UPNS Release 95-060 (New U.S. Issues in January)
Ed Jackson
Release 95-060
December 31, 1995
January 1996 New U.S. Issues
The new year begins with six new commemorative stamps plus four varieties
of previously issued definitive or special stamps (with no postal
stationery scheduled for release). All items are available from the U.S.
Postal Service's Philatelic Fulfillment Service Center (PFSC).
Additionally, all items (except possibly the 500-stamp and 3,000-stamp
Kestrel coils) should be available at larger post offices.
At face value, one copy of each stamp issued in January will cost $1.89.
However, the Postal Service requires that self-adhesive stamps be sold as
entire panes, so the total cost rises to $11.85 ($15.05 if purchased from
the PFSC because of the minimum $3.20 postage/handling fee). On the other
hand, you will have 28 excess $0.32 self-adhesive stamps that can be used
for postage, so the net cost for one each of January's new stamps drops to
$1.89 if purchased from your local post office and $5.09 if purchased from
the PFSC.
The description of each new issue below includes the PFSC item number
(except for the PMC stamp) and price. Ordering information and directions
for obtaining first-day covers are provided at the end of this article.
Scanned color JPEG images of January new issues can be downloaded via FTP
from:
igs.cviog.uga.edu/pub/exchange/jackson/gif-jpg/upns.images/jan96.jpg. The
images were scanned at 150 dpi.
Note: In mid-December, the Postal Service sent out an announcement to
past-PFSC customers advising that the January-February-March 1996 issue of
"Stamps etc." (quarterly catalog of the PFSC) will not be released until
February. PFSC ordering information for the Utah Statehood and Winter
Garden Flowers stamps was included, but no details were provided for
January's other new issues. Also, the Postal Service announcement revealed
that the system of order numbers has been changed. In the past, if a pane
stamp was listed as item #44607, the order number was the same whether
ordering a single stamp, a block, or a whole pane; and the item number for
that stamp's first day cover usually consisted of an "F" prior to the item
number (e.g., F44607). In 1996, however, the PFSC will begin using
separate item numbers for singles, blocks of 4, panes, and first day
covers.
Another recently announced policy is that if you order a stamp prior to
its release, the PFSC will treat this as a "back order." While not
clarifying what this means, the probable impact is that your entire order
will not be filled until all stamps have been released.
Utah Statehood Stamp
The first U.S. stamp of 1996 will be released January 4 to mark the 100th
anniversary of Utah's admission as a state. First-day ceremonies will be
held at 8 a.m at the Utah State Fairgrounds in Salt Lake City.
Depicted on the 32-cent stamp is a artistic rendering of Delicate Arch, a
famous 85-foot (26-meter) high sandstone formation found in Arches
National Park in eastern Utah.
Almost 1,000 natural arches of various sizes are found within the park,
constituting the largest concentration in the world. While Delicate Arch
is probably the most photographed of the formations, Landscape Arch--with
a span of 291 feet (89 meters)--is the largest. Regardless of size,
however, arches are formed over aeons of time principally by water
erosion--but in a more complex manner than the erosion processes that
produce buttes and canyons.
Long populated by Gosiute, Paiute, Shoshone, and Ute Indians, the area
that would become known as Utah was first visited by Spanish missionaries
in 1776. In 1811, the first American traders to visit the region came in
search of fur. Other trappers and traders followed, but it was not until
1847 that the first large-scale immigration to Utah occurred. Stirred by
religious persecution in the East, Brigham Young reached the Great Salt
Lake with the first group of Mormon settlers. Other bands of Mormons
followed.
After the Mexican War, the U.S. acquired large areas of the
West--including the Utah region. In 1849, Utah sought to become a state,
but in the Compromise of 1850, Congress created instead the Utah
Territory. Subsequent attempts to seek statehood were repeatedly turned
down by Congress because of opposition to the Mormon practice of polygamy.
Decades of conflict between Utah's Mormons and the federal government
followed, but by 1890 the president of the Mormon Church was recommending
that polygamy be abandoned. In 1895, Utah drafted a state constitution
which prohibited polygamy and set up safeguards for separation of church
and state. Congress accepted the proposed constitution, and on Jan. 4,
1896, Utah was admitted into the Union as the 45th state.
Designed by Brigham Young University graphics designer McRay Magleby, the
stamps shows Delicate Arch in broad strokes of red and orange, partially
eclipsing an orange sun in a clear blue sky. At the bottom of the stamp is
"Utah 1896" and in the upper right "32" and "USA." The offset stamp was
printed in panes of 20 by Ashton-Potter (USA) Ltd.
Order item #440210 at 32 cents per single stamp, item #44220 at $1.28 for
a plate block of 4 stamps, or item #440240 at $16.00 for a pane of 20
stamps.
Winter Garden Flowers
On January 19, the Postal Service will release a 20-stamp booklet
depicting Winter Garden Flowers in first-day ceremonies at Longwood
Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Each booklet will carry 4 panes
of 5 se-tenant stamps featuring depictions of the crocus, winter aconite,
pansy, snowdrop, and anemone in bloom. These flowers are among the
hardiest winter plants that grow in the United States.
The Winter Garden Flowers set completes a series of four different
seasonal designs by Ned Seidler of Hampton Bays, New York. Earlier issues
were the 1993 Spring Garden Flowers, 1994 Summer Garden Flowers, and 1995
Fall Garden Flowers.
The offset/intaglio stamps were printed in booklets of 20 stamps by the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Order item #662400 at $6.40 per booklet, or item #6630000 at $1.60 for an
unfolded booklet pane of 5 stamps.
Love Cherub Self-Adhesive Stamp
On Jan. 20, the Postal Service will release a self-adhesive 32-cent Love
Cherub stamp at the American Postage Stamp Show in New York. Because of
space limitations at the facility, no first day ceremony is planned, and
sale of the stamps will begin at 10 a.m. at the U.S. Postal Service booth
at the show.
The stamp, which shows a single cherub from Raphael's The Sistine Madonna
painting, is of the same design of the undenominated self-adhesive Love
stamp issued in February 1995, except that it has been denominated at 32
cents. Also, where the earlier stamp had four straight edges, the new
version has die-cut simulated perforations on any edge touching another
stamp. In the new version, like before, stamp edges which form the edge of
the pane are straight. The pane (which is the size of U.S. paper currency)
contains 20 stamps configured into 7 rows of 3 stamps, though one corner
consists of a "Time to Reorder" block the size of a stamp. Because there
is no selvage, each pane consists of 3 stamps with two adjacent straight
edges, 12 stamps with a single straight edge, and 5 stamps with no
straight edges.
While issued as a unfolded pane, the Postal Service describes the issue as
a "convertible booklet"--a reference to the fact that the pane has a
narrow strip that can be peeled up for folding. However, because of the
fact that the pane has 7 rows, the fold does not come in the middle of the
pane, meaning one row of stamps is left exposed after folding.
The offset-intaglio stamp was designed by Terry McCaffrey and printed by
the Banknote Corporation of America.
The stamp may only be purchased as a complete pane of 20 stamps. Order
item #6672 at $6.40 per pane.
Flag Over Porch Self Adhesive
Also on Jan. 20 at the American Postage Stamp Show in New York, the Postal
Service will release a new version of the Flag Over Porch self-adhesive
stamp issued in April 1995. The new stamp has the same design as last
year's, except for the change in year in the lower left corner under the
design. Also, the new version is being released as a pane (or "convertible
booklet") of 10 stamps. Like before, die-cut simulated perforations are
used for stamp edges that touch each other, while external edges of the
pane are straight. The pane consists of 5 rows of 2 stamps each, with
selvage at the top and bottom of the pane. Unlike last year's Flag Over
Porch self-adhesive (which had rows of 3 stamps, meaning some stamps had
perforations on all four sides), all 10 stamps on the new version have one
straight edge.
Additional selvage the height of one row of stamps has been added to the
top of the new pane so that the removable strip falls exactly in the
center of the pane, allowing it to be folded into a booklet with no
overlap.
The gravure stamp was printed by Avery Dennison. It is only available as a
complete pane of 10 stamps. Order item #6609 at $3.20 per pane.
American Kestrel Coil Stamp
The third stamp released at the American Postage Stamp Show on Jan. 20
will be a new coil version of the 1-cent American Kestrel stamp issued in
May 1995 (which was a re-issue of the original Kestrel stamp released in
1991). Like the 1995 issue, the new coil version will be denominated with
a one and a cent sign (unlike the 1991 version which had "01" and no cent
sign).
The offset stamp was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in
coils of 500 and 3,000 stamps. For the 500-stamp coil, order item #7961 at
$5.00; for the 3,000-stamp coil, order item #7962 at $30.00.
PMC Stamp
In 1992, the Postal Service launched a pilot program to test a new postage
vending machine called a Postage and Mailing Center (PMC). After a
customer places a letter or parcel on a PMC's scales and indicates its
destination, the machine computes the correct postage for different levels
of service (e.g., first class and parcel post). Customers then select the
service they desire and deposit coins or bills into the PMC, which then
prints a coil stamp with the correct denomination.
The PMC stamp (sometimes referred to as a Variable Rate Coil) had a blue
and white shield at the top, with red and white bunting draped on either
side. Beneath the shield are the letters "USA" in red and an area of fine,
wavy red lines designed to make counterfeiting difficult. It is on this
wavy pattern that the PMC machine prints the denomination in black.
Originally, the value could be any amount between .01 and $99.99, but the
practice of many collectors of printing low denomination copies of the
stamp led the Postal Service to revise the minimum amount to $0.19 (then
the postcard rate).
The first PMC machine completed was manufactured by ECA GARD and used a
coil stamp that had perforations across the top and bottom of the stamp,
with the right and left edges straight. The intaglio ECA GARD stamp was
printed in coils of 3,000 by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
Unisys was supposed to have a second version of the PMC machine ready for
public testing in late 1992, but problems delayed this machine's release
for over a year. In February 1994, a second version of the variable rate
coil stamp was released for use in Unisys PMC machines in the following
Virginia cities: Merrifield, Herndon, McLean, Alexandria, Manassas, and
Woodbridge.
Like regular coil stamps, the Unisys PMC stamp had straight-edged tops and
bottoms, with perforations on the right and left sides. Because of the
different format, the banner and bunting on the Unisys stamp is taller but
narrower than the ECA GARD version. Another difference is that the Unisys
version was gravure rather than engraved, and it was printed by the
American Bank Note Corporation. Finally, though both versions were printed
in coils of 3,000 stamp, the ECA GARD version had a plate number every 48
stamps, while the Unisys version had a number every 24 stamps.
Reportedly, coils of the Unisys PMC stamp are running low, so the Postal
Service ordered a reprinting. On Jan. 26, 1996, the Postal Service will
release the new Unisys PMC stamp in Arlington, Virginia.
Details about the reprinting have not been released; however, since the
American Bank Note Corporation did not get its contract renewed,
speculation is that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is now printing
both versions of the PMC stamp.
No PFSC order number is available for the reprinted PMC stamp. Also, while
the stamp can have any denomination between $0.19 and $99.99, the policy
of the PFSC was to sell only the $0.29 version (which was the first-class
rate). Even after the first-class rate went to $0.32, the PFSC only sold
the stamp in values of $0.29 (though neither version of the PMC is
available any longer from the PFSC). Likely, the reprinted Unisys version
will be available from the PFSC only in a $0.32 denomination.
First-Day Cancellations
Collectors have two options for obtaining their own first-day
cancellations. One is to purchase the stamp from a local post office,
place it on a self-addressed envelope, and send within 30 days of issue in
a larger envelope to Customer Affixed Stamps, (name of stamp), Postmaster,
and address as shown below. For example, orders for the Utah Statehood
stamp first day cancels should be sent to:
CUSTOMER AFFIXED STAMPS
UTAH STATEHOOD STAMP
POSTMASTER
1760 W 2100 SOUTH
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84199-9991
As shown in this example, the Postal Service asks that you print addresses
in all caps with no punctuation except the hyphen in the ZIP. Three
suggestions: Inserting a piece of card stock the thickness of a postcard
will help the envelope keep its shape during processing and mailing. If
you use a standard #6 3/4 envelope, covers will generally be
shrink-wrapped in protective plastic. Finally, removable address labels
are available which can be removed after the canceled envelope is
returned. Requests for first-day-of-issue cancellations must be postmarked
within 30 days of a stamp's release. Send requests to the following
addresses:
Utah Statehood Stamp: 1760 W 2100 South, Salt Lake City UT 84199-9991
Love Cherub Stamp: Morgan GMF, 341 9th Ave Rm 1037, New York NY 10199-9991
Flag Over Porch Stamp: Morgan GMF, 341 9th Ave Rm 1037, New York NY 10199-9991
American Kestrel Stamp: Morgan GMF, 341 9th Ave Rm 1037, New York NY 10199-9991
PMC Stamp: Trade Center Station, 300 S Pickett St, Arlington VA
22304-9991 (address of Arlington post office with PMC machine)
The Postal Service also offers blank covers (without cachets or addresses)
with new stamps attached and postmarked with the official
first-day-of-issue cancellation. First-day covers may be purchased from
the PFSC for at least 90 days after each stamp's issuance. Below are PFSC
numbers and prices that have been released:
Utah Statehood: 440261 ($0.53)
Winter Garden Flowers: random single--663061 ($0.53); strip of 5 stamps
on a single cover--663062 ($1.81); set of 5 different covers--663063
($2.65)
To order stamps or FDCs, send check or money order to: Philatelic
Fulfillment Service Center, US Postal Service, PO Box 419636, Kansas City
MO 64179-0996. MasterCard, VISA, and Discover card holders may order by
calling the PFSC toll-free number (1-800-782-6724).
Shipping and handling charges are as follows:
If your order
amounts to: Add:
$ 0.01 - 20.00 $3.20
20.01 - 50.00 4.20
50.01 - 80.00 5.20
80.01 - 110.00 6.20
110.01 - 140.00 7.20
140.01 - 170.00 8.20
over 170.00 9.20
For orders mailed to addresses outside the U.S., add $5.00 to the above
shipping and handling charge. Payment for foreign orders must be by credit
card, international money order, or draft drawn on a U.S. bank. Foreign
currency or international reply coupons are not acceptable.
(This article is based on information from the U.S. Postal Service and
other sources and may be reprinted in stamp club newsletters. For other
uses, or for more information on UPNS, contact Ed Jackson at
<jac...@igs.cviog.uga.edu>.)