Announced November 20, 2018. The most recent information will appear after the large illustration and the introductory description from the USPS. The Scott catalogue number is 5349.
The 42nd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Gregory Hines (1946—2003), whose unique style of tap dancing injected new artistry and excitement into a traditional American form. A versatile performer who danced, acted and sang on Broadway, on television and in movies, Hines developed the entertainment traditions of tap into an art form for a younger generation and is credited with renewing interest in tap during the 1990s. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp, which features a 1988 photograph by Jack Mitchell.
Updated December 7th: This stamp will be issued Monday, January 28th, in New York City.
Updated December 21st:
On January 28, 2019, in New York, NY, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue the Gregory Hines stamp (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 477000). The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 28, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.
The 42nd stamp in the Black Heritage® series honors Gregory Hines (1946–2003), whose unique style of tap dancing injected new artistry and excitement into a traditional American form. A versatile performer who danced, acted, and sang on Broadway, on television, and in movies, Hines developed the entertainment traditions of tap into an art form for a younger generation and is credited with renewing interest in tap during the 1990s. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp, which features a 1988 photograph by Jack Mitchell.
Availability to Post Offices: Item 477000, Gregory Hines (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. 
Special Dedication Postmarks:
Only this pictorial postmark is permitted for the Gregory Hines stamp.
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 – Gregory Hines 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 May 28, 2019.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Gregory Hines Stamp
Item Number: 477000
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail ForeverFormat: Pane of 20 (1 design)
Series: Black Heritage
Issue Date & City: January 28, 2019, New York, NY 10199
Art Director: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Designer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Typographer: Derry Noyes, Washington, DC
Existing Photo: Jack Mitchell
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 20
Print Quantity: 40,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Processed at: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Stamp Orientation: Vertical
Image Area (w x h): 0.84 x 1.42 in./21.336 x 36.068 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 0.98 x 1.56 in./24.892 x 39.624 mm
Full Pane Size (w x h): 6 x 8.5 in./152.4 x 215.9 mm
Press Sheet Size (w x h): 12 x 25.75 in./ 304.8 x 654.05 mm
Colors: PMS 435 Grey C, Black, Cyan, Magenta, Yellow
Plate Size: 240 stamps per revolution
Plate Numbers: “P” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Header: BLACK HERITAGE, Celebrating Gregory Hines, 42nd in a series • Plate numbers in two corners
Back: ©2018 USPS • USPS Logo • Two barcodes (477000) • Plate position diagram • Promotional text
Updated December 24th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue: 
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.85″x1.35″. 
The B&W pictorial postmark measures 2.92″x1.49″. 
The “special” (local) postmark measures 2.70″x1.02″.
from USPS December 26th:
Tapping into the Brilliance of Gregory Hines
U.S. Postal Service Honors Legendary Entertainer with Black Heritage Series Stamp
What: The 42nd stamp in the Black Heritage series honors Gregory Hines, whose unique style of tap dancing injected new artistry and excitement into a traditional American form. A versatile performer who danced, acted and sang on Broadway, television and in movies, Hines developed the entertainment traditions of tap into an art form for a younger generation and is credited with renewing interest in tap during the 1990s.
The first-day-of-issue event is free and open to the public. News of the stamp is being shared with the hashtags #GregoryHinesForever and #BlackHeritageStamps.
Who: Gary Barksdale, Acting Chief Postal Inspector and Dedicating Official
When: Monday, Jan. 28, 2019, at 11 a.m. EST
Where:
Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th Street
New York, NY 10025-6990
RSVP: Dedication ceremony attendees are encouraged to RSVP at usps.com/gregoryhinesblackheritage.
Background:Gregory Hines (1946-2003) was nominated for Tony Awards in the 1970s for his performances in three Broadway musicals — “Eubie!,” “Comin’ Uptown,” and “Sophisticated Ladies” — and won a Tony Award in 1992 for his starring role in “Jelly’s Last Jam.” He danced alongside his brother, Maurice, in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1984 film “The Cotton Club” and alongside ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov in the 1985 movie “White Nights,” and he appeared in the 1989 movie “Tap,” which highlighted three generations of tap dancers. He also hosted an Emmy-winning Public Broadcasting Service show about tap dancing, recorded a No. 1 R&B duet with Luther Vandross, twice hosted the Tony Awards, and acted in television sitcoms.
The stamp features a 1988 photograph by Jack Mitchell that shows a smiling Hines on one knee in a red blazer and gray pants, with one foot raised to show the taps on the bottom of his shoe. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
The Gregory Hines stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp and will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shop, by calling 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724), by mail through USA Philatelic catalog or at Post Office locations nationwide.
The Year of the Boar is the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Boar begins on Feb. 5, 2019, and ends on Jan. 24, 2020. The stamp art depicts several bright pink peach blossoms on a branch. Peach blossoms, which often bloom just in time for Lunar New Year, mark the beginning of spring in Chinese culture. Artist Kam Mak created this original painting. Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps — Clarence Lee’s cut-paper design of a boar and the Chinese character for “boar,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — to create continuity between the series.
On January 17, 2019, in Houston, TX, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Year of the Boar stamp (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 12 stamps (Item 564900). The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 17, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue. The Year of the Boar pane of 12 stamps may not be split and the stamps may not be sold individually.
Special Dedication Postmarks:
The Digital Color postmark measures 2.76″x1.49″. 
The B&W pictorial measures 2.72″x1.19″. 
The “special” (local) postmark measures 2.66″x1.49″.
On January 10, 2019, in San Juan, PR, the U.S. Postal Service will issue the Hearts Blossom stamp (Forever priced at the First-Class Mail rate) in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive pane of 20 stamps (Item 565000). The stamp will go on sale nationwide January 10, 2019, and must not be sold or cancelled before the first-day-of-issue.
The B&W pictorial measures 2.94″x1.48″.
“The miniature works of art illustrated in the 2019 stamp program offer something for everyone’s interest about American history and culture,” said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Executive Director Mary-Anne Penner (right). “From legendary poet Walt Whitman to the entertainment genius of Gregory Hines to the majestic beauty of our Wild and Scenic Rivers, this program is diverse and wide ranging and tells America’s story on stamps.”
Hearts Blossom is the latest stamp in the Love series from the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp art features the word “Love” in cursive script below 12 colorful hearts meant to visually express love’s joyful, bountiful nature. The color palette — red, purple, orange and pink — is intended to create a happy and positive feeling. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamp.
The Year of the Boar is the 12th and final stamp in the Celebrating Lunar New Year series. The Year of the Boar begins on Feb. 5, 2019, and ends on Jan. 24, 2020. The stamp art depicts several bright pink peach blossoms on a branch. Peach blossoms, which often bloom just in time for Lunar New Year, mark the beginning of spring in Chinese culture. Artist Kam Mak created this original painting. Art director and stamp designer Ethel Kessler incorporated elements from the previous series of Lunar New Year stamps — Clarence Lee’s cut-paper design of a boar and the Chinese character for “boar,” drawn in grass-style calligraphy by Lau Bun — to create continuity between the series.
This issuance celebrates the beauty of cactus flowers with a booklet of 20 stamps. Each stamp depicts a photograph of the flower of one of these ten cacti: Opuntia engelmannii, Rebutia minuscula, Echinocereus dasyacanthus, Echinocereus poselgeri, Echinocereus coccineus, Pelecyphora aselliformis, Parodia microsperma, Echinocactus horizonthalonius, Thelocactus heterochromus and Parodia scopa. Within the booklet, each stamp design is featured twice. With new DNA studies, botanists sometimes reclassify plants. As of the printing of these stamps, the scientific names were accurate. Cacti also have common names, with some plants having several different names in popular use. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs taken by John P. Schaefer.
state in the Union on Dec. 14, 1819. The stamp art is a photograph taken at sunset in Cheaha State Park. Alabama photographer Joe Miller took the picture from the park’s Pulpit Rock Trail. With Pulpit Rock in the foreground, most of the area in the valley below the overlook is part of the Talladega National Forest, which surrounds the state park. The name of the state and the year of statehood are included in the stamp art. The art director is William J. Gicker. Greg Breeding designed the stamp with Miller’s existing photograph.
With this new stamp in the Music Icons series, the U.S. Postal Service honors Marvin Gaye (1939‚Äì1984) — the “Prince of Soul” — one of the most influential music performers of his generation. The stamp design features a portrait of Gaye inspired by historic photographs. The stamp pane is designed to resemble a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the pane includes the stamps, brief text about Gaye’s legacy, and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. Another portrait of Gaye, also inspired by historic photographs, appears on the reverse along with the Music Icons series logo. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp pane with original art by Kadir Nelson.
The Postal Service celebrates USS Missouri (BB-63), America’s last battleship, with the issuance of a commemorative stamp in 2019, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Missouri’s commissioning on June 11, 1944. The stamp art depicts Missouri in the disruptive camouflage she wore from her commissioning until a refit in early 1945. Missouri earned numerous combat awards and citations during her decades of service, which include World War II, the Korean War and Operation Desert Storm. She played a momentous role when she hosted the ceremony marking Japan’s surrender and the end of World War II. Designed by art director Greg Breeding, the stamp features a digital illustration by Dan Cosgrove.
This pane of 10 stamps features five different murals designed to add a touch of beauty to Post Office walls and help boost the morale of Americans during the era of the Great Depression. On the stamp art, the town or city and state in which the work of art is located is printed underneath each mural. The murals included are: “Kiowas Moving Camp” (1936) Anadarko, Oklahoma; “Mountains and Yucca” (1937) Deming, New Mexico; “Antelope” (1939) Florence, Colorado; “Sugarloaf Mountain” (1940) Rockville, Maryland; and “Air Mail” (1941) Piggott, Arkansas. Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.
With this new 2019 stamp, the Postal Service celebrates the American flag, the most recognizable symbol of our nation. The stamp features a U.S. flag, one of several on the flagpoles near the end of Chicago’s Navy Pier, waving in a May breeze. The photograph was taken by art director Antonio Alcalá.
Second row, left to right: Niobrara River (Michael Melford, photographer), Snake River (Tim Palmer, photographer), Flathead River (Tim Palmer, photographer)
Whitman (1819‚Äì1892) on the bicentennial of his birth. The stamp features a portrait of Whitman based on a photograph taken by Frank Pearsall in 1869. In the background, a hermit thrush sitting on the branch of a lilac bush recalls “When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom’d,” an elegy for President Abraham Lincoln written by Whitman soon after Lincoln’s assassination on April 14, 1865. Considered by many to be the father of modern American poetry, Whitman broke away from dominant European poetic forms and experimented with free verse and colloquial expressions, writing powerfully about nearly every aspect of 19th-century America. The artist for the stamp was Sam Weber. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp. The words “THREE OUNCE” on this stamp indicate its usage value. Like a Forever stamp, this stamp will always be valid for the rate printed on it.
In 2019, the Postal Service issues Frogs, four new stamps in a booklet of 20, featuring digital illustrations of four North American frogs: the Pacific tree frog, the northern leopard frog, the American green tree frog and the squirrel tree frog. Working with a primarily green color palette and touches of brown, artist Nancy Stahl captured the essence of each animal with enough important defining features to make each recognizable. Art director William J. Gicker designed the stamps.
stamp also works as an individual picture. The stamp on the far left shows farmers unloading produce behind a white fence. In the second stamp, a child holding a chicken sits atop the same fence, with carnival rides — a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round — in the background. Those rides can be seen in the third stamp, where some fairgoers admire the livestock behind the fence while others walk, balloons in hand, toward a sweets stand. The last stamp shows children at the stand buying treats from the vendor. The art director was Greg Breeding. Mike Ryan designed the stamps with original art by Mick Wiggins.
This stamp issuance celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held in the small farming community of Bethel, New York, in August 1969. It was the most famous rock fair in history and an expression of the youth counterculture of the 1960s. The stamp art, designed by art director Antonio Alcalá°, features the image of the dove from graphic artist Arnold Skolnick’s promotional 1969 poster for the fair along with some of the poster’s words: “3 Days of Peace and Music.” In the stamp art the words are stacked in the background in brilliant colors along with the year 1969, USA, and Forever (the value of the stamp). The white dove stands in the foreground.
The Winter Berries booklet of 20 stamps celebrates four of winter’s small yet vibrant offerings: the winterberry (Ilex verticillate), the juniper berry (Juniperus communis), the beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana) and the soapberry (Sapindus Saponaria). The stamp art features highly detailed botanical portraits of each plant that highlight the bold colors and rich textures of their berries. Artist Steve Buchanan worked with art director Antonio Alcalá to create these four new stamps.
Celebrating the desolate beauty of the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia) and its distinct desert environment, this Priority Mail stamp depicts a common scene throughout much of the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. Using the bold colors of the sun’s reflection off of the trees, rocks, and other shrubby vegetation, artist Dan Cosgrove illuminates the desert scene in warm, golden hues. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
With this Priority Mail Express stamp, the Postal Service commemorates the Bethesda Fountain, one of Central Park’s most iconic structures. Dedicated in 1873, the fountain is a gathering place beloved by New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors alike. The stamp art features a stylized depiction of the fountain. The illustration was first rendered as a pencil sketch and then scanned and finished digitally. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with original art by Dan Cosgrove.
Four new postcard stamps celebrate the beauty and wonder of coral reefs. Each stamp depicts a type of stony coral, along with associated reef fish, in a highly stylized manner: elkhorn coral, shown with two French angelfish; brain coral, with a spotted moray eel; staghorn coral, with bluestriped grunts; pillar coral, with a coney grouper and neon gobies. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps. Tyler Lang created the stamp art.
The California dogface graces the seventh non-machineable butterfly stamp for use on irregularly sized envelopes, such as square greeting cards, invitations or announcements. The stamp art was digitally created using images of preserved butterflies as a starting point. The result is a highly stylized, simplified image of a California dogface (Zerene eurydice) rather than an exact replica. Nationally known artist Tom Engeman created the stamp art. Art director Derry Noyes designed the stamp.
A familiar sight on public buildings and private homes alike, the American flag has been portrayed in myriad ways on U.S. postage. This stamped envelope features a graphic design of the flag that evokes a rich sense of history even as it presents a recognizable icon in a fresh, contemporary way. Kit Hinrichs created the artwork for this stamped envelope. Ethel Kessler served as art director.
The price for mailing a letter will rise by 5 cents, to 55 cents for the first ounce. However, the price for additional ounces will go down, from 21 cents to 15, “so a 2-ounce stamped letter, such as a typical wedding invitation, will cost less to mail, decreasing from 71 cents to 70 cents,” the USPS said in its October 10th press release announcing its request.
The prices for Competitive products, on the other hand, must not be subsidized by the revenue from Market Dominant products; that is, as a group, Competitive products must pay their own way.
New Priority Mail and Express Mail stamps, as well as some definitives, will be issued, likely on the date the new rates go into effect, January 27, 2019. See our 
One major change, however, is in “First-Class Package Service—Retail,” which the USPS calls “a lightweight expedited offering used primarily by businesses for fulfillment purposes.” It includes tracking, at about half the cost of Priority Mail.
Royal Mail has announced the release of a set of stamps to commemorate the 70th birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales.
Other images show: a portrait of The Prince of Wales; an image of The Prince of Wales with The Duchess of Cornwall; The Prince of Wales and his sons at Cirencester Park Polo Club; The Prince of Wales at the Castle of Mey and The Prince of Wales greeting school children during a visit to Llancaiach Fawr Manor, in Wales.
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor was born on 14 November 1948. Aged three, he became Heir Apparent and Duke of Cornwall following his mother’s accession to the Throne.
Royal Mail spokesperson Philip Parker said, “Royal Mail is proud to release this six-stamp tribute to HRH The Prince of Wales, featuring delightful images of the Prince and his family.”
5312 (50¢) John Lennon – red shoulders
5321 (50¢) Hot Wheels – Purple Passion
The following was translated using Google Translate and will be replaced by the official PostNL English translation when we get it.
The six stamp designs celebrate one of the UK’s best-loved Christmas traditions – sending festive greetings in the post to friends and family far and wide.
one hundred years, there have been six Monarchs, as such, each of the postboxes on the stamps features a Monarch’s cypher.
stamps will be winging their way around the world delivering Season’s Greetings to friends and family, gives me a real sense of festive joy.”
Royal Mail is encouraging customers to post their festive greetings early, and order their online gifts and shopping well in advance, to help its postmen and women deliver the bumper festive mailbag.
In the April 2017 issue of American Stamp Dealer & Collector, the American Stamp Dealers Association magazine. I wrote a response to a similar voice of doom published in the Wall Street Journal. What I said then bears repeating now, what follows is an update of what I said in April 2017, under the heading, “A Waning Hobby? Not On Your Life!” I don’t as a matter of practice repeat columns or themes, but I’ll make an exception here as the column will be new to most readers:
