POSTAL UPDATES
insights
2005 U.S. Stamp Program
January 6, Happy New Year. Twelve 37¢ commemorative stamps featuring designs of Happy New Year stamps of 1992-2004, double-sided pane of 24 (Scott 3895); Year of the Rat (3895a), Ox (b), Tiger (c), Rabbit (d), Dragon (e), Snake (f), Horse (g), Ram (h), Monkey (i), Rooster (j), Dog (k), Boar (l); SSP; Honolulu, HI 96820; Linn's, Jan. 19, 2004, page 32, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Jan. 3, page 1; USPS item No. 567040 (pane).
January 27, Marian Anderson. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, Black Heritage series, pane of 20; SSP; Washington, DC 20066; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Oct. 25, 2004, page 15; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Jan. 24, page 1; USPS item No. 458040 (pane); Scott 3896.
January, Acadia National Park. Single 60¢ definitive stamp; same design as stamps of 2001 and 2003, but with "2005" year date; pane of 20; SSP; no first day; Linn's, Jan. 31, page 35; USPS item No. 560020 (block of four); 560040 (pane of 20); Scott C138b.
February 9, Ronald Reagan. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, pane of 20; SSP; Simi Valley, CA 93065; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Feb. 7, page 1; USPS item No. 457820 (block of four); 457840 (pane); Scott 3897.
February 18, Bouquet Love. Single 37¢ special stamp, pane of 20 (convertible booklet format); AV; Atlanta, GA 30304; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Feb. 14, page 1; USPS item No. 673640 (pane); Scott 3898.
February, Sea Coast. Single nondenominated (5¢) definitive coil stamp, same design as stamp of August 2004 but with small "2003" year date, coil of 10,000; AP; no first-day ceremony; Linn's, March 21, page 10; May 30, page 8; no USPS item number; Scott 3874a.
March 3, Garden Blossoms. Single 37¢ letter sheet featuring same stamp imprint design as 37¢ Garden Blossoms stamp issued March 4, 2004; BCA; Linn's, Aug. 2, 2004, page 1; March 7, page 13; USPS item No. 566294 (pad of 12 letter sheets at $14.95); Scott U657.
March 3, Northeast Deciduous Forest. Ten 37¢ commemorative stamps in pane of 10 (Scott 3899) depicting plants and animals native to northeast deciduous forests: Eastern buckmoth (3899a); red-shouldered hawk (b); Eastern red bat (c); white-tailed deer (d); black bear (e); long-tailed weasel (f); wild turkey (g); ovenbird (h); red eft (i); Eastern chipmunk (j); AV; New York, NY 10199; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Feb. 28, page 1; USPS item No. 459040 (pane).
March 15, Spring Flowers. Four 37¢ special stamps depicting hyacinth (Scott 3900), daffodil (3901), tulip (3902) and iris (3903); double-sided pane of 20; AP; Chicago, IL 60607; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; March 14, page 1; USPS item No. 673940 (pane).
April 22, Robert Penn Warren. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, Literary Arts series, pane of 20; SSP; Guthrie, KY 42234; Linn's, Aug. 25, 2003, page 1; April 18, page 1; USPS item No. 458320 (block of four); 458340 (pane); Scott 3904.
April 28, Yip Harburg. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, pane of 20; SSP; New York, NY 10199; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; April 25, page 1; USPS item No. 457640 (pane); Scott 3905.
May 4, American Scientists. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps for McClintock (Scott 3906), Gibbs (3907), Neumann (3908) and Feynman (3909); pane of 20; SSP; New Haven, CT 06511; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; May 2, page 1; USPS item No. 458120 (block of four); 458140 (pane).
May 19, Masterworks of Modern American Architecture. Twelve 37¢ commemorative stamps in pane of 12 (Scott 3910) featuring: Guggenheim Museum (3910a); Chrysler Building (b); Vanna Venturi House (c); TWA Terminal (d); Walt Disney Concert Hall (e); 860-880 Lake Shore Drive (f); National Gallery of Art (g); Glass House (h); Yale Art and Architecture Building (i); High Museum of Art (j); Exeter Academy Library (k); Hancock Center (l); AP; Las Vegas, NV 89119; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; May 16, page 1; USPS item No. 566840 (pane).
May 20, Henry Fonda. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, Legends of Hollywood series, pane of 20; AP; Beverly Hills, CA 90210; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; May 16, page 1; USPS item No. 458640 (pane); Scott 3911.
June 30, The Art of Disney. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps and four 23¢ picture postal cards for Pluto, Mickey Mouse (Scott 3912, UX436); Mad Hatter, Alice (3913, UX437); Flounder, Ariel (3914, UX438); and Snow White, Dopey (3915, UX439); pane of 20 (SSP), cards (AP); Anaheim, CA 92803;Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; June 27, page 1; USPS item No. 567240 (pane of 20).
June 30, Hooded Mergansers. Two $15 federal migratory waterfowl hunting and conservation stamps issued by the U.S. Department of the Interior, water-activated pane of 20 and self-adhesive pane of one, both SSP; Washington, DC; Linn's, June 27, page 2; USPS item No. 333410 (single water-activated stamp, Scott RW72); 333540 (self-adhesive pane, RW72A); item sold out (water-activated pane of one, RW72b).
June, Flag. Single 37¢ definitive coil stamp, same design as coil stamps of 2002-04 but with "2005" year date, coil of 100; AP; no first-day ceremony; Linn's, July 18, page 33; USPS item No. 780143 (coil of 100); Scott 3633B.
July 29, American Advances in Aviation. Ten 37¢ commemorative stamps featuring: Boeing 247 (Scott 3916), Consolidated PBY Catalina (3917), Grumman F6F Hellcat (3918), Republic P-47 Thunderbolt (3919), Engineering and Research Corp. Ercoupe 415 (3920), Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star (3921), Consolidated B-24 Liberator (3922), Boeing B-29 Superfortress (3923), Beechcraft 35 Bonanza (3924), and Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing (3925), pane of 20; AP; Oshkosh, WI 54902 and Vienna, VA 22180;Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; July 18, page 1; USPS item No. 458740 (pane).
July 30, Rio Grande Blankets. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps, American Treasures series featuring: blanket with yellow, orange and red stripes (Scott 3926), blanket with black, orange, red and yellow (3927), blanket with yellow and black diamonds (3928), blanket with zigzag diamonds (3929), double-sided pane of 20; AP; Santa Fe, NM 87501; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; July 25, page 1; USPS item No. 673740 (double-sided pane).
August 4, Presidential Libraries. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp for nation's 12 presidential libraries and museums, pane of 20; SSP; College Station, TX 77845; Atlanta, GA 30307; Little Rock, AR 72201; Abilene, KS 67410; Ann Arbor, MI 48109; Grand Rapids, MI 49504; West Branch, IA 52358; Austin, TX 78705; Boston, MA 02125; Yorba Linda, CA 92886; Simi Valley, CA 93065; Hyde Park, NY 12538; Independence, MO 64050; Linn's, Feb. 7, page 37; Aug. 1, page 1; USPS item No. 458240 (pane); Scott 3930.
August 5, American Eagle. Ten nondenominated (25¢) definitive coil stamps, same designs and color combinations as coil stamps of 2003-04 but with "2005" year date, (gray background and gold eagle, Scott 3792a; gold and red, 3793a; dark blue and gold, 3794a; gold and blue, 3795a; green and gold, 3796a; gold and gray, 3797a; blue and gold, 3798a; gold and dark blue, 3799a; red and gold, 3800a; gold and green, 3801b), coil of 3,000; SSP; Grand Rapids, MI 49504; Linn's, March 28, page 8; Aug. 1, page 13; USPS item No. 782830 (strip of 25), 782840 (coil of 3,000).
August 20, Sporty Cars of the 1950s. Five 37¢ commemorative stamps and five 23¢ picture postal cards featuring: Studebaker Starliner (Scott 3931, UX443), Kaiser Darren (3932, UX444), Chevrolet Corvette (3933, UX442), Nash Healey (3934, UX441), Ford Thunderbird (3935, UX440); double-sided pane of 20 (AP), cards (AP); Detroit, MI 48233; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1, Aug. 15, page 1; USPS item No. 673840 (double-sided pane); 673866 (pack of 20 picture postal cards at $9.75).
August 27, Arthur Ashe. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AP; Flushing, NY 11355; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Sept. 13, 2004, page 2; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Aug. 22, page 1; USPS item No. 457440 (pane); Scott 3936.
August 30, To Form a More Perfect Union. Ten 37¢ commemorative stamps for the Civil Rights movement featuring: 1948 Executive Order 9981 (Scott 3937a), 1965 Voting Rights Act (b), 1960 Lunch Counter Sit-ins (c), 1957 Little Rock Nine (d), 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott (e), 1961 Freedom Riders (f), 1964 Civil Rights Act (g), 1963 March on Washington (h), 1965 Selma March (i), 1954 Brown v. Board of Education (j); pane of 10; AP; Greensboro, NC 27420; Jackson, MS 39205; Little Rock, AR 72202; Memphis, TN 38101; Montgomery, AL 36119; Selma, AL 36703; Topeka, KS 66603; Washington, DC 20066 and nationwide; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 1, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Aug. 29, page 1. USPS item No. 567140 (pane).
September 7, Child Health. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, pane of 20; AV; Philadelphia, PA 19104 and nationwide; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Sept. 5, page 1; USPS item No. 458520 (block of four), 458540 (pane), 458561 (FDC at 75¢); Scott 3938.
September 16, Silver Coffeepot. Single 3¢ water-activated definitive coil stamp, American Design series, coil of 10,000; SSP; Milwaukee, WI 53203; Linn's, March 28, page 38; April 18, page 32; Sept. 12, page 1; USPS item No. 782930 (strip of 25); 782940 (coil of 10,000); 782962 (FDC at 78¢); Scott 3759.
September 17, Let's Dance Bailemos.. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps featuring: merengue (Scott 3939, UX448), salsa (3940, UX447), cha-cha-cha (3941, UX445), and mambo (3942, UX446); pane of 20 and four 23¢ picture postal cards; SSP; New York, NY 10199, Miami, FL 33152 and nationwide; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Sept. 12, page 1; USPS item No. 457740 (pane); 457766 (pack of 20 picture postal cards at $9.75).
September 23, Greta Garbo. Single 37¢ commemorative stamp, joint issue with Sweden; pane of 20, SSP; New York, NY 10199; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Jan. 3, page 1; USPS item No. 458440 (pane of 20 U.S. stamps), 823901 (book of four Sweden stamps, two different designs at $6), 458461 (FDC at 75¢), 458462 (joint issue FDC with U.S. and Sweden stamps and postmarks at $2.25), 458465 (FDC with digital color postmark at $1.50); Scott 3943.
September 28, Jim Henson and the Muppets. Eleven 37¢ commemorative stamps featuring: Kermit the Frog (Scott 3944a), Fozzie Bear (b), Sam the Eagle (c), Miss Piggy (d), Statler and Waldorf (e), The Swedish Chef (f), Animal (g), Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker (h), Rowlf the Dog (i), The Great Gonzo and Camilla the Chicken (j), Jim Henson (k); pane of 11; AV; North Hollywood, CA 91601; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Sept. 26, page 1; USPS item No. 458840 (pane).
October 3, Constellations. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps featuring Leo (Scott 3945), Orion (3946), Lyra (3947) and Pegasus (3948); pane of 20; AP; Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Oct. 3, 2005, page 1; USPS item No. 457540 (pane).
October 20, Christmas Cookies. Twelve 37¢ special stamps; pane of 20 (Santa Claus, Scott 3949; snowman, 3950; angel, 3951; elves, 3952); double-sided pane of 20 (Santa Claus, 3953; snowman, 3954; angel, 3955; elves, 3956); and vending booklet of 20 (Santa Claus, 3957; snowman, 3958; angel, 3959; elves, 3960); SSP; Minneapolis, MN 55401, and New York, NY 10199; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1, Oct. 17, 2005, page 1; USPS item No. 567520 (block of four); 567540 (pane); 674040 (double-sided pane), 674140 (vending booklet).
November 10, Distinguished Marines. Four 37¢ commemorative stamps for Lejeune (Scott 3961), Puller (3962), Basilone (3963), Daly (3964); pane of 20; AP; Washington, DC 20066, Camp Pendleton, CA 92055 and nationwide; Linn's, Aug. 30, 2004, page 1; Nov. 29, 2004, page 1; Nov. 7, page 1; USPS item No. 458920 (block of four), 458940 (pane), 458963 (set of four FDCs at $3 with Washington, D.C., postmark), 458969 (set of four FDCs at $3 with Camp Pendleton, Calif., postmark).
December 8, Liberty and Flag. Ten (39¢) nondenominated definitive stamps (single design); self-adhesive coil of 100 (printed by AP, AV, SSP), pane of 20 (AP), ATM pane of 18 (AV), double-sided pane of 20 (convertible booklet format) (printed by AP, AV, SSP), and vending booklet of 20 (SSP), water-activated pane of 100 (AP) and coil of 3,000 (SSP); Washington, DC 20066 and nationwide; Linn's, Nov. 14, page 1, Dec. 19, page 13; Dec. 26, page 1; USPS item No. 783040 (AP self-adhesive coil of 100), 783041 (AV self-adhesive coil of 100), 783042 (SSP self-adhesive coil of 100), 783061 (self-adhesive coil of 100 FDC at 77¢ with random version), 567740 (pane of 20), 567761 (pane of 20 FDC at 77¢), 567640 (ATM pane of 18), 567661 (ATM pane of 18 FDC at 77¢), 674440 (AP double-sided pane of 20), 674441 (AV double-sided pane of 20), 674461 (double-sided pane of 20 FDC at 77¢ with random version) and 674340 (vending booklet of 20), 108540 (water-activated pane of 100), (108561 (water-activated pane of 100 FDC at 77¢) and 783440 (water-activated coil of 3,000), 783461 (water-activated coil of 3,000 FDC at 77¢); Scott 3965 (water-activated pane of 100), 3966 (AP self-adhesive pane of 20 and self-adhesive double-sided pane of 20), 3967 (water-activated coil of 3,000), 3968 (AV self-adhesive coil of 100), 3969 (SSP self-adhesive coil of 100), 3970 (AP self-adhesive coil of 100), 3972 (AV self-adhesive double-sided pane of 20), 3974 (self-adhesive vending booklet of 20), 3975 (self-adhesive ATM pane of 18).
December 8, Navajo Necklace. Two 2¢ definitive stamps, same design as issued in 2004; pane of 20; printed by both SSP and AP; Washington, DC 20066 and nationwide; Linn's, Nov. 7, page 16; USPS item No. 180240 (SSP version), 180262 (FDC at 79¢), 180340 (AP version); Scott 3749A (Sennett version), 3749B (Ashton Potter version).
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*Asterisks precede entries with new or changed information. New/changed information is presented in bold italics.
Stamp printing contractors are identified in the listings using the following abbreviations: AP (Ashton Potter USA Ltd.), CCL (CCL Label Inc.) and SSP (Sennett Security Products). Printing contractors for some earlier issues include AV (Avery Dennison), BEP (Bureau of Engraving and Printing), BCA (Banknote Corp. of America), GL (Guilford Gravure), and SS (Sterling Sommer).
Details of each issue listed in this program are given in the cited issues of Linn’s. Stamps are self-adhesive unless otherwise noted.
Mount Nos. refer to the appropriate ScottMount item number.
HOW TO ORDER STAMPS OR COVERS
Mail orders for mint stamps, uncut press sheets, postal stationery, and the Postal Service's uncacheted first-day covers (FDCs) should be sent to Stamp Fulfillment Services, Box 419636, Kansas City, MO 64141-6636. Postal Service supplied first-day covers are available only in certain formats. They usually cost the face value of the stamps affixed plus 24¢ per cover. The prices of some items, including first-day-canceled stationery, may vary. Orders should use USPS item numbers.
Stamp Fulfillment Services accepts credit card orders by telephone (800-782-6724) or fax (816-545-1212). Orders may be placed from countries other than the United States by calling 816-545-1000. An additional $5.20 shipping fee is added to standard shipping and handling charges for orders to be mailed to a foreign address.
New issues should be ordered no more than two weeks in advance of the date of issue.
Mail, phone or fax orders have a flat service charge of $1.30 for orders up to $50 if they include only prepackaged items, such as the minimum purchase of a block of four sheet stamps or a pane of definitive stamps. A fee of $2.10 is added for custom orders.
A detailed sales catalog called USA Philatelic lists the prepackaged formats. It is free on request from Information Fulfillment, Dept. 6270, U.S. Postal Service, Box 419014, Kansas City, MO 64141-6014. USA Philatelic listings include formats and USPS item numbers other than those listed here.
HOW TO ORDER FIRST-DAY CANCELS
The grace period for collectors to send covers for first-day cancels ends 60 days after a stamp’s issue date, unless stated otherwise in the listing.
Within the grace period, buy the stamp (or stationery item) at your local post office or philatelic center, affix it to an addressed envelope (postage must make up at least the first-class rate) and send under cover to Customer-Affixed Envelopes, Postmaster, (Name of City, State and ZIP code-9991 or the ZIP+4 code given). No remittance is required.
Most collectors use stamped, addressed return carrier envelopes or peelable return address labels that can be removed after the U.S. Postal Service returns the cover.
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Plate numbers. Multistamp issues require as a minimum a plate block with every stamp design represented at least once. Plate block formats are listed by Amos Media Co. in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers.
Stamp Fulfillment Services requires the purchase of a minimum number of stamps to obtain plate number markings. For stamps with face values of 1¢ to 50¢ the minimum purchase is a full pane.
For stamps with face values of 51¢ to $1.20 the minimum purchase is either a full pane or block per the catalog listing. For stamps with face values of $1.21 and up the minimum purchase is a block of four stamps. Plate numbers on most coil stamps may be obtained with a minimum purchase of 25 stamps. Stamp Fulfillment Services does not guarantee specific plate numbers.
If you collect U.S. new issues, you should own Linn’s U.S. Stamp Yearbooks. The 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2010 yearbooks are sold individually. The 1989, 2007, 2008 and 2009 yearbooks are sold out. For additional information, or to order, visit www.amosadvantage.com, or telephone Amos Media Co. at 800-572-6885.
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