The moon, the planets and Pluto will appear on United States postage stamps in 2016, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has revealed.
The USPS unveiled the designs for three separate stamp sets highlighting Earth's natural satellite, the eight planets in our solar system and the distant dwarf planet that was the focus of a historic spacecraft flyby in July 2015.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 12-31-2015 12:58 AM
Here are the images that appear to have been used for "Views of Our Planets" (the USPS has yet to release the details):
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-15-2016 02:37 PM
The first of the new 2016 U.S. space-topic stamps, the Moon Global Forever stamp, will be released on Feb. 22, reports Linn's Stamp News.
Although the news was revealed just 10 days before the announced issue date, there has been no official confirmation about whether or not there will be a first-day ceremony.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-17-2016 07:49 AM
The USPS has confirmed there will be no first day ceremony. The Moon Global Forever stamp is now available for pre-order.
eurospace Member
Posts: 2610 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Dec 2000
posted 02-18-2016 01:52 PM
Will there be a First Day cancellation somewhere, though?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
You can now use the moon to send mail around the Earth.
The U.S. Postal Service on Monday (Feb. 22) began sales of "The Moon," a new postage stamp that can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country to which First-Class Mail International service is available.
"'The Moon' features a detailed photo of the full moon," the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) wrote in a press release. "The image captures the brilliant surface of Earth's only natural satellite."
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-22-2016 01:05 AM
quote:Originally posted by eurospace: Will there be a First Day cancellation somewhere, though?
From the U.S. Postal Service:
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark
Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
The Moon Stamp Special Events PO Box 92282 Washington, DC 20090-2282
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 April 22, 2016.
There are also four philatelic products for this stamp issue:
Press Sheet with Die-cut, $120.00 (print quantity 1,000)
Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $14.95
First-Day Cover, $1.64
Digital Color Postmark, $2.35
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-22-2016 12:15 PM
Here are images of the two "The Moon" first day covers being sold by the USPS, the digital color postmark and machine cancel:
Wehaveliftoff Member
Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 02-22-2016 11:11 PM
$1.20 moon stamp and a 49 cent Forever Stamp still 2 cents short of many envelopes of sending envelopes, i.e. CD cover, new postal rate, frequently used, of $1.71. Arggghhh...
Hart Sastrowardoyo Member
Posts: 3445 From: Toms River, NJ Registered: Aug 2000
posted 02-23-2016 12:51 AM
Could always use the 3-cent star stamp...
Glint Member
Posts: 1040 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
posted 02-23-2016 12:22 PM
Why does the word forever appear to be crossed out in USA forever in the earlier images?
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-23-2016 12:26 PM
Those are press release images, distributed in high resolution, and so the strikeouts are to prevent counterfeit stamps from being produced from the art.
Glint Member
Posts: 1040 From: New Windsor, Maryland USA Registered: Jan 2004
posted 02-23-2016 01:43 PM
Thanks for the quick answer. I suspected it could be something like that. Still, the strikeout marks seem to be oddly placed. For instance, they could have struck out the word Global, or the year 2016. It just looks weird.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 02-23-2016 01:45 PM
The USPS generally strikes out the monetary value of the stamp. In this case, "Forever" is the value.
Brian Dumas Member
Posts: 17 From: Federal Way, WA, USA Registered: Nov 2014
posted 04-28-2016 07:18 PM
Today's Postal Bulletin announces some new releases.
posted 04-29-2016 03:05 PM
Finally, a half year later of waiting....
Wehaveliftoff Member
Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-27-2016 01:23 PM
Erich Karkoschka, University of Arizona Lunar Planetary Lab senior staff scientist, took both the Jupiter and Neptune pictures on the stamps coming this Tuesday. He had Hubble time on March 28, 2004 and in 2003. Congratulations Erich.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
You can now embark on a tour of our solar system — from the innermost planet Mercury to the dwarf planet Pluto – just by visiting your local United States Post Office.
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is issuing Tuesday (May 31) two sets of postage stamps depicting the eight planets that circle the Sun and the icy world that orbits out beyond them.
"The 'Views of Our Planets' and 'Pluto—Explored!' stamps begin their own journeys today — on letters and packages to millions of homes and businesses throughout America," David Williams, the Postal Service's chief operating officer and executive vice president, stated in a release. "We trust they'll find a home in your own collections, too."
Wehaveliftoff Member
Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-31-2016 01:41 PM
I went to two different post offices (one had no person at front counter for awhile), called the other, not available til tomorrow I was told. They said they had them in office but not available until tomorrow.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 05-31-2016 03:02 PM
The USPS has a number of collectibles items related to these issues available now through their website:
Less than a year after NASA's nine-year, three-billion plus mile New Horizons mission explored Pluto, the U.S. Postal Service dedicated Forever stamps to commemorate the achievement, while releasing a second set of stamps depicting NASA's images of the planets.
The first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the "Pluto—Explored!" and "Views of Our Planets" stamps took place before an audience of 500 at the world's largest stamp show, which only occurs in the United States once a decade.
Wehaveliftoff Member
Posts: 2343 From: Registered: Aug 2001
posted 05-31-2016 08:17 PM
Thanks Robert, for your thorough coverage of this event.
Hopefully it was the ceremony program what many NASA employees were signing in gold Sharpie. Shame they didn't have Erich Karkoschka there who took two of the planet photos. I would have liked to have bought a t-shirt of the stamp pane.
Sorry, still think they could have just done one pane of 18 stamps, two of each planet and Pluto all together, instead of a separate Pluto and New Horizons pane. Old fashioned and proud of it!
onesmallstep Member
Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 06-01-2016 11:00 AM
I think these are very well designed stamps and no, I disagree about putting all in one pane (it would have to be twenty stamps, not eighteen, on a pane to make it complete).
Even though many to this day disagree about re-designating Pluto a dwarf planet, I think the controversy and then the Pluto encounter itself by New Horizons did more to publicize NASA's unmanned planetary exploration program than anything else.
And if you remember, when they issued those ten solar system stamps back in 1991, Pluto had 'Not Yet Explored' next to its photo. Now, with this stamp issue, you can display the one from 1991 next to the 'update' from 2016!
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 06-04-2016 04:46 PM
It's a good thing Pluto is a dwarf planet otherwise the mailman might not have been able to fit the whole solar system in my mailbox...
onesmallstep Member
Posts: 1310 From: Staten Island, New York USA Registered: Nov 2007
posted 06-06-2016 10:00 AM
I see we have another space philatelist in our midst.
I attended the recent 2016 World Stamp Show at the Javits Center in NYC, and it was a very good show (the next 'world' show is in 2026 in Boston; I missed the one in Washington in 2006).
They had a lot of astrophilately exhibits, both on show and competition. One of the best was by Chris Calle, who showed several frames of sketches by his late father Paul for the proposed Moon Landing airmail issue of 1969, and a nice set of covers with original artwork of all twelve moonwalkers linked to the 1994 Apollo 11 anniversary issue designed by both Calles.
Not to be outdone, I brought along the 1991 solar system stamps (the ones that had "Not Yet Explored" under Pluto), and paired those with the new 2016 issues on large envelopes and had them cancelled for the first day of issue, which was at the show several days prior.
I also added a Canadian Star Trek stamp (with Engineer Montgomery Scott on the front) and postmark to my Philatelic Passport at the show. A very memorable event.
Robert Pearlman Editor
Posts: 42985 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
posted 04-29-2017 11:32 AM
Linn's Stamp News' 2016 United States Stamp Popularity Poll chose the "Views of Our Planets" stamps as the best designed commemorative and youth overall favorite.
The stamps also placed third as the overall best stamp issue of 2016 (behind the "Classics Forever" and "National Parks" sets).
Readers of all ages mailed in a total of 1,462 ballots and more than 1,500 votes were entered online in the stamp poll. Linn's has been conducting the annual poll since 1948.
posted 12-30-2015 11:46 AM
advertisement