Five low-denomination Flowers stamps to bloom July 18 in Berkeley, Calif.

By Charles Snee

On July 18, the United States Postal Service will inaugurate a new series of low-denomination definitive (regular-issue) stamps picturing flowers.

The five new 1¢, 2¢, 3¢, 5¢ and 10¢ Flowers stamps, which are being issued in self-adhesive panes of 20 and large coil rolls of 10,000, feature photographer Harold Davis’ pictures of a fringed tulip, daffodils, peonies, red tulips, and poppies and coneflowers, respectively.

As a service to collectors, the Flowers coil stamps will also be available in strips of 500 from the Stamp Fulfillment Services mail-order center in Kansas City, Mo. Additional ordering details are in the box on page 9.

In a clever design twist, the number of flowers illustrated matches the denomination of each stamp.

The stamps are being issued in Berkeley, Calif., without an official USPS first-day ceremony.

“We understand the local postmaster may have something with the artist, but we don’t have any details on that yet,” USPS spokesman Jonathan Castillo told Linn’s June 26.

As shown here, the Postal Service’s preliminary designs picture the stamps with serpentine die cuts all around, which is characteristic of stamps from a pane of 20. The coil stamps will have serpentine die cuts at left and right and straight edges at top and bottom.

The coil rolls will have small spaces between each stamp, and the backing paper will be slightly taller than the stamps. These characteristics facilitate the application of the stamps to large numbers of mailings using automated processing equipment.

Many of the new Flowers coil stamps likely will be affixed to reply envelopes included with donation solicitations from nonprofit organizations and other similar groups.

Over time, the Flowers stamps will replace the Fruit definitive series, which began in 2016 with 1¢, 5¢ and 10¢ coil stamps (Scott 5037-5039) picturing Albemarle Pippin apples, pinot noir grapes and red pears, respectively.

In 2017, the 5¢ Pinot Noir Grapes and 10¢ Red Pears were issued in panes of 20 (Scott 5177-5178). A 3¢ Strawberries coil (5201) joined the Fruit series that same year.

The most recent Fruit series issue is the 2018 2¢ coil stamp (Scott 5256) featuring Meyer lemons.

Castillo told Linn’s June 27 that inventories of all the Fruit stamps are running out.

Postal Service art director Ethel Kessler designed the five Flowers stamps. She told Linn’s Stamp News that she was first made aware of the need for new low-denomination stamps in 2021.

“I was informed that the Low Denomination stamps would be intended for use next to Forever stamps of any design,” Kessler said.

Kessler was asked about ...

To continue reading this story, subscribe to Linn’s Stamp News.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter
    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter