Post Offices™ will need to order the EID Greetings stamp through SFS Web. They will be available for ordering prior to the first-day-of-issue.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

EID Greetings Stamp
3800 Greenfield Road
Dearborn, MI 48120-9998

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 August 10, 2016.

There are five philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 556206 Press Sheet with Die-cut, $75.20 (print quantity 1,000).
• 556210 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $11.95.
• 556216 First-Day Cover, $0.91.
• 556221 Digital Color Postmark, $1.62.
• 556230 Ceremony Program, $6.95.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: EID Greetings
Item Number: 556200
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: N⁄A
Issue Date & City: June 10, 2016, Dearborn, MI 48120
Designer: Mohamed Zakariya, Arlington, VA
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Mohamed Zakariya, Arlington, VA
Calligrapher: Mohamed Zakariya, Arlington, VA
Modeler: Sandra Lane⁄Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 15 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged paper, Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit SC
Colors: PMS 7535 Gray, PMS 871 Gold, PMS 2726 Purple
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in.⁄26.67 x 19.56 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in.⁄30.23 x 23.11 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.635 x 5.425 in.⁄143.13 x 137.80 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 22.54 x 10.85 in.⁄ 572.52 x 275.59 mm
Plate Size: 320 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by three (3) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in four corners of pane
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (556200) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text

From the USPS:

FDOI: Information to come. (2nd Quarter)
Format: Pane of 20

Featuring a design that evokes centuries of tradition, this stamp commemorates the two most important festivals—or eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The gold-colored calligraphy on this stamp was created by world-renowned calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya of Arlington, Virginia.

The script reads Eidukum mubarak, “May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed).” The calligraphy on previous Eid stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service® has read Eid mubarak, “may the religious holiday be blessed,” with the “your” implied, but Zakariya added the word to this new stamp to give the text more body within a horizontal frame.

“The script is the same as on the previous stamps, but elongated and simplified,” says Zakariya, who explains that he used a script known in Arabic as thuluth and in Turkish as sulus, “the choice script for a complex composition due to its open proportions and sense of balance.”

To the right of the script, a stylized olive branch rendered in gold carries connotations of abundance, family, hospitality, and peace. The background color is a rich purple.

As he has with all previous Eid stamps, Zakariya employed traditional methods and instruments to create this design. He used homemade black ink, and his pens were crafted from seasoned reeds from the Near East and Japanese bamboo from Hawaii. The paper was specially prepared with a coating of starch and three coats of alum and egg-white varnish, then burnished with an agate stone and aged for more than a year. The black-and-white design was then colorized by computer.

Art Director: Ethel Kessler

[Eid al-Adha will be celebrated in September; previous Eid stamps have been around that time. But Eid al-Fitr will be celebrated on July 6th — just after the end of the second quarter. —LdeV]

Updated April 18th: The unveiling of the stamp design at the first-day ceremony. Photo courtesy Chris Lazaroff. Updated April 4th: Here are the first day postmarks for this issue. The Digital Color Postmark measures 3″x1.3″ The B&W “hand cancel” measures 2.6″x1.5″

Updated March 31st: From the Postal Bulletin:

On April 18, 2016, in Los Angeles, CA, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Shirley Temple stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 473900).

The stamp will go on sale nationwide April 18, 2016.

With the 20th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, the U.S. Postal Service honors actress and diplomat Shirley Temple Black (1928–2014). As a child, Temple was the most famous film star in the world; as an adult, Black had a distinguished career in diplomacy, serving as a delegate to the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and U.S. Chief of Protocol. She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998 and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2006. The stamp art features a painting by Tim O\u0027Brien based on a 1935 still image from Curly Top, one of her iconic movie roles. The selvage features a publicity photo from the 1933 short film, Managed Money. The Shirley Temple artwork is based on photos courtesy of © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The stamp pane includes selvage and verso text. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp and pane.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http:⁄⁄www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Shirley Temple Stamp
U.S. Postal Service
Attn: Marketing
7001 South Central Avenue, Room 307
Los Angeles, CA 90052-4200

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 June 18, 2016.

There are eight philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 473906 Press Sheet with Die-cut, (print quantity 2,000), $84.60
• 473910 Keepsake, $11.95
• 473916 First-Day Cover, $0.91
• 473918 First-Day Cover Full Pane, $11.90
• 473919 Cancelled Full Pane, $11.90
• 473921 Digital Color Postmark, $1.62
• 473924 Framed Art, $19.95
• 473930 Ceremony Program, $6.95

[Note that there is no no-die-cut press sheet for this issue. —VSC]

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Shirley Temple
Item Number: 473900
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Legends of Hollywood
Issue Date & City: April 18, 2016, Los Angeles, CA 90052
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: Tim O’Brien, Brooklyn, NY
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint, “USPS”
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Printed at: Williamsville, NY
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 22 million stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag Applied
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, PMS 2627C Purple
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in.⁄21.34 x 36.07 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in.⁄24.89 x 39.62 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.474 x 7.169 in.⁄215.24 x 182.10 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 25.922 x 22.007 in.⁄658.42 x 558.98 mm
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by five (5) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate numbers in two corners of pane
• Verso-text • Header “Legends of Hollywood – 20th in a series”
Back: © 2015 USPS • USPS logo • Plate position diagram • Barcode (473900) in upper right and lower left corners of pane • Promotional text • Proprietary Information • Verso-text

Updated March 16th: Postmaster General Megan Brennan will be the “dedicating official” at this ceremony.

Updated March 10th: From the USPS: The Legends of Hollywood: Shirley Temple Forever Stamp will be issued Mon. Apr. 18 at 1:30 p.m. in Los Angeles at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90024.

press release:

With this 20th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, the U.S. Postal Service honors actress and diplomat Shirley Temple Black. The world’s most famous film star as a child, she went on to a distinguished career in public service and international affairs.

The stamp art is a painting by artist Tim O’Brien; it is based on a 1935 image from Curly Top, one of the child star’s iconic movie roles. The stamp has the words “Shirley Temple” along the top, with “Forever” and “USA” on the bottom. The selvage features a publicity photo from the 1933 short film Managed Money. The Shirley Temple artwork is based on photos © Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. The pane’s selvage and verso include biographical text about her acting and diplomatic careers. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp and pane.

Shirley Temple was born on April 23, 1928, in Santa Monica, California. She began dance lessons when she was just three years old, and that early start paid off when she was cast in Baby Burlesks, a series of one-reel film shorts that parodied actual movies, with small children cast in the roles usually played by adults. At age five, she signed a contract with Fox Film Corporation. Her brief appearance in the feature film Stand Up and Cheer, released in 1934, started her on the road to stardom. Singing “Baby, Take a Bow,” the diminutive actress stole the show.

Seven more full-length movies followed in 1934, among them Little Miss Marker, which featured her first starring role, and Bright Eyes, which included what became one of her signature songs, “On the Good Ship Lollipop.” That same year, a toy company produced and sold the Shirley Temple doll, which remains one of the most collectible dolls ever made. Coloring books, paper dolls, dresses, and recordings of songs from her movie roles were just a few of the other products inspired by America’s favorite star.

Shirley Temple tap-danced with some of the film greats, including Buddy Ebsen and Jack Haley, but her most famous—and possibly favorite—dance partner was Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, with whom she starred in four movies. She called him “Uncle Billy,” and he called her “Darlin’,” and they remained friends for the rest of his life.

Mired in the economic tribulations of the Great Depression, moviegoers found joy and escape from everyday cares in the child star’s bright smile, deep dimples, and irrepressible spirit. Her hairstyle, made up of 56 perfect corkscrew curls, was the envy of little girls everywhere. However, her adorable looks were not her only asset; Shirley Temple was also a talented performer. She took the roles written for her—usually involving a motherless or orphan child who melts the hearts and fixes the problems of the adults around her—and raised them to a level beyond cliché.

Simply put, Shirley Temple was the biggest star in Hollywood in the mid- to late 1930s. She was photographed wherever she went, her every move followed by adoring fans and reporters. The studio received more fan mail addressed to her than to adult stars like Greta Garbo. She was America’s bright light during the Depression, offering cheer and hope with each smile. President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself praised her for helping to lift the spirits of a nation facing one of its greatest challenges.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognized Shirley Temple’s contribution not only to Hollywood but also to the culture in general. She was awarded the first-ever juvenile Oscar at the 1935 Academy Awards ceremony in recognition of her outstanding contribution to screen entertainment during the previous year. She went on to be the number one box-office draw for four years in a row.

Girls grow up, even movie stars, and by age 12, Shirley Temple’s film career had reached its peak. Fans who had worshipped the adorable little girl did not embrace the adolescent actress. Her parents decided that she should go to school rather than be tutored at the studio, and she made movies during her summer vacations. Although she was still cast in good roles, such as her part in Since You Went Away (1944), performances did not capture a new audience. She retired from movies at age 21.

In 1950, Shirley Temple married Charles Black. With him, her daughter Linda Susan from her earlier marriage to John Agar, and her two children, Charles and Lori, from this second marriage, she enjoyed a happy, everyday family life. Black also spent a brief but memorable time working in television, starring in two series for children that involved the retelling of fairy tales and other stories. Along with Black, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars played roles in these television shows.

During her years in Hollywood, Black had involved herself in public service, and that commitment never wavered. During the 1960s, she served as president of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, raising funds and awareness. This was a very personal cause for her because her brother George suffered from the debilitating disease. In 1961, she co-founded the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies. It was also during the 1960s that she became active in politics.

A successful fund-raiser for various Republican candidates, Black herself ran for Congress in 1967. Though her bid was unsuccessful, her candidacy raised her profile in the party. President Richard Nixon appointed her a delegate to the United Nations in 1969, the beginning of her distinguished career in diplomacy.

Although Black’s appointment to the U.N. delegation was at first considered only a political reward for her support, her dedication and work ethic proved to doubters that she was a serious and knowledgeable delegate. Her name, she recognized, might open doors to opportunities, but only by doing her job well could she continue to qualify for such appointments.

In 1972, Black, who had already proven her resilience, once more pioneered the way for other women when she became one of the first public figures to candidly acknowledge her breast cancer and mastectomy. Her courage in talking publicly—she held a news conference from her hospital bed—is widely credited with helping to make the discussion about breast cancer, alternatives to radical mastectomies, and a woman’s right to be part of the decision regarding her treatment acceptable in the public forum. In response, she received more than 50,000 cards and letters of appreciation and admiration.

Black was appointed U.S. ambassador to Ghana in 1974. She had experience working on African issues from her days at the U.N., but this was her first ambassadorial assignment, and career diplomats were skeptical. The Ghanaians accepted her wholeheartedly, and as Black proudly told President Gerald Ford later, she was made an honorary tribal chief.

President Ford appointed Black the U.S. Chief of Protocol in 1976. The protocol office plans the visits of foreign dignitaries to the U.S.; manages Blair House, the presidential guesthouse; and oversees all the ceremonial and official functions of the president, among numerous other duties. The first woman to hold the office, Black was an ideal choice, combining her experience in diplomacy with her natural charisma, charm, and organizational skills. Among her tasks was planning key elements of the inaugural celebrations for President-elect Jimmy Carter, Ford’s successor. Her mother was ill at the time, but Black carried out her duties perfectly. After her mother passed away, Black resigned and returned to private life.

Between diplomatic posts, Black wrote her autobiography, Child Star, and in 1983 she became a charter member of the newly formed American Academy of Diplomacy. A few years later she was appointed Honorary Foreign Service Officer of the United States, the first person to be awarded this honor.

President George H. W. Bush appointed Black U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989. Twenty-one years prior to her arrival in Prague as ambassador, Black had visited the city to organize Czechoslovakia’s entry into the International Federation of Multiple Sclerosis Societies. During her stay, Warsaw Pact forces invaded the country to crush reform efforts, and she witnessed firsthand the violence that accompanied the invasion. It was fitting, then, that during her tenure as ambassador, the country overthrew its Communist government and began its peaceful division into two countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which became official after she had returned to the U.S.

Black’s career as a diplomat was eventful, but her earlier career as a movie star was not forgotten. In 1998, she was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient, and a year later the American Film Institute included her as one of the 50 greatest screen legends. The Screen Actors Guild presented her with their Life Achievement Award in 2006.

Shirley Temple Black died on February 10, 2014. She had been a diplomat longer than she had been an actress, and her contributions were great in both of those careers. She brought joy to moviegoers at a dark time in American history and earned the respect and admiration of the American people for her role in diplomacy.
From the USPS:

Legends of Hollywood series
FDOI: Information to come. (Second Quarter) (Her birthday was April 23rd)
Format: Pane of 20

With the 20th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, the U.S. Postal Service® honors actress and diplomat Shirley Temple Black (1928–2014).

As a child, Temple was the most famous film star in the world.

As an adult, Black had a distinguished career in diplomacy, serving as a delegate to the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and U.S. Chief of Protocol.

She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998 and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2006.

The stamp art features a painting by Tim O’Brien based on a 1935 still image from Curly Top, one of her iconic movie roles. The selvage feature a publicity photo from the 1933 short film Managed Money.

Shirley Temple was Hollywood’s top box office draw for four consecutive years: 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1938. She was, and still is, the most famous (and successful) child star of all time. Read more about her at Internet Movie Data Base and Wikipedia.

Updated December 3rd: The following Scott catalogue numbers have been assigned:

5145-5148 (47¢) Holiday Window Views
5145 (47¢) Candle in Window
5146 (47¢) Wreath in Window
5147 (47¢) Star in Window
5148 (47¢) Christmas Tree in Window
5148a Block of 4
5148b Holiday Window Views #5145-5148 CB/20

Updated September 17th: Here is the DCP for this issue: It measures 2.94” x 1.48”. The B&W postmark for this issue is the standard 4-bar First Day of Issue postmark.

Updated September 1st:
On October 6, 2016, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Holiday Windows stamps (Forever® priced at 47 cents), in four designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 681500).

The stamps will go on sale nationwide October 6, 2016.

With four warm, inviting illustrations of winter scenes featuring windows, the Holiday Windows stamps rejoice in the simple pleasures of the season. Two stamp designs show views from the inside looking out: a single burning candle sits on a sill and a simple star ornament hangs from a hook attached to the window sash, out of sight. Two other stamp designs show views from the outside looking in: a brightly lit Christmas tree contrasts with the snowy shrubs on the other side of the glass and a snow-covered wreath hangs in front of frosted windowpanes. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with original artwork by William Low.

Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices™ of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http:⁄⁄www.usps.com⁄shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Holiday Windows Stamps
Stamp Fulfillment Services
Cancellation Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-9998

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 6, 2016.

There are six philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 681506 Press Sheet with Die-cut, $75.20.
• 681510 Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $15.95.
• 681516 First-Day Cover (Set of 4), $3.64.
• 681521 Digital Color Postmark (Set of 4), $6.48.
• 681524 Framed Art, $19.95.
• 681530 Ceremony Program (Random single), $6.95

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Holiday Windows Stamps
Item Number: 681500
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail, Forever
Format: Double-Sided Booklet of 20
(4 designs)
Series: Holiday Celebrations
Issue Date & City: October 6, 2016, New York, NY 10199
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: William Low, Huntington, NY
Modeler: Sandra Lane⁄Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Printed at: Browns Summit, NC
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 500 million stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, NC
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in.⁄19.56 x 26.67 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in.⁄23.11 x 30.23 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.74 x 2.38 in.⁄145.87 x 60.33 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 11.49 x 9.50 in.⁄291.74 x 241.30 mm
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Plate Size: 800 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: • Plate numbers in peel strip area
• © 2016 • USPS in peel strip area

Updated July 29th: These stamps will be issued at the American Stamp Dealers (“ASDA”) Fall stamp show, October 6th, at the Hilton in midtown Manhattan, New York City. The Hanukkah and Nativity stamps are also set for that date and location, and all three issues will likely share a single first-day ceremony.

[USPS press release]
Holiday Window Views Featured on Forever Stamps

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service announced today [July 25, 2016] that this year’s contemporary holiday stamps will highlight the role windows play during the holidays. The Holiday Windows Forever stamps will be issued in October, providing plenty of time for mailing greeting cards. Details will be announced soon. This is one of a number of holiday-themed stamps that will be issued this year.

Portraying winter nights, these elegant stamps showcase ways we observe traditions and spread cheer, letting us delight in the snow when we’re inside while also sharing our warmth and merriment with the outside world. Available in booklets of 20 with each design repeated five times, the stamps feature a candle, a wreath, a star and a lighted tree. The stamps are sure to add a dash of winter bliss to letters and cards during the year’s coldest months.

Two of the designs show views from the inside looking out:  a single burning candle sits on a sill and a simple star ornament hangs from a hook attached to the window sash, out of sight.

Two other designs show views from the outside looking in:  a brightly lit Christmas tree contrasts with the snowy shrubs on the other side of the glass and a snow-covered wreath hangs in front of frosted windowpanes.

Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, designed the stamps with original artwork by William Low of Huntington, NY.

The Holiday Windows stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. These Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

These are rough notes, typed as the meeting was underway. They will be cleaned up later, and individual pages created for the new issues. -LdeV  [USPS notes added further down.]

Quarter 1:

Year of the Monkey date and city confirmed.

Sarah Vaughn March 29 Newark, NJ

Quarter 2 dates tentative

Shirley Temple Legends of Hollywood, FDOI TBD  painting by Tim O’Brien based on 193

New Eid Greetings stamp, horiz format, purple background

For World Stamp Show:

Stamp Act, previously revealed

Views of Our Planets and Pluto Explored souvenir sheet. (2 different issues)

2 souvenir sheets, only sold together, 12 stamps each, Similar to earlier designs. One pane is red, one is blue. Intaglio; earlier stamps were offset.

3rd Quarter:

Soda Fountain Favorites

Star Trek 50th anniversary, 4 stamps

first Halloween stamps: Jack O’Lanterns

Pickup Trucksi

Quarter 4:

More to come on the holidays; contemporary design still in development

Nativity

Florentine Madonna & Child

New Hanukkah design

New Kwanzaa stamp, 2016 is 50th anniversary

Mail Use:

Jan. 17, Washington, no ceremony, Columbia River Gorge Priority Express

Jan. 17 Washington, no ceremony, La Cueva del Indio (Puerto Rico) Priority Mail

New flag, Washington, no ceremony, January

10¢ Pears, Washington, no ceremony, January

Global is The Moon, February

1¢ Apple, no date or place

5¢ Grapes, no date or place

Star Quilts, presort, 2 designs, no date or place yet (Quilts made by Amish)

Q&A:

Envelopes for Priority Mail but not Express. (asked by Marty Frankevicz of Scott Publishing)

Asked by Wayne Youngblood: Star Trek issue never mentions the name. Licensing issue? No, says Mary-Anne Penner. “Space The Final Frontier” will be on the full pane’s selvage. Bill Gicher, USPS: The images are well-known enough that the name didn’t need to be stated.

(me) SF Authors? No, not in this year.

-0-

From the USPS:

Quarter 2
Legends of Hollywood: Shirley Temple (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

With the 20th stamp in the Legends of Hollywood series, the U.S. Postal Service® honors actress and diplomat Shirley Temple Black (1928–2014).

As a child, Temple was the most famous film star in the world.

As an adult, Black had a distinguished career in diplomacy, serving as a delegate to the United Nations, U.S. ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia, and U.S. Chief of Protocol.

She received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998 and a lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2006.

The stamp art features a painting by Tim O’Brien based on a 1935 still image from Curly Top, one of her iconic movie roles. The selvage feature a publicity photo from the 1933 short film Managed Money.

Pets
Artist: Tim O’Brien
Art Director: Ethel Kessler
Pets (20 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Booklet of 20
This issuance celebrates America’s love of pets.
The stamp art for the Pets booklet features 20 existing photographs. Each photograph represents an animal we love from these groups: puppies, betta fish, iguanas, hamsters, goldfish, parrots, guinea pigs, tortoises, rabbits, kittens, corn snakes, mice, hermit crabs, chinchillas, gerbils, dogs, parakeets, horses, cats, and geckos.
Existing Photos: Eric Isselée
Art Director: Derry Noyes

Indiana Statehood (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

This stamp celebrates the 200th anniversary of Indiana’s statehood. Known as the Hoosier State, Indiana became the 19th state of the Union on December 11, 1816. Indiana has often been considered the heartland of America. Its fertile soil has long made it ideal for crops like corn, which remains a staple of Indiana’s agricultural economy. The state is also known for the Indianapolis 500 and its devotion to the game of basketball.

The stamp features a contemplative photograph of the expansive cornfields near Milford, Indiana, at sunset. The photographer, Michael Matti, grew up in Milford.

Existing Photo: Michael Matti
Art Director: Derry Noyes

EID Greetings (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

Featuring a design that evokes centuries of tradition, this stamp commemorates the two most important festivals—or eids—in the Islamic calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. The gold-colored calligraphy on this stamp was created by world-renowned calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya of Arlington, Virginia.

The script reads Eidukum mubarak, “May your Eid be bountiful (or blessed).” The calligraphy on previous Eid stamps issued by the U.S. Postal Service® has read Eid mubarak, “may the religious holiday be blessed,” with the “your” implied, but Zakariya added the word to this new stamp to give the text more body within a horizontal frame.

“The script is the same as on the previous stamps, but elongated and simplified,” says Zakariya, who explains that he used a script known in Arabic as thuluth and in Turkish as sulus, “the choice script for a complex composition due to its open proportions and sense of balance.”

To the right of the script, a stylized olive branch rendered in gold carries connotations of abundance, family, hospitality, and peace. The background color is a rich purple.

As he has with all previous Eid stamps, Zakariya employed traditional methods and instruments to create this design. He used homemade black ink, and his pens were crafted from seasoned reeds from the Near East and Japanese bamboo from Hawaii. The paper was specially prepared with a coating of starch and three coats of alum and egg-white varnish, then burnished with an agate stone and aged for more than a year. The black-and-white design was then colorized by computer.

Art Director: Ethel Kessler

Issues at World Stamp Show-NY 2016:

Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1776 (1 design)
FDOI: May at the World Stamp Show – NYC 2016, Jacob Javitz Center
Format: Pane of 10

This issuance commemorates the 250th anniversary of the repeal of the Stamp Act, British legislation that galvanized and united the American colonies and set them on a path toward revolution. The act required payment of a tax on a wide array of paper materials, such as newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, licenses, mortgages, contracts, and bills of sale. A stamp would be embossed on these papers to indicate payment.

The stamp art depicts a crowd gathered around a “liberty tree” to celebrate the repeal of the Stamp Act. The selvage area displays a proof print of a one-penny revenue stamp and includes a famous slogan from the era: “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” Verso text appears on the back of the pane.

Artist: Greg Harlin
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

Views of Our Planets (8 designs)
FDOI: May at the World Stamp Show – NYC 2016, Jacob Javits Center
Format: Pane of 16

With this pane of 16 stamps, the U.S. Postal Service® showcases some of the more visually compelling full-disk images of the planets obtained during this era. Eight new colorful Forever® stamps, each shown twice, feature Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Some show the planet’s “true” color—what we might see with our own eyes if traveling through space. Others use colors to represent and visualize certain features of a planet based on imaging data.
Still others use the near-infrared spectrum to show things that cannot be seen by the human eye in visible light.

The verso text explains what these images reveal and identifies the spacecrafts and powerful telescopes that helped obtain them.
Designer and Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

Pluto Explored! (2 designs)
FDOI: May at the World Stamp Show – NYC 2016, Jacob Javitz Center
Format: Souvenir Sheet of 4

With this issuance, the U.S. Postal Service® recognizes the history-making first reconnaissance of Pluto in
2015 by NASA’s New Horizons mission.

This souvenir sheet contains two new stamps (each appear twice on the sheet). The first stamp shows an artist’s rendering of the New Horizons spacecraft. The second shows the spacecraft’s striking image of Pluto taken near closest approach.

The view—which is color-enhanced to highlight surface texture and composition—is a composite of four images from New Horizons’ Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), combined with color data from the imaging instrument Ralph. It clearly reveals the now-famous heart-shaped feature.

Designer and Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

World Stamp Show-NY 2016 commemorative sheets (2 designs on 2 panes)
FDOI: May at the World Stamp Show – NYC 2016, Jacob Javitz Center
Format: Two Panes of 12

This souvenir sheet commemorates the decennial World Stamp Show that will be held from May 28 to June 4, 2016, at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The design will be based on the two stamps issued in 2015 to announce the upcoming World Stamp Show-NY 2016 and inviting philatelists and amateur stamp enthusiasts to attend. Printed in Intaglio.

Designer: Michael Dyer and Antonio Alcalá
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá

Quarter 3
Jaime Escalante (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

Beloved and charismatic California educator Jaime Escalante (1930–2010) used unconventional methods to inspire his inner-city students not only to learn calculus but also to pass Advanced Placement tests in the subject. With his colleagues at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles, he proved that students judged to be “unteachable” could master even the most difficult subject.
The stamp art features Escalante in a digital illustration that resembles an oil painting. The illustration is based on a 2005 photograph taken by Jaime W. Escalante, in a classroom where his father formerly taught.

Artist: Jason Seiler
Art Director: Greg Breeding

Soda Fountain Favorites (5 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Booklet of 20

This issue celebrates soda fountain favorites—the cold, sweet treats beloved by people of all ages. [Note that the middle stamp is wider than the other 4. -LdeV]

This First-Class Mail® Forever® booklet of 20 features five different illustrations: a double-scoop ice cream cone, an egg cream, a banana split, a root beer float, and a hot fudge sundae. The geometric silver-toned patterns in the selvage and on the booklet cover evoke a classic chrome-accented soda fountain.

Art Director: Ethel Kessler
Illustrator: Nancy Stahl

Star Trek (4 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

Celebrating the television show Star Trek on the 50th anniversary of its premiere, these four new stamps showcase four digital illustrations inspired by elements of the classic program:

• the Starship Enterprise inside the outline of a Starfleet insignia against a gold background,
• the silhouette of a crewman in a transporter against a red background,
• the silhouette of the Enterprise from above against a green background, and
• the Enterprise inside the outline of the Vulcan salute (Spock’s iconic hand gesture) against a blue background.

The words “SPACE…THE FINAL FRONTIER,” from Captain Kirk’s famous voice-over, appear beneath the stamps against a background of stars.
The designer of the stamps and the artist who created the artwork. was the project’s art director.
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá
Design Firm: Heads of State

Jack O’Lanterns (4 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

In the spirit of Halloween, the U.S. Postal Service® issues these delightfully eerie stamps featuring photographs of four different jack-o’-lanterns.

These creatively carved pumpkins have been symbols of Halloween in the United States since the late 19th century, not long after celebrations of the holiday began here.

These stamps are the first Halloween-themed stamps to be issued by the U.S. Postal Service.

Art Director: Derry Noyes
Jack-O’-Lantern design and carving: Paul Montanari
Photographer: Sally Andersen-Bruce

Pickup Trucks (4 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Booklet of 20

Celebrating the rugged and reliable work vehicles that Americans have driven for nearly a century, each of the four new stamps features one of the following iconic models:

• the 1938 International Harvester D-2,
• the 1948 Ford F-1,
• the 1953 Chevrolet, and
• the 1965 Ford F-100.

The strong, sturdy 1938 International Harvester D-2 had a distinct barrel-shaped grille and its elegant styling mirrored the look of luxury automobiles of the era.

The 1953 Chevrolet, featured large windshields that provided drivers with excellent visibility, a distinctive curvy grille that bulged in the middle, and a six-cylinder engine.

The 1948 Ford F-1 included features like the roomy “Million Dollar Cab,” a sharp horizontal five-bar grille, and a six- or eight-cylinder engine.

The 1965 Ford F-100 had a new grille that featured 18 small rectangular openings. It also featured what Ford dubbed “Twin-I-Beam” independent front suspension.

Art Director: Antonio Alcalá
Illustrator: Chris Lyons

Quarter 4
Nativity (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

The stamp art depicts a peaceful yet powerful image of the Holy Family silhouetted against a dawn sky. The baby Jesus lies in a straw-filled manger in the center of the picture with Mary kneeling to the right and Joseph standing to the left, holding a lantern. A bright star shines over the scene.

The Gospel of Luke relates how Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem to register for the census decreed by the Roman emperor. The Gospel says: “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Art Director: Greg Breeding
Illustrator: Nancy Stahl

Florentine Madonna and Child (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

This Christmas stamp features a detail of Madonna and Child, a 15th-century tempera-on-panel painting in the Widener Collection at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The painting is dated to circa 1470, and its anonymous artist is known only as “a Follower of Fra Filippo Lippi and Pesellino.”

Art Director: William Gicker

Hanukkah (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

The 2016 Hanukkah stamp features a warm, elegant illustration of a holiday menorah in the window of a home.

Traditionally, the menorah is displayed in a doorway or window to proclaim the miracle of Hanukkah. The menorah is viewed as if from inside a room, looking through a window to the outside. The candles—one for each of the eight nights and days of Hanukkah, and the ninth, the shamash or “servant,” used to light the other candles—are a creamy white and have all been lit.

The artist added visual interest to the scene by highlighting the contrast between the hot candle flames and the cool snow, the vertical candles and the horizontal window frame, and the dark menorah with the brightly lit candles.

Art Director: Ethel Kessler
Artist: William Low

Kwanzaa (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Pane of 20

2016 marks the 50th anniversary of Kwanzaa.

The 2016 Kwanzaa stamp continues its tradition of honoring an annual holiday that celebrates African-American family, community, and culture with this vibrant new stamp design. Bold colors depict a young African-American woman as the embodiment of Africa. She wears a lavender dress with a collar of African design that also appears in her earring. In front of the woman sits a large purple bowl overflowing with fruits and vegetables, symbolizing the abundance of African first harvest celebrations that inspired the creation of Kwanzaa.

Artist Cynthia Saint James hand-sketched and then painted, using acrylic on canvas. Saint James also illustrated the first Kwanzaa stamp issued by the Postal Service in 1995.

Art Director: Greg Breeding

Mail Use

The Moon Global (1 design)
FDOI: January in Washington, DC (no ceremony)
Format: Pane of 10
This round stamp features a detailed photograph of the moon. Taken as the full moon rose over Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the image captures the brilliant surface of Earth’s only natural satellite. The selvage features a small tree line silhouetted against the night sky.

The moon has long had considerable impact on mankind. Its gravitational pull creates ocean tides and affects our planet’s motions. A full moon occurs approximately every 29.5 days when the moon is opposite the sun, with Earth between the two. From our planet, the visible surface of the moon appears fully illuminated and larger than anything else in the night sky. Since the rotation and orbit periods of the moon are the same, the same part of the moon is always seen from Earth.

Issued at the $1.20 price, this Global Forever® stamp can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country to which First-Class Mail International® service is available.

Art Director: William Gicker
Designer: Greg Breeding

US Flag (1 design)
FDOI: January in Washington, DC (no ceremony)
Format: Booklets of 10 and 20, Coils of 100

The American flag has long symbolized the strength and spirit of our nation.
This U.S. Flag First-Class Mail® Forever® stamp features a detail of Emmanuel Faure’s vivid photograph of a flag waving against the background of a blue sky.

Art Director: Terrence W. McCaffrey
Designer: Greg Breeding

Apples 1-Cent (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Information to come.

In 2016, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue a new one-cent definitive stamp featuring Albemarle Pippin Apples.
The stamp design features two apples on a branch surrounded by leaves.

Art Director: Derry Noyes
Illustrator: John Burgoyne. Burgoyne used pen and ink and watercolor to produce the original art.

Grapes 5-Cent (1 design)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Information to come.

In 2016, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue a new five-cent definitive stamp featuring two clusters of deep-purple Pinot noir grapes growing on vines among several green leaves.
Art Director: Derry Noyes
Illustrator: John Burgoyne. Burgoyne used pen and ink and watercolor to produce the original art.

Pears 10-Cent (1 design)
FDOI: January in Washington, DC (no ceremony)
Format: Information to come.
In 2016, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue a new ten-cent definitive stamp featuring two red pears on a white background.

Art Director: Derry Noyes
Illustrator: John Burgoyne. Burgoyne used pen and ink and watercolor to produce the original art.

Columbia River Gorge (1 design)
Priority Mail Express
FDOI: January in Washington, DC (no ceremony)
Format: Pane of 10

With this new Priority Mail Express™ stamp, the U.S. Postal Service® celebrates the grandeur of the Columbia River Gorge.
Approximately 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, the gorge runs along the Columbia River, which forms part of the border between Oregon and Washington.

The stamp art captures the beauty of the Columbia River as it winds its way through the steep cliffs of the Cascade Mountain Range.
The historic Vista House, sitting atop Crown Point and overlooking the river 725 feet below, shimmers in the golden light of the setting sun.

Art Director: Phil Jordan
Illustrator: Dan Cosgrove

La Cueva del Indio (1 design)
Priority Mail
FDOI: January in Washington, DC (no ceremony)
Format: Pane of 10

With this new Priority Mail® stamp, the U.S. Postal Service® celebrates one of Puerto Rico’s many magical and mysterious caves, La Cueva del Indio.
The stamp art depicts a sunset view of La Cueva del Indio, or the Cave of the Indian, which is located near Arecibo on Puerto Rico’s north coast.
The cave gets its name from the great number of engravings, known as petroglyphs, found on its walls.

Art Director: Greg Breeding
Illustrator: Dan Cosgrove

Star Quilts Presorted First-Class (2 designs)
FDOI: Information to come.
Format: Coils of 3,000 and 10,000

With evocative names like Blazing Star, Touching Stars, and Starburst, stars are one of the most popular design motifs for American quilters. The 2016 Presorted First-Class Mail® stamps feature two versions of one of those favorites, the Lone Star pattern. [This implies to me there will be future “quilts” stamps. -LdeV]

Each stamp shows a detail from a photograph of one of the two quilts highlighting the intricate work involved in creating the star design. As the name implies, the Lone Star design is one large star that covers the quilt top, created by stitching together many small diamond shaped pieces of fabric.

The Lone Star design has been known by several names, including the Mathematical Star, the Star of the East, and, among Native Americans, the Morning Star. The first dated example that carried the name “Lone Star” is inscribed “1835” and was made in Texas the year before the fall of the Alamo. The quilts featured in the stamp art were made by Amish quilt makers.

Art Director: Derry Noyes