From Far And Wide (Canada 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
From Far and Wide returns
Nine more stamps celebrating coast-to-coast-to-coast splendor

This series continues to invite Canadians to seek out this country’s most picturesque places.

Canada Post has issued the second set of stamps in the multiyear From Far and Wide series – its name inspired by a line in the lyrics of “O Canada” – that promises to take Canadians on an armchair journey to some of the most breathtaking and memorable must-see locations.

The nine definitive stamps, smaller stamps used mainly for mailing, cover off the new 2019 postal rates with five domestic-rate Permanent™ stamps, as well as stamps bearing U.S., International and Oversized rates, plus the single-purchase $1.05 rate. The 2019 edition of the stamp series offers fascinating views of the following destinations:

  • Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon
  • Athabasca Falls, Jasper National Park, Alberta
  • Quttinirpaaq National Park, Nunavut
  • Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia
  • Little Limestone Lake Provincial Park, Manitoba
  • Castle Butte, Big Muddy Badlands, Saskatchewan
  • Smoke Lake, Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario
  • Mingan Archipelago National Park Reserve, Quebec
  • Iceberg Alley, Ferryland, Newfoundland and Labrador

The Permanent domestic stamps are available in booklets of 10 (two of each image) and coils of 100, while the U.S.-rate, Oversized-rate and International-rate denominations are available in booklets of six and coils of 50. The issue also includes a souvenir sheet and several other formats for collectors, as well as an Official First Day Cover, cancelled in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, the location featured on one of the Permanent stamps. The issue was designed by Stéphane Huot of Montréal and printed by the Lowe-Martin Group.

Year of the Pig (Canada 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
Canada Post unveils the Year of the Pig stamps

Canada Post invites you to greet the Year of the Pig a little early with the unveiling of this year’s two-stamp issue, the 11th in its most recent series honouring the Lunar New Year, on Thursday, January 17, 5:30 pm, at the Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto.

WHAT: Unveiling the Year of the Pig stamps

WHERE: Chinese Cultural Centre of Greater Toronto
Johnny K. H. Fong Multi-purpose Hall
5183 Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough

WHEN: Thursday, January 17, 5:30 pm

Updated January 22nd:

[press release]
Canada Post celebrates the Year of the Pig
Lunar New Year stamps feature character from famous Chinese novel

MARKHAM, ON – Canada Post rings in the Lunar New Year with a two-stamp issue on January 18, the 11th in its current 12-year series. In honour of the Year of the Pig, the stamps feature Zhu Bajie, or Pigsy, a character from the celebrated 16th century Chinese novel Journey to the West.

“Canada Post is proud to join Canadians of Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and other East Asian heritage celebrating the Lunar New Year,” says Jo-Anne Polak, Vice-President, Communications and Public Affairs at Canada Post. “Since this annual issue kicked off with the Year of the Ox stamp in 1997, it has only grown in popularity.”

Designed by Albert Ng and Seung Jai Paek of Albert Ng and Associates, the Year of the Pig issue offers Permanent™ domestic- and international-rate stamp booklets plus:

  • a traditional gummed pane of 25 domestic-rate stamps, featuring four Chinese blessings; and
  • philatelic collectibles including an unsealed international-rate Official First Day Cover (OFDC), suitable for use as a “money envelope” in traditional gift-giving. [shown

The Year of the Pig begins on February 5, 2019, and ends on January 24, 2020. Those born under the sign are said to be frank, trusting, compassionate, diligent and determined.

The stamps and related collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and at postal outlets across Canada.

Updated January 30th:

In response to an email query from The Virtual Stamp Club, Canada Post says there are significant differences between the Permanent sheet stamp and the Permanent booklet stamp: “The stamps on the panes are both foiled and embossed. The stamps in the booklet are not.”

Also, there is not a separate “OFDC” for the international-rate stamp: The souvenir sheet includes that stamp and rate, so it covers (sorry!) that. “Note that the international-rate stamp in the souvenir sheet is foiled and embossed, while the international-rate stamp in the booklet is foiled but not embossed.”

ESPER founder Esper Hayes Dies

Posted on by

Updated January 15th

Dr. Esper G. Hayes, the founder of the Ebony Society of Philatelic Events and Reflections, the organization for those who collect African-American subjects on stamps, passed away January 10th, in Pineville, N.C. She was 84.

“She will be greatly missed, and her memory will live on forever through the philatelic club that she founded,” the organization said in a statement.

The organization’s initials spell the founder’s name. It also means “to have hope.” It was organized in 1988.

Hayes founded ESPER after meeting track star Jesse Owens at a stamp show, where he noted that they two were the only African-Americans at the show that day. She promised him she would remedy that, although it happened at least a decade later.

She herself started as a collector of birds-on-stamps, she said in an October 2013 interview on YouTube. The entire interview is embedded here:

Hayes was born October 13, 1934, in Farmville, N.C., but moved to Norfolk, Va., at the age of 3. She graduated from that city’s Booker T. Washington High School and majored in religion at Shaw University. According to ESPER,

“After graduating from Shaw, she worked with youth organizations throughout the community helping young people to acquire the skills they needed to be successful. At the age of 33, she moved to New York where she became a social worker working for the City of New York and worked tirelessly to help children find stability in their lives. While managing two group homes for Lutheran Services Agency, she went back to school and earned her master’s degree and doctorate in social work from Yeshiva University. When she retired from Lutheran, she went on to teach Human Growth and Development and Social Policy at Seton Hall University. She received an honorary doctorate degree from Seton Hall University for her work with students and the inspiration she had become to students in pursuing a career in social work.”

A celebration of life service will be held on January 19, 2019, at 12 noon, at Grier Funeral Service Chapel, 115 John McCarroll Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28216. A repast will be held immediately after the service at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, 3400 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte, NC 28216.

Beating A Dead Stamp Design

Posted on by

Opinion by Lloyd A. de Vries

Royal Mail goofed.

As part of its preview of its 2019 “special” or “commemorative” stamps, it sent out what it said was a representative design for an issue of 11 stamps marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day. It turned out the sample design was erroneous and showed a different amphibious landing during World War II.

For the record, it showed the U.S. Coast Guard (not “Allied soldiers”) landing on May 17, 1944, at Sarmi in Netherlands New Guinea, now Indonesia. Here’s the design: Royal Mail quickly sent out a correction, adding that the stamps had not yet been printed and, of course, this design won’t be printed.

“End of story,” I thought. The mistake was caught in time, there are no “error design” stamps for collectors to seek and no economic penalty for Royal Mail of having to destroy already-printed stamps. I relabeled the erroneous illustration on my hard drive “not D-Day” and, since I hadn’t yet published the press release, I didn’t see the need for a retraction. End of (non-) story.

Boy, was I wrong!

I don’t know if it’s the times we live in, where any mistake by a public figure or agency must be trumpeted from the ramparts no matter how profuse the apologies, or if it’s the mindset of stamp collectors to seize upon any error or variation. Maybe it was just a slow news period. The incorrect D-Day stamp design became a hot topic in online discussion groups and a lead story in Linn’s Stamp News. All that’s missing is a formal complaint to the Royal Philatelic Society of London, and, for all I know, that is in the works.

I don’t know my history of wrong-design British stamps, but I can think of several design errors on U.S. stamps that did get printed and go on sale, including putting the Grand Canyon in the wrong state and showing Bill Pickett’s brother instead of the African-American cowboy in the Legends of the West sheet. Sending out a press release with an incorrect image pales by comparison.

Perhaps collectors are annoyed that the Sarmi stamps weren’t printed and they won’t be able to add them to their Mistakes On Stamps collections.

When the catalogues with the 2019 British stamps are published, I would hope this episode doesn’t even merit a footnote.

As someone who writes news for a living, I know first-hand that errors creep in all the time. You try to catch them, you hope someone else catches them before the mistakes are public, and when they do go public, you fix them. I would also estimate that 8 out of 10 major-newspaper articles I read on their websites have footnotes about corrections made. That is one of the disadvantages of the instant publishing made possible in this digital age.

Mistakes happen. This one was caught in plenty of time, with no real harm. It has already received much too much attention. Let’s move on.

Year of the Pig (Australia 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
Australia Post celebrates the Year of the Pig
Issue Date: 8 January

To celebrate the Year of the Pig 2019, Australia Post is releasing two commemorative Lunar New Year stamps – the 12th and final stamp to complete the current Lunar New Year 12-design series.

With the edition featuring the Chinese calligraphic character for the Pig in the $3 stamp and its pictorial representation with floral inlay in the $1 stamp, Australia Post designer Dani Poon said the stamps give everyone the opportunity to send wishes of good fortune to family and friends, both here and overseas.

“The Pig minisheet design shows that in ancient times a Chinese family home only seemed complete when it included a pig, because the Pig’s plump appearance was seen as a symbol of happiness and plenty. We can see this in the fact that the Chinese calligraphic character for “family” incorporates characters for ‘roof’ and ‘pig’”.

Those born under the Pig sign are known to be kind, patient and empathetic, making them suited to a career as a teacher, doctor, vet or social worker. The Pig’s lucky flower is marigold; lucky colours are yellow, grey, brown and gold; and lucky numbers and 2, 5 and 8.

Famous people born in the Year of the Pig include Alfred Hitchcock, Julie Andrews, Hillary Clinton, Lisa McCune, Dannii Minogue and Adam Gilchrist.

A highlight of the stamp issue is the zodiac sheetlet, which completes the Lunar New Year series. In this issue, the zodiac stamps feature graphic illustrations of each Chinese Zodiac animal with an equivalent Australian animal according to Chinese legends and Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. Australia Post is also releasing a special joint sheetlet pack with China Post. Other products associated with this stamp issue include a first day cover, stamp pack, silk minisheet pack, postcards, international and domestic postage-paid envelopes, Happy New Year postal numismatic cover, Dragon postal numismatic cover, medallion cover, prestige booklet featuring stamps from the zodiac sheetlet, and a Lotus sheetlet pack.

The Lunar New Year: Year of the Pig 2019 commemorative stamp issue is available from 8 January at participating Post Offices, via mail order on 1800 331 794 and online at auspost.com.au/stamps, while stocks last.

Texel (Netherlands 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
Focus on nature and architecture on own stamp of Texel

The Hague, 2 January 2019. The Dutch Wadden Islands are the theme of the well-known stamp series ‘Beautiful Netherlands’ in 2019. Today the first stamp sheet from this series was published, with ample attention for the nature and architecture of Texel. Later this year PostNL will publish stamps about Vlieland, Terschelling, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog and a collection sheet about the 5 islands. Scenic beauty
The series ‘Beautiful Netherlands’ has been focusing on local history, cultural wealth and scenic beauty since 2005. The new series this year about the Dutch Wadden Islands was designed by Birza Design from Deventer.

Recognisable Texel images
The island form plays a key role in the design of ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2019’: Texel’. This is evident for the map of Texel, which the designers have placed on a small scale on the stamps and on a large scale on the stamp sheet. The stamps show recognisable Texel images: the lighthouse of Eierland, the iron sea cape near the village of Oosterend, a Texel sheep pen and a Texel lamb. The typical form of the island is also depicted in other ways in the design. For example, the font of the captions is a so-called case letter, consisting of elements which are independent of another.

Rightful pride
Almost all used photos are from a working visit to Texel by the graphic designers Ingmar and Carla Birza in the sunny summer of 2018. Carla Birza describes Texel as “a very special island of which the inhabitants of Texel are rightfully proud. For example, the undulating roads on the Hoge Berg through the garden walls, the special vegetation of the Slufter where the sea enters the land, the clay pits with water where the sheep can drink. Or the slightly elevated church in Den Hoorn, which you can clearly see from almost all sides in the flat farmland.”

Availability
The stamp sheet ‘Beautiful Netherlands 2019’ Texel’ contains five of the same stamps marked with the value ‘Nederland 1’, intended for items up to 20g in weight for delivery in the Netherlands. The stamps are available at the PostNL locations on the island of Texel from 2 January 2019 and online through www.postnl.nl/bijzondere-postzegels. The stamps can also be ordered by phone from the Collect Club customer service, please phone +31 (0)88 – 868 99 00. The validity period is indefinite.

Mammals (Netherlands 2019)

Posted on by

[press release]
Spotting wolves on stamps

The Hague, 2 January 2019. The wolf has returned to the Netherlands! Not only in the border region with Germany, but now also on new stamps about mammals in our country. They will be published today by PostNL, as the first issue of the second volume from the series ‘Experiencing nature’.

Portrayed mammals
In the Netherlands more than 100 mammal species live in the wild. Ten mammal species play a main role on the stamps: wild cat, Geoffroy’s bat, wolf, grey seal, stoat, polecat, European otter, fox, badger and rabbit. Each of the 10 portrayed mammals has its own stamp on the sheet, with images of the animals in their natural environment.

Sensory and associative
The stamps have been designed by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda. The sensory and associative aspects of the experience of nature are highlighted in his concept. Janse: ‘Mammals are the most pettable, recognisable and intelligent animals we know. However, they also have nails, teeth and spines. I wanted to show this contrast, because these animals also have a dark side. Whether they are a predator or a prey animal. For example, think of the fear the wolf causes. and how people are terrified by flying bats. This is because we cannot predict their behaviour.’

Beauty of nature
With the new stamps PostNL pays tribute to the diversity of nature in our country. “It’s much greater than we sometimes realise at first,” according to Stephan van den Eijnden, PostNL’s commercial director for Mail. ‘This is also evident on the new stamp sheet, with beautiful photos of the 10 mammals. What I also particular like are the almost transparent images of 7 other mammals on the sheet. Try to find them, you will see them quickly.’

Buiten-Beeld
Later this year PostNL will publish another 3 stamp sheets for the series ‘Experiencing nature’, with a main role for exotic plants (25 Februari), butterflies (11 June) and trees and leaves (16 September). All photos on the stamps come from Buiten-Beeld, the Dutch image database for nature photography. In shops an individual stamp sheet ‘Experiencing nature’ costs € 8.70. The price for the full series is € 34.80, including a storage folder.

Canada Post Rates Go Up January 14, 2019

Posted on by

[press release]
Price of a domestic stamp rises to 90 cents from 85 cents on January 14 in the first postage rate increase since 2014

OTTAWA, Jan. 4, 2019 /CNW/ – Postage rates rise on January 14, with the price for stamps purchased in a booklet, coil or pane for domestic LettermailTM items weighing 30 grams or less increasing to $0.90, up from $0.85. The price of a single domestic stamp will increase to $1.05, up from $1.00.

While usage varies, Canada Post estimates the impact of the price increases to be less than a dollar a year for the average Canadian household and about $14 a year for the typical small business. Prices will also increase for mail to the U.S. and international destinations, and for domestic Registered MailTM.

The increases are the first for letter mail since March 31, 2014. Canadians can avoid the increases by purchasing PermanentTM stamps at the current rate before the new rates take effect. Under the federal regulatory process, Canada Post publicly proposed the increases in the Canada Gazette Part I in June of 2018.

Moon Landing (U.S. 2019)

Posted on by

This issue was finally announced by the USPS on March 20th. No date of issue was given. The first landing on the moon occurred on July 20, 1969.

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Unveils
1969: First Moon Landing Forever Stamps WASHINGTON — In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, the U.S. Postal Service is pleased to reveal two stamp designs commemorating that historic milestone. Additional details are coming about the date, time and location for the first-day-of issue ceremony.

One stamp features a photograph of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit on the surface of the moon. The image was taken by astronaut Neil Armstrong. The other stamp, a photograph of the moon taken in 2010 by Gregory H. Revera of Huntsville, AL, shows the landing site of the lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility. The site is indicated on the stamp by a dot. The selvage includes an image of the lunar module.

Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp art.

Further updates will appear below.

Updated March 29th:
These stamps will be issued Friday, July 19th in Cape Canaveral, FL.

Updated June 1st:

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Issuing 1969: First Moon Landing Forever Stamps

What: The U.S. Postal Service is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 and man’s first steps on the Moon with two Forever stamps.

The stamp dedication ceremony is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #MoonLandingStamps or #AstronautStamps.

Who: Thomas J. Marshall, General Counsel and Executive Vice President, United States Postal Service and Dedicating Official

Steven W. Monteith, Vice President, Marketing, United States Postal Service

Col. Robert D. Cabana, Director, John F. Kennedy Space Center, NASA

Russell L. (Rusty) Schweickart, former NASA astronaut and scientist, NASA

When: Friday, July 19, 2019, at 11 a.m. EDT

Where: Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
Space Commerce Way
Merritt Island, FL

RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are required to RSVP at usps.com/moonlanding.

Background:
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin achieved something that had long been confined to the realm of science fiction when they landed a spidery spacecraft named Eagle on the Moon. A worldwide audience watched and listened when Armstrong stepped onto the Moon’s surface and famously said, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind.”

On the 50th anniversary of this first Moon landing, two stamp designs commemorate that historic milestone. One stamp features Armstrong’s iconic photograph of Aldrin in his spacesuit on the surface of the Moon. The other stamp, a photograph of the moon taken in 2010 by Gregory H. Revera from his home in Madison, AL, shows the landing site of the lunar module, Eagle, in the Sea of Tranquility. The site is indicated on the stamp by a dot. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.

The 1969: First Moon Landing stamps are being issued as Forever stamps. Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.

From the June 6th Postal Bulletin:

On July 19, 2019, in Cape Canaveral, FL, the United States Postal Service® will issue the 1969: First Moon Landing stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in two designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 24 stamps (Item 479100). The stamps will go on sale nationwide July 19, 2019, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The 1969: First Moon Landing pane of 24 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

On the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, the Postal Service™ is pleased to issue two stamps commemorating that milestone in history. One stamp features a photograph of Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin in his spacesuit on the surface of the moon taken by astronaut Neil Armstrong. The other stamp, a photograph of the moon taken in 2010 by Gregory H. Revera from his home in Madison, AL, shows the landing site of the lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility. The site is indicated on the stamp by a dot. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp art.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 479100, 1969: First Moon Landing (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Pane of 24 Stamps: Stamp Fulfillment Services will make an automatic push distribution to Post Offices of a quantity to cover approximately 30 days of sales.

Special Dedication Postmarks must use this design:

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 – 1969: First Moon Landing 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 November 19, 2019.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: 1969: First Moon Landing Stamps
Item Number: 479100
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 24 (2 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: July 19, 2019, Cape Canaveral, FL 32920
Art Director: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Designer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Typographer: Antonio Alcalá, Alexandria, VA
Existing Photo: NASA photo taken by Neil Armstrong
Existing Photo: Gregory H. Revera
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Pane: 24
Print Quantity: 60,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Overall
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.336 x 36.068 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 7.6 x 8.5 in./193.04 x 215.9 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 22.8 x 25.5 in./579.12 x 647.7 mm
Plate Size: 216 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: 1969: First Moon Landing
• Plate number in bottom two corners of pane
Back: ©2019 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (479100) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text

Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.97″x1.45″ The B&W pictorial measures 2.98″x1.36″ The special postmark for use by local post offices measures 2.64″x0.88″

Updated June 22nd:

Canada is issuing its own Moon Landing anniversary stamps on June 27th, commemorating Canada’s contribution to the effort. The designs will not be released until the first-day. What we know is here.

Transcontinental Railroad (U.S. 2019)

Posted on by

Updated January 29th:

“Three new stamps in a pane of 18 mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a massive engineering feat that reduced travel time across the country from as many as six months to about one week and made the American West an integral part of the nation. Two different stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. 119 locomotives that powered the trains carrying the officers and guests of two train companies to the “Golden Spike Ceremony,” held when the two rail lines were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah. A third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was a prominent part of the ceremony. Art director Greg Breeding designed the issuance. Michael J. Deas painted the Jupiter and No. 119 stamps. Kevin Cantrell illustrated the stamp depicting the ceremonial golden spike and did the border treatments and typography for all three stamps.”

No date or first-day city were given. Further updates will appear below, in order announced.

The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are
5378 Jupiter Locomotive
5379 Golden Spike
5380 No. 119 Locomotive
a. Horiz. strip of 3, #5378-5380

Updated January 30th:
These stamps will be issued May 10th in Promontory Summit, Utah.

Updated March 11th:

[press release]
U.S. Postal Service Celebrates 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad

What: Marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the U.S. Postal Service will commemorate this 19th century marvel with a magnificent set of Forever stamps.

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

Who: Michael Mirides, District Manager Salt Lake City District, U.S. Postal Service

When: Friday, May 10, 2019 at 3:30 p.m. MT

Where: Golden Spike National Historic Site
6200 North 22300th Street West
Promontory Summit, UT 84037

Event parking is available through the Spike 150 Foundation website.

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

Background: Building the transcontinental railroad during the 1860s was one of the great achievements of the era. The completion was marked by the “Golden Spike Ceremony,” held on May 10, 1869, when rail lines built by the Central Pacific from the west and the Union Pacific from the east were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah.

A large immigrant labor force — including a majority of Chinese and Irish laborers — carried out most of the backbreaking and often dangerous work that made the achievement possible. The workforce, totaling more than 20,000 at its peak, also included immigrants from many nations — Germany, Italy, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Poland and others — as well as African-Americans and former Civil War soldiers from both the Union and Confederate armies. Many crews of Mormon workers helped make the final push across Utah.

Reminiscent of traditional 19th century oil painting techniques, the three distinct designs of the Transcontinental Railroad Forever stamps evoke the spirit of the era. Two separate stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. 119 locomotives that powered the trains carrying the officers and guests of the two train companies to the “Golden Spike Ceremony.” Centered between them, a third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was a prominent part of the ceremony.

Also, the Golden Spike National Historic Site (National Park Service) has a webpage with information about the 150th anniversary celebration (although it doesn’t mention the stamps). It also has links to other sesquicentennial celebration pages. —VSC

Updated March 29th, from the Postal Bulletin:

On May 10, 2019, in Promontory Summit, UT, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Transcontinental Railroad stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in three designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 18 stamps (Item 570400). The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 10, 2019, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue. The Transcontinental Railroad pane of 18 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.

Three new stamps in a pane of 18 mark the 150th anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad, a massive engineering feat that reduced travel time across the country from as much as 6 months to about 1 week and made the American West an integral part of the nation. Two different stamps feature the Jupiter and the No. 119 locomotives that powered the trains carrying the officers and guests of two train companies to the “Golden Spike Ceremony,” which was held when the two rail lines were joined at Promontory Summit in Utah.

A third stamp portrays the famous golden spike that was a prominent part of the ceremony. Each of the stamps and the header feature gold-foiled highlights that produce a glimmering effect. Art director Greg Breeding designed the issuance. Michael J. Deas painted the Jupiter and No. 119 stamps. Kevin Cantrell illustrated the stamp depicting the ceremonial golden spike and did the border treatments and typography for all three stamps.

Availability to Post Offices: Item 570400, Transcontinental Railroad (Forever Priced at the First-Class Mail Rate) Commemorative Pane of 18 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 – Transcontinental Railroad 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 September 10, 2019.

Technical Specifications:

Issue: Transcontinental Railroad Stamps
Item Number: 570400
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Pane of 18 (3 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: May 10, 2019, Promontory Summit, UT 84307
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Typographer: Kevin Cantrell, Salt Lake City, UT
Artist: Michael J. Deas, New Orleans, LA
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Gallus RCS
Stamps per Pane: 18
Print Quantity: 50,400,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor, Block Tagged
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Banknote Corporation of America
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Other: Gold Foil
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal and Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 1.7828 x 1.1592 in./45.283 x 29.444 mm
0.8395 x 1.1592 in./21.323 x 29.444 mm
Overall Size (w x h): 1.9228 x 1.2992 in./48.839 x 33 mm
0.9795 x 1.2992 in./24.879 x 33 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 5.82 x 10.32 in./147.828 x 262.128 mm
Press Sheets Size (w x h): 11.64 x 20.64 in./295.656 x 524.256 mm
Plate Size: 72 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: Transcontinental Railroad: 150th Anniversary • Plate number in bottom two corners of pane
Back: ©2019 USPS • USPS logo • 2 barcodes (570400) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text

Updated April 13th:
Here are the first-day cancels for this issue:The Digital Color Postmark measures 3.00″ x 0.86″ The B&W pictorial measures 3.00″ x 1.5″

Updated May 6th:
Note that the stamps are nearly five inches wide when displayed as three se-tenant!