From the U.S. Postal Service announcement on November 17, 2020:
From the USPS: The long-running series celebrating American lighthouses continues with five new stamps. The mid-Atlantic lighthouses featured in this issuance are: Thomas Point Shoal, MD; Montauk Point, NY; Harbor of Refuge, DE; Navesink, NJ; and Erie Harbor Pierhead, PA. The late Howard Koslow [Wikipedia entry] was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouse series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. The art director was Greg Breeding. [Koslow died in January 2016, so these designs have been “on the shelf” for a while.]
These stamps will be issued August 6th with a ceremony in Highlands, NJ.
Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent at the top.
Updated October 4th:
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:
5621 Montauk Point Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5622 Navesink Twin Lighthouses
a. Imperforate
5623 Erie Harbor Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5624 Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
5625 Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
a. Imperforate
b. Horiz. strip of 5, #5621-5625
c. Imperforate strip of 5, #5621a-5625a
Updated July 7th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark for this issue measures 1.98″ x 1.46″
The pictorial postmark measures 1.83″ x 1.26″
Updated July 7th:
[ceremony information]
New Stamps Shine Light on Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses
WHAT: Lighthouses — with their beauty, mystery and aura of romance — have fascinated and enchanted people for centuries. The Postal Service continues to share in that tradition with Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Forever stamps, the latest in its continuing series of popular lighthouse stamps.
News of the stamps is being shared with the hashtag #MidAtlanticLighthousestamps.
WHO: Linda Malone, vice president of engineering systems, U.S. Postal Service
WHEN: Friday, Aug. 6, 2021, at noon ET
WHERE:
Twin Lights State Historic Site
2 Light House Road
Highlands, NJ 07732
RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at
usps.com/mid-atlanticlighthouses.
BACKGROUND: For three centuries, the beacons of America’s lighthouses have been guiding mariners through treacherous waters. Though
the five mid-Atlantic lighthouses being recognized have a common purpose, each has its own unique story — and its own mysterious, eternal appeal.
Authorized by George Washington and completed in 1796, Montauk Point Lighthouse (New York) is one of the oldest lights in continuous operation in the United States.
Navesink (New Jersey) is one of only seven stations in the country to feature two lighthouse towers.
The tower of the Eric Harbor Pierhead Light (Pennsylvania) tapers from its base to its midsection, then rises straight from there to the top, the only lighthouse tower with this shape in the United States.
Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse (Delaware) has stood within the breakwater since 1926 and
is still an active aid to navigation.
And located in the Chesapeake Bay (Maryland), the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse has withstood the elements since 1875.
The Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. These Forever stamps are always equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Updated July 1st from the Postal Bulletin:
On August 6, 2021, in Highlands, NJ, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 481000). These stamps will go on sale nationwide August 6, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses pane of 20 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.
The Postal Service™ concludes its long-running series celebrating American lighthouses
with five new stamps honoring mid-Atlantic lighthouses. Each stamp features an original acrylic painting of one of the following lighthouses:
- Thomas Point Shoal, Maryland;
- Montauk Point, New York;
- Harbor of Refuge, Delaware;
- Navesink, New Jersey; and
- Erie Harbor, Pennsylvania.
Howard Koslow (1924–2016) (right, undated photo from USPS) was the artist for these stamps as well as previous issuances in the Lighthouses series. Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses were the last stamps he illustrated for the Postal Service. Greg Breeding art directed the project.
No automatic distribution.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may
purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
FDOI – Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by December 6, 2021.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses Stamps
Item Number: 481000
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (5 designs)
Series: Lighthouses
Issue Date & City: August 6, 2021, Highlands, NJ 07732
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Artist Howard Koslow
Modeler: Sandra Lane / Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 40,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
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): 5.92 x 7.5 in. / 150.368 x 190.5 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.84 x 22.5 in. / 300.736 X 571.5 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by four (4) single digits in bottom two corners
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses: Seventh In A Series • Plate number in bottom two corners
Back: ©2020 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (481000) • Plate position diagram (6) • Promotional text
Updated January 24th:
The grounds of the Twin Lights at Navesink, in Highlands, NJ, are open. The site is now a museum. Here is a link to the website.
It’s interesting that there are actually two lighthouses there, but the stamp design only shows one. They are not really “twins” or identical. According to its website, having two lights “gave the station a definite and decided character that helped distinguish it from the nearby Sandy Hook lighthouse and the Sandy Hook Lightship stationed offshore. When the present station was commissioned on May 1, 1862, the south tower contained a first order Fresnel lens that gave ships a warning of their approach to land. The north tower was lit by a lens of the second order, an indication to vessels they were coming up on a headland along the seacoast and the approach to a bay.”
From the USPS: The U.S. Postal Service celebrates the enduring legacy of Western wear with four fun new Forever stamps in a booklet of 20. The stamp art features four graphic illustrations of Western wear staples — a cowboy hat, a cowboy boot with a spur, a Western shirt, and a belt buckle featuring a longhorn head. Each image is framed by elements common to the American West and iconography of the region, including cacti, snakes, roses and stars. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps with original art by Ryan Feerer.





From the USPS: With this commemorative stamp, the Postal Service recognizes the contributions of Japanese American soldiers, some 33,000 altogether, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II. The stamp, printed in the intaglio method, is based on a photograph. “Go for Broke” was the motto of the all-Japanese American 100th Infantry Battalion/442nd Regimental Combat Team and came to represent all Japanese American units formed during World War II. The stamp was designed by art director Antonio Alcalá.







From the USPS: Merging traditional artwork with modern design touches, this stamp depicts one of many stories about Raven, a figure of great significance to the Indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast. Among the cultures of the region, Raven plays an essential role in many traditional tales, including stories about the creation of the world. Inspired by the traditional story of Raven setting free the sun, the moon and the stars, Tlingit/Athabascan artist Rico Worl depicts Raven just as he escapes from his human family and begins to transform back into his bird form. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.


From the USPS: These stamps pay tribute to heritage breeds, preindustrial farm animals that are enjoying renewed attention for their versatility, adaptability and unique genetic traits. This pane of 20 stamps includes photographs of 10 heritage breeds: the American Mammoth Jackstock donkey, the Narragansett turkey, the Cayuga duck, the San Clemente Island goat, the Mulefoot hog, the Cotton Patch goose, the American Cream draft horse, the Barbados Blackbelly sheep, the Milking Devon cow and the Wyandotte chicken. Zack Bryant designed the stamps with photographs by Aliza Eliazarov. Greg Breeding served as art director.







Just a guess: The Accocreek Post Office may not have the staff or experience to handle a first-day.
From the USPS: The Postal Service features a brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani) on this beautiful new additional-ounce stamp, available on a pane of 20 or in a coil of 100. The pencil-and-watercolor illustration is from preexisting artwork by designer and illustrator Dugald Stermer. The brush rabbit is a small brownish cottontail rabbit of the U.S. West Coast and Baja California, Mexico. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp.
Brush Rabbit stamp (Non-denominated Additional Ounce Rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps (Item 121100) and a PSA coil of 100 stamps (Item 740300). This stamp will go on sale nationwide January 24, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
From the USPS: In recent decades, Day of the Dead has caught on in the United States as a festive and increasingly popular celebration for all ages. These new stamps will be the first issued by the U.S. Postal Service to mark this holiday. Luis Fitch designed and illustrated the stamps. Antonio Alcalá was the art director.





From the USPS: These stamps capture many of the games Americans play for outdoor fun. A pane of 16 stamps features eight unique designs including: badminton, bocce, cornhole, croquet, flying disc, horseshoes, tetherball and a variation on pick-up baseball. Greg Breeding was the art director. Mike Ryan designed the stamps with original artwork by Mick Wiggins.





From the USPS: Four new postcard stamps celebrate the beauty and history of American barns. With differing qualities of light and color, each piece reflects one of the four seasons: a round barn surrounded by the hazy light and warm colors of fall, a gambrel-roofed barn in summer, a forebay barn in an early spring countryside, and a Western barn on a winter’s night. Ashley Walton designed the stamps with original artwork by Kim Johnson. Greg Breeding was the art director.
created digital paintings of four types of iconic barns found in the rural American landscape. With differing qualities of light and color, each piece reflects one of the four seasons:
From the USPS: The Colorado hairstreak graces the eighth nonmachinable butterfly stamp for use on irregularly sized envelopes, such as square greeting cards, invitations or announcements. The stamp art is a highly stylized, simplified image of a Colorado hairstreak (Hypaurotis crysalus). Artist Tom Engeman created the stamp art. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.



