Updated August 1st: Missed by most of us the first time around is the passing mention in the first sentence: This will be a joint issue with Israel.
The Virtual Stamp Club obtained a copy of the Israeli stamp design on October 9th, and it is virtually the same. Details and illustrations are here.
Announced by the USPS on July 24th:
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is celebrated with a new stamp issued jointly with Israel Post. Hanukkah celebrates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem in the second century B.C. after it was reclaimed from armies that desecrated the sanctuary. Tradition relates that during the Temple rededication — Hanukkah is the Hebrew word for “dedication” — the sacramental oil needed to light the lamps was enough to burn for only one day; miraculously, it burned for eight days until new oil could be pressed. To commemorate this story, celebrations include the ritual lighting of the hanukiah, the nine-branched menorah used only during Hanukkah. Eight branches hold candles representing each of the eight nights and days of Hanukkah; the ninth, the shamash or “servant,” is used to light the other candles.
The stamp features a Hanukkah menorah created using Jewish folk art papercutting techniques. Artist Tamar Fishman made a pencil sketch of the design, then cut the two-dimensional image on white paper with a fine blade. She chose blue-purple and green papers for the background to highlight the central design. Behind the menorah is a shape reminiscent of an ancient oil jug that represents the heart of the Hanukkah miracle. Additional design elements include dreidels — spinning tops used to play a children’s game during the holiday — and a pomegranate plant with fruit and flowers.
Hanukkah is a family-centered holiday, with celebrations taking place in people’s homes. Games, songs, gifts and food all contribute to making the holiday festive and fun for family and friends.
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2018, Hanukkah begins at sundown Dec 2.
Art director Ethel Kessler was the designer. Tamar Fishman created the original art for the stamp.
Updated July 26th:
This stamp will be issued October 16th in Newport, RI, where the first synagogue in America was founded (and still exists).
Updated September 13th:
On October 16, 2018, in Newport, RI, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Hanukkah 2018 stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 565600). The stamp will go on sale nationwide October 16, 2018, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.
The U.S. Postal Service and Israel Post join together to celebrate Hanukkah, a joyous Jewish holiday. The stamp features a papercut design of a 9-branch menorah used during the holiday. Drawing on Jewish papercutting traditions, the artist based her design on Hanukkah themes and references from ancient texts. Behind the menorah, the artist cut a design reminiscent of the shape of an ancient oil jug to represent the heart of the Hanukkah miracle. Meant to last one day, the sacred oil burned for eight. On each side of the design are two broken oil jugs and two dreidels — spinning tops used in the modern Hanukkah game. The plant twining along the sides is a pomegranate; both the flowers and the fruit are seen in the twisting branches. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp with original art by Tamar Fishman.
Availability to Post Offices: Item 565600, Hanukkah 2018 (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Pane of 20 Stamps
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 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 – Hanukkah 2018 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 February 16, 2019.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Hanukkah 2018 Stamp
Item Number: 565600
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Holiday Celebrations
Issue Date & City: October 16, 2018, Newport, RI 02840
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Typographer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Artist: Tamar Fishman, Bethesda, MD
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 12,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Pantone 316, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.77 x 1.05 in/19.558 x 26.67 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.91 x 1.19 in/23.114 x 30.226 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.425 x 5.875 in/137.795 x 149.225 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 16.275 x 11.75 in/413.39 x 298.45 mm
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by five (5) digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: HAPPY HANUKKAH • Footer: Issued Jointly with Israel • Plate numbers in bottom corners
Back: ©2018 USPS • USPS logo • Two barcodes (565600) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text
Added September 17th: Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.58″x1.41″ 
The B&W pictorial postmark measures 2.03″x1.43″
Updated October 10th:
USPS Cancellation Services will have the Israeli pictorial postmark (shown on the right) available and advises it measures 1.25″x1.27″. It adds, “The USPS will have the Israel postage available for purchase on or before 10/16/18.” More information from Israel Post can be found here.
[press release]
Postal Service and Israel Post to Jointly Dedicate Hanukkah Stamps
What: The U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a new Hanukkah Forever stamp to celebrate the Jewish holiday. The stamp will be dedicated in conjunction with a new stamp being issued by Israel Post. News about the stamp is being shared with the hashtag #HanukkahStamps
Who: Judge Gary Shapiro, Judicial Officer, U.S. Postal Service
When:
Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, 11 a.m., Eastern Daylight Time
Where:
Touro Synagogue
85 Touro Street
Newport, RI 02840
Followers of the U.S. Postal Service’s Facebook page can view the ceremony live atfacebook.com/USPS.
RSVP:
Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/hanukkahstamps to gain entrance to the event.
Background: The new Hanukkah stamp artwork features a menorah created using the techniques of the traditional Jewish folk art of papercutting. Artist Tamar Fishman made a pencil sketch of the design and then with a fine blade, cut the two-dimensional image on white paper. She chose blue-purple and green papers for the background to highlight the central design. Behind the menorah is a shape reminiscent of an ancient oil jug that represents the heart of Hanukkah. Additional design elements include dreidels — spinning tops used to play a children’s game during the holiday — and a pomegranate plant with fruit and flowers.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamp. As a Forever stamp, Hanukkah will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Hanukkah begins on the 25th of Kislev in the Hebrew calendar, a date that falls in late November or December. In 2018, Hanukkah begins at sundown Dec. 2.
Updated October 23rd, from the USPS:
The Israel postage is now on sale. The item number is 801217. It is only being sold in a pane of 15 for $35.00. FDC services should note that the Israeli stamp is larger than the U.S. one.
With this new stamp, the Postal Service celebrates Kwanzaa with the seventh stamp since 1997 designed for the annual Pan-African holiday. Kwanzaa takes place over seven days from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, and brings family, community and culture together for many African-Americans.
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.92″x1.29″
The B&W pictorial measures 2.98″x1.37″
Five centuries ago, Francesco d’Ubertino Verdi (1494–1557), the Italian Renaissance painter known as Bachiacca, proved himself to be a versatile and popular Florentine artist. Today, his work still vividly evokes the timeless traditions of Christmas.
Photo by Lloyd A. de Vries, taken May 5, 2017.
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.71″x1.46″
The B&W pictorial measures 2.36″x1.43″
On August 26, 2018, in Kansas City, MO, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Global Poinsettia stamp (Global Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail International® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 10 stamps (565900). The stamp will go on sale nationwide August 26, 2018.
It measures 2.47″ x 1.49″. Here is the B&W pictorial postmark:
It measures 2.94 x 1.44″.
Visitors to Canada could be excused for thinking that an intense interest in the weather – not hockey – is our national pastime. Too cold, too hot or just right – Canadians always have something to say on the subject. Yet nothing inspires meteorological murmurs more than some of the fleeting (but fabulous) phenomena that can appear when weather permits.
weather- themed issue from 2015, showcase five other weather wonders: 
appear when tiny ice crystals in the air reflect light from artificial sources. Awoken one cold January night by his young son, Timmy noticed the strange lights out the bathroom window. “Red, blue, green, yellow, purple and pink lights seemed to beam up in to the air,” Elzinga explains. “It almost looked like something out of Star Trek.”
NORTH BAY, ON, July 26, 2018 /CNW/ – We talk about it in the elevators and hallways of our work. We monitor it morning, noon and night, dress up for it and plan our days around it. We obsess about it, and are captivated by its beauty and force. The weather – in all its wonder – takes centre stage again in Canada Post’s latest stamp issue.
Garry M. Cass photographed a magnificent, if not menacing, waterspout over Lake Ontario near Toronto. These swirling funnels of water can be just as dangerous as land-based twisters.
r waking to tend to a crying child. It was “like something out of Star Trek,” prompting him to open his bathroom window, remove the screen and take “as many pictures as possible.” When posted online, the images went viral, drawing worldwide attention.
Perro and illustrated by Julius Csotonyi, have their own unique story.
Native to Canadian waters, the 
Once assessed as a special concern by COSEWIC but no longer considered at risk, the 
The slow-swimming 
A visitor to our Atlantic coast, the 
ANCOUVER, July 12, 2018 /CNW/ – Experts note that between 400 and 500 shark species inhabit the world’s oceans and waterways. These fish can be less than a foot long or larger than a bus. From fierce hunters that breach waves and ambush prey, to gentle giants known to nudge kayaks and bask with scuba divers, sharks are compelling and often misunderstood.
The 
in Canada (COSEWIC).
Australia Post is celebrating the birth of His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge with the release of a new commemorative stamp.
CALGARY, June 29, 2018 /CNW/ – Celestial events like meteor showers, solar and lunar eclipses, comets and asteroids make headlines because they inspire a sense of wonder. Canada Post’s latest stamps are sure to do the same. They showcase the majestic splendour of two spectacular phenomena: the Milky Way and the Northern Lights.
The Milky Way, a spiral galaxy containing our solar system and hundreds of billions of stars, manifests as an ethereal band of light in Quinn’s ghostly image. The brilliant colour of the Northern Lights is green in Dyer’s photo but can also appear in undulating reds, blues, yellows, pinks and purples. The phenomenon occurs when charged particles released by the Sun interact with the Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere.
WASHINGTON — It’s beginning to look like a classic Christmas! This October, the Postal Service will ring in the 2018 holiday season with four Sparkling Holidays stamps featuring character-rich close-ups of Santa Claus.
As reported by Foster Miller in The Stamp Collecting Forum, Bill Gicker of the USPS design team says the stamp designs were adapted from the original artwork produced by Sundblom for the soft drink company, not from specific Coca-Cola ads. Gicker was speaking at a Q&A session with Stamp Services staff June 27th at American Philatelic Society headquarters in Bellefonte, Pa.
Dave didn’t find a match for the fourth stamp design, but he did find what may be the inspiration for the official name for this issue: 
WHAT:
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.86″x1.49″
WASHINGTON — “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!” For nearly 50 years, this call has summoned the beloved animated Great Dane wherever help is needed. The U.S. Postal Service, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, is excited to announce a new Forever stamp will be issued July 14 highlighting the popular canine and his new social responsibility initiative, Scooby-Doo DOO GOOD.
It measures 2.999″ (but it’s no over 3 inches!) x 1.06″.
It measures 2.7989″x1.482″.
The special cancellations for post offices other than the first-day city measures 2.7597×1.4564″.
