Four Flags Forever stamps now in booklets

distributed by noodls on 06/01/2012 03:26

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MCLEAN, VA - The U.S. Postal Service continues its tradition of honoring the Stars and Stripes with the issuance of Four Flags 45-cent First-Class Forever stamps on June 1 at the National Philatelic Exhibitions(NAPEX) stamp show. This quartet of stamps features a bright U.S. flag against a white background. A single word appears on each of the four stamps in large letters: Freedom, Liberty, Equality, and Justice. The black typeface recalls the look of Colonial-era printing.

The stamps are being issued in self-adhesive booklets of 10 stamps for $4.50. Available nationwide June 1, all 200 million stamps can be purchased online at usps.com/shop, by calling 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) or by visiting Post Offices.

"The Four Flags Forever stamps were originally issued on February 22 in booklets of 20 and coils of 100 and quickly became some of our best-selling stamps," said U.S. Postal Service Stamp Services Manager Stephen Kearney, referring more than 800 million sold to-date of 3.7 billion printed. "We created this new format as a customer convenience for those who want to carry 10 stamps in their wallet or purse. The beauty of Forever stamps is that they are always good for mailing a one-ounce First-Class letter anytime in the future, regardless of price changes.

The flag illustration by the late Arnold Holeywell is based on a photograph taken by art director Howard Paine of Delaplane, VA, who also served as the typographer for the stamp.

Customers may view the Four Flags Forever stamps, as well as many of this year's other stamps, and vote for their favorite stamp on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps ,throughTwitter @USPSstamps or on the websiteBeyond the Perfat beyondtheperf.com/2012-preview . Beyond the Perf is the Postal Service's online site for background on upcoming stamp subjects, first-day-of-issue events and other philatelic news.

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 a local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shopor by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others and place them in larger envelopes addressed to:

Four Flags Stamp
McLean West Branch
1544 Springhill Road
McLean, VA 22102-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes by mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by August 1, 2012.

How to Order First-Day Covers
The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterlyUSA Philatelic Catalog, online at usps.com/shopor by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Product
There is one Philatelic product available for this stamp issue:

688363, First-Day Cover Set of 4, $3.56.

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

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Please Note:For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at http://about.usps.com/news/welcome.htm .

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation - 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, the U.S. Postal Service was ranked number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world, Oxford Strategic Consulting. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

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