NEWS BRIEFS

NORMAN ALAN COHEN DISTINGUISHED PHILATELIC TEXAN: (04/15/07) Norman Alan Cohen, active in the Texas Philatelic Association for over 40 years, and currently serving as a trustee of the TPA Foundation, was named the 2008 recepient of the Distinguished Philatelic Texas Award. The honor is given annually to a TPA member in consideration of at least two of the following: service to TPA, contributions to the science of philately, contributions to Texas postal history, service to organized philately, service for philatelic exhibitions, and recognition by other philatelic organizations. The award was presented at TEXPEX 2008 on April 12, the occasion for the 112th annual covention of the TPA.

Three other TPA awards were given during TEXPEX. Katherine Foster was recipient of the Forcheimer Philatelic Literature Award for her "Precancels Add Variety to Pursuit of Hobby" article that appeared in the January-February 2007 edition of the Texas Philatelist. The TPA President's Award, for best exhibit at TEXPEX by a TPA member, went to Arturo Martin de Nicolas for his Official Postcards of Spain. Dick Phelps, president of the Mid-Cities Stamp Club, accepted the Spalding Award, given for his organization recruiting the most new members into the TPA during the past year..

The TEXPEX Grand Award went to Jonathan Becker, M.D. for The Conquest and British Military Administration of Palestine and (Greater) Syria: 1914-1920. The Reserve Grand Award recipient was Jim Kotanchik for 100 Years of United States Official Seals.

U.S. POSTAGE RATES INCREASE MAY 12, 2008 (02/12/08) The first of what may turn into annual postage rate hikes will occur on May 12, 2008, when a penny hike in the cost of a first-class stamp and post card goes into affect, along with many other rate increases for both domestic and international mailing and services. There will be a few rate reductions applicable to select mailers and the price charged for Express Mail will be based on a "zone" system rather than a flat rate. Late last year, the mail agency decided to implement early a new authority granted it by Congress, one that allows it to adjust rates annually, based on the rate of inflation; permission form the Postal Rate Commission is no longer required. Until the rate hike goes into effect, customers can still purchase "Forever Stamps" for 41¢ and use them for future first class mailing without any additional postage, no matter how much the cost for that service increases. For more details on selected rates, click here.

THOMAS KOCH NAMED DISTINGUISHED PHILATELIC TEXAN: (04/15/07) Thomas Koch, a former president of the Texas Postal History Society, was named the 2007 recepient of the Distinguished Philatelic Texas Award, given annually to a TPA member in consideration of at least two of the following: service to TPA, contributions to the science of philately, contributions to Texas postal history, service to organized philately, service for philatelic exhibitions, and recognition by other philatelic organizations. The award was presented at TEXPEX 2007 in mid-April, the occasion for the 111th annual covention of the TPA.

Two other TPA awards were given during TEXPEX. Charles Deaton was recipient of the Forcheimer Philatelic Literature Award for his "Texas Cachet Artists of the 30s and 40s" article that appeared in the September-October 2006 edition of the Texas Philatelist. The TPA President's Award, for best exhibit at TEXPEX by a TPA member, went to Dale Lilljedahl for his Polish Prisoners of War 1944 Olympic Games.

The TEXPEX Grand Award was taken home by Nicholas Lombardi for The 1903 Two-Cent Washington Shield Issue. The Reserve Grand Award recipient was Victor L. Willson for Canada 19th Century Nonletter Mail.

U.S. POSTAGE RATES INCREASE MAY 14, 2007 (03/20/07) The U.S. Postal Service's Board of Governors approved on March 19 most of the rate change recommendations previously made by the Postal Rate Commission, including a two-cent hike in the cost of a first-class stamp and post card. Also given the go-ahead was a "Forever Stamp," which will continue to be worth the price of a first-class one-ounce letter even if that price changes. Most of the rate changes will be effective May 14. For more details on selected rates, click here.

INTERNATIONAL POSTAGE RATE HIKE BEING SOUGHT (01/01/07) In addition to the domestic rate hikes the U.S. Postal Service expects to implement in April, the mail agency is also seeking an increase in international airmail rates. The proposed increase, which is open to public comment per The Federal Register until January 19, would be from 64¢ to 69¢ for one-ounce letters to Canada and Mexico, and from 84¢ to 90¢ for the same to all other countries. Under the proposal, the new rates would be applicable to postcards, which for more than a century have been afforded a lower rate than letters, currently 55¢ for Canada and Mexico, and 75¢ to all other countries.

International rate change proposals currently do not require approval of the Postal Rate Commission, which should be announcing a decision soon on the proposed domestic rate hike.

USPS REDUCES STAMP HONOR WAIT TO FIVE YEARS: (11/15/06) The U.S. Postal Service has reduced from 10 to five years the amount of time after death that must pass before an individual can appear on a stamp.

Postmaster General John E. Potter annnounced the change at a November 15 meeting of the USPS Board of Govenors, saying in prepared remarks "For more than three decades we have had a rule requiring notable Americans be deceased 10 years before they could be recognized for commemoration on a postage stamp. We created this rule to make certain their legacy stood the test of time. The Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee has been discussing this issue for some time and now has recommended that we reduce that wait time to five years. In this era of instant communications, I think this is a reasonable suggestion and it will allow us to honor a subject's lifetime achievements while their memory is still relatively fresh in the public's eye. This new approach will take effect Jan. 1, 2007."

The change does not affect deceased U.S. presidents, who may be honored with a memorial stamp as soon as the first birth anniversary following their death.

INVERTED JENNY NOT LIKELY USED FOR POSTAGE (11/10/06, updated 11/14/06) The hobby of stamp collecting received some rare publicity in the media on November 10 when it was reported a rare Inverted Jenny had been used as postage. One of the stamps like that illustrated above was said to have been affixed to an absentee ballot mailed to election administrators in Broward County (Fort Lauderdale), Florida. A former stamp collector, County Commissioner and Canvassing Board member John Rodstrom, recognized the stamp, which was plastered along with a number of other old stamps on the envelope containing the ballot. The envelope gave no clue as to the sender, and the enclosed ballot was not completed, giving the impression the mailing was a stunt, a fact which seemed to be confirmed when American Philatelic Society director Peter Mastrangelo said on November 14 that his examination of a digital photo of the purported Inverted Jenney indicated the stamp was a known fake. A single copy of a real Inverted Jenny sold for $525,000 not so long ago.

ARLINGTON SELECTED FOR APS WINTER SHOW: (08/23/06, updated 11/01/06) The American Philatelic Society will hold Ameristamp Expo, its annual winter meeting and exhibition, February 20-22, 2009 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas. The national stamp society's board of directors voted to select the Texas city for its 2010 show during an August 23 session at Stampshow 2006, its annual summer meeting and exhibition. However, due to difficulties in finalizing a hotel contract for the 2009 winter show originally scheduled in Nashville, Tennessse, the event will instead come to Arlington that year.

USPS PROPOSES "FOREVER" STAMP IN RATE HIKE REQUEST: (05/04/06) In early May, the U.S. Postal Service announced it was proposing a "forever" stamp as part of a request for higher postal rates, which includes a three-cent boost in the first-class letter rate, to 42-cents. The special "forever" stamp would be good for any future single-piece first-class letter mailing, no matter how rates increase beyond spring 2007, the anticipated implementation date for this round of rate changes.

Other proposals include a three-cent hike in the post card rate, to 27-cents, but a four-cent drop in the additional ounce first-class rate to 20-cents. Express Mail would go from $14.40 to $16.25 for the cheapest service. The Postal Service blamed its need for more money on soaring fuel and health costs and noted the rate hike implmented on January 8 was solely due to a law that required it to put $3.1 billion in an escrow account. The mail agency expects to lose $2 billion this year.

PATRICK J RYAN NAMED DISTINGUISHED PHILATELIC TEXAN: (04/09/06> Patrick J. Ryan Sr. was named the 2006 recepient of the Distinguished Philatelic Texas Award, given annually to a TPA member in consideration of at least two of the following: service to TPA, contributions to the science of philately, contributions to Texas postal history, service to organized philately, service for philatelic exhibitions, and recognition by other philatelic organizations.

Two other TPA awards were given during TEXPEX. Lyle Boardman was recipient of the Forcheimer Philatelic Literature Award for his "A Stamp Extravaganza" article that appeared in the January-February 2005 edition of the Texas Philatelist. The TPA President's Award, for best exhibit at TEXPEX by a TPA member, went to Dwayne Littauer for his Pre-UPU Rates Between the U.S. and the German States, which was also the Grand Award winner in the Multi-Frame Division.

TWO "2005" DATES APPEARING ON CURRENT DEFINITIVES: (07/22/05) Two ongoing U.S. definitives with "2005" dates in the lower left corner could show up your mail box soon.

Sometime during June yet another reprint of the ubiquitous 37¢ Flag self-adhesive appeared, this time in a 100-stamp coil offset-printed by Ashton-Potter. It had a rather small run of 10 million copies, which could mean most copies are destined for retail sale in a grocery store chain.

Due to appear August 5 are 3,000-stamp coils of the 10-design, 25¢ non-denominated American Eagle self-adhesive. Sennett Security Products is the printer; it manufactured the original 10,000-stamp coil that was issued in 2003.

ROARING 20'S DOLLAR STAMPS RETURNING IN 2006: (06/02/05) A trio of dollar value stamps that originally debuted during the "Roaring 20's" are being revived for a souvenir sheet to be issued during next year's Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition.

The stamps are the $1 Lincoln Memorial, the $2 U.S. Capitol and the $5 Statue of Freedom that stands atop the Capitol's dome. They will be produced from the original dies created by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and issued in their original denominations. A circa 1900 gravure print of the Capitol is used for the selvage of the sheet.

The Washington 2006 World Philatelic Exhibition will be held May 27 through June 3 at the new Washington, DC Convention Center. For further details, visit the show's official website.

POSTAL SERVICE REQUESTS 39¢ STAMP: (04/08/05) On April 8, 2005, the U.S. Postal Service filed a rate case with the Postal Rate Commission seeking an overall 5.4% rate hike that includes two-cents more for first-class letters and a penny more for additional ounces on letters. Post cards would also cost a penny more while most other rates would rise moderately. The only tremendous increase sought appears to be an approximate 70% jump in fees for registered mail, which collectors sometimes use to send exhibits to stamp shows. No change is requested for the individual piece surcharge on postal cards and stamped stationery.

The mail agency said in a new release its decison to seek a rate increase "is due to the Postal Service’s legal obligation to fund the $3.1 billion escrow requirement imposed by Public Law (PL) 108-18. Should legislation be enacted that eliminates the escrow funding requirement, this rate case will be withdrawn."

"If favorably recommended by the Postal Rate Commission, new rates would be implemented no earlier than January 2006," the USPS added. For a summary, click here.

3¢ COFFEE POT STAMP DUE OUT SEPT. 16: (03/22/05) A three-cent stamp featuring a Silver Coffee Pot will be released September 16 at the Milcopex stamp show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to the most recent new issue calendar from the U.S. Postal Service. The stamp design, probably in the American Design series, will be initially configured in gummed coils of 10,000 and may eventually replace the 3¢ Star stamp that appeared during the 2002 rate change.

Also on the calendar is 3,000 stamp self-adhesive coil of the current 10-design American Eagle first-class presort rate definitive, scheduled for an August 6 first day during the APS stamp show in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The stamp has previously been formated in gummed coils of 3,000 and self-adhesive coils of 10,000.

The Distinguished Marines issue has been moved from a late spring release to November 10. Visit our Resources section to access these and other changes to the 2005 U.S. stamp program, and well data on earlier U.S. stamp issues.

DALLAS LOSES SCIENTISTS FIRST DAY: (02/15/05) Dallas won't be the first day city for the American Scientists issue due out May 4. Although a tentative USPS new issue calendar had that information, the issue will now be released at Yale University because organizers of a scientists' convention to be held in Dallas reportedly failed to respond to U.S. Postal Service overtures for hosting the first day ceremony. Apparently, another year will pass without any first day releases, other than nationwide ones, in Texas.

ADRIAN GARZA WINS 2004 TPA YOUTH COVER CONTEST: (01/31/05) Adrian Garza of Houston, Texas captured first place in the 2004 TPA Youth Cover Contest. The 11-year old's drawing of "Santa's House at the North Pole" appeared on the cover of the November-December 2004 issue of The Texas Philatelist, the sponsor of the contest. Adrian collects United States stamps, like dad and brother.

There were 99 entries in the 2004 contest, which encompassed Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan or any other holiday that the youngster's family recognized. Members of the San Antonio Philatelic Association determined the contest winners. The entries were divided into four age divisions, with the winners as follows:

Details on the 2005 TPA Youth Holiday Cover Contest, the 17th annual edition, will appear on this web site and in the philatelic media in August.

2005 U.S. COMMEMORATIVE STAMP SUBJECTS ANNOUNCED: (08/12/04) 50's Sporty Cars, Civil Rights, Classic Planes, Modern Architecture and Jim Hensen's The Muppets are some of the blockbuster issues that populate the 2005 commemorative U.S. stamp program announced on August 12 during the APS Stampshow in Sacramento, California. The tally is 106 face-different stamps, and that's not counting any postcards or stationery that often accompany selected stamp issues.

The America on the Move: Sporty Cars from the 1950s issue, featuring the 1952 Nash Healy, 1953 Studebaker Starliner, the 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, the 1954 Kaiser Darrin, and the 1955 Ford Thunderbird, is apparently targeted to baby boomers, especially auto buffs.

A 10-stamp Civil Rights movement tribute, "To A More Perfect Union," notes these events: 1948 Executive Order 9981 (military integration), 1960 Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, 1964 Civil Rights Act, 1963 March on Washington, 1965 Selma March, 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education, 1961 Freedom Riders, 1957 Little Rock Nine, and 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Another 10-design release, American Advances in Aviation, is reminiscent of a 1997 issue and features more old planes, the subjects this time around being: Model 247, F6F Hellcat, 415 Ercoupe, B-24 Liberator, 35 Bonanza, PBY Catalina, P-47 Thunderbolt, P-80 Shooting Star, B-29 Superfortress and YB-49 Flying Wing. Two more planes are shown in the selvage. This stamps will be in panes of 20, with two of each design.

The Jim Hensen and the Muppets 10-stamp pane will be formated like last year's American Filmmaking; Hensen will appear in the selvage and his creations on the stamps: Kermit the Frog, Sam the Eagle, Statler and Waldorf, Animal, Rowlf the Dog, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, The Swedish Chef, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant Baker, and Camilla the Chicken and Gonzo.

Buildings appearing on the Modern American Architecture issue will be: Guggenheim Museum (New York), Walt Disney Concert Hall, Yale Art & Architecture Building, Chrysler Building, 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, High Museum of Art, Vanna Venturi House, and Hancock Center. That's 12 structures, so this will be a 12-design se-tenant pane.

In addition to President Ronald Reagan, other well-known public figures and celebrities to be protrayed are tennis great Arthur Ashe, actor Henry Fonda and actress Greta Garbo. The Garbo issue will be a joint issue with Sweden, the first since 2001.

Also recognized during the year will be southern poet Robert Penn Warren, who is actually best known for his novel All the King's Men, contralto Marian Anderson, the newest honoree in the Black Heritage series, and lyricist Yip Harburg, who penned "Over the Rainbow," but also wrote the Great Depression anthem "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime" and musicals like "Kismet" and "Finian's Rainbow."

An American Scientists issue similar in format to this year's Choreographers will portray cytogeneticist Barbara McClintock, mathematician and physicist John von Neumann, physicist Richard Feynman and mathematical physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs. A follow-up to the 2000 Distinguished Soldiers quartet is Distinguished Marines, featuring John Basilone, Daniel J. Daly, John A. Lejeune and Lewis B. Puller.

The Lunar New Year series will be wrapped up with the previously announced 12-design souvenir sheet of 24 stamps. The second Art of Disney issue has the theme "Celebrations" and will feature Mickey and Pluto, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Ariel and Flounder, and Snow White and Dopey. The subject of the Nature of America 10-stamp sheet will be a Northeast Deciduous Forest.

Four-stamp designs remain a part of the 2005 program. Expected for National Stamp Collecting month is Constellations, with twinkling Leo, Lyra, Orion and Pegasus. A bit of deja-vu is in store for collectors with Spring Flowers; is it the 1993 Garden Flowers sans Lilacs? "Let's Dance" features the Merengue, Cha-cha-cha, Mambo, and Salsa with selvage text "Let's Dance" in English and Spanish. Other quartets are New Mexico Rio Grande Blankets in the American Treasures series, and for Christmas, Holiday Cookies.

Rounding out the 2005 program will be another Love stamp, a Children's Health awareness adhesive and a single for the 50th anniversary of the Presidential Library System. The U.S. Postal Service will make available artwork in coming days and weeks. See our Resources section to access calendars of the 2005 and earlier U.S. stamp programs.

ANOTHER 37¢ FLAG BOOKLET APPEARS: (08/08/04) A new version of the double-sided 37¢ Flag booklet, this one printed by Avery Dennison, has appeared. The stamps within have the year date "2004" and are die cut approximately 11½ by 11. The booklet replaces one manufactured by Sennett Security Products that has stamps dated "2002" and die cut about 10.4 by 10.8.

"PHOTO STAMPS" AVAILABLE: (08/12/04) Stamps.com is now offering what it calls personalized "photo stamps." These are a varient of the security coded postage it has been selling for several years, but they aren't printed out on a personal computer. Instead, you upload an digital image to Stamps.com and manipulate the image until you like it; then you select a border and a denomination. Orders are returned by mail in self-adhesive panes of 20. Such vanity is expensive; a pane of 37-centers costs $16.99, which works out to about 85¢ each, plus $2.99 postage and handling for each order.

MID-CITIES NEWSLETTER WINS VERMEIL AWARD: (07/08/04) Stamping Around, the newsletter of the Mid-Cities Stamp Club of Arlington and Irving, Texas, received a vermeil award in the American Philatelic Society Chapter Activities Committee's 2003 Newsletter Competition. The publication, edited by Peter C. Elias, was entered in Class IIIB, multi-page newsletters for clubs with more than 100 members. There were 24 other entries, with the Mid-Cities publication being the only one from Texas.

DALLAS MORNING NEWS KILLS PHILATELIC COLUMN: (07/08/04) The long-running "Stamping Ground" philatelic column in the Dallas Morning News was jettisoned from the paper's "Texas Living" section in late June. The column's writer, Fred Greene, said "The News really did not give me a specific reason other than to say they were discontinuing the column. I think it's obvious they are cutting costs, saving space and revamping the "look" of the paper."

Mr. Greene penned the column for almost a quarter century; he began writing in September 1979, just after the passing of Sid Pietszch, who authored the column using the pseudonym "H. Roland." A stamp column had been a regular feature of the News since at least the 1960's, if not earlier. The column was apparently the last of its kind in Texas; a similar offering in a Houston paper was axed several years ago.

STAMP COLLECTOR EXPIRES AFTER AMOS PRESS PURCHASE: (06/21/04, updated 07/07/04) Stamp Collector, the biweekly competitor to Linn's Stamp News is no more. Amos Press, the publisher of the weekly Linn's, has purchased the entire stamp publishing business of F&W Publications, which has printed Stamp Collector and the Minkus line of albums and album supplements since July 2002. Subscribers to Stamp Collector will be offered Scott Stamp Monthly, which beginning in October will again be published as a slick magazine rather than in newspaper tabloid format.

Amos will continue to produce Minkus albums and supplements for the time being, but will neither publish the Minkus catalogue nor maintain the Minkus numbering system.

The demise of Stamp Collector leaves the weekly Mekeel's & Stamps as the only other American philatelic publication that appears more often than monthly. Publisher John Dunn has indicated it will likely become a monthly or biweekly by 2006 due to rising postage costs.

RONALD REAGAN STAMP ANNOUNCED: (06/16/04) Following tradition, a memorial stamp will be issued next year for former President Ronald W. Reagan, who died June 5. Although most prominent Americans aren't allowed a stamp until at least 10 years after their death, U.S. presidents can be honored on their first birth anniversary after their passing, which will be February 11 for Ronald Reagan, who was born in 1911. The Postal Service is working with the Reagan family on the necessary arrangements for the stamp.

Imperforate Federal Duck Stamp Error Discovered: (06/08/04, updated 06/15/04) An imperforate error has been discovered on the quality-challenged gummed version of the 2003-04 federal duck stamp issue; the mistake is the first to be reported since the inaugural duck stamp issue of 1934.

Houston stamp dealer Bob Dumaine says he has purchased from an anonymous source 24 examples of the error—one complete pane of 20 and a plate block of four—which indicates at least two panes exist. All have been certified as genuine by Professional Stamp Experts.

The 2003-04 duck stamp was the first to be printed by commercial printer Ashton-Potter; Banknote Corporation of America (BCA) printed the 2002-03 version and all the ones prior to that were produced by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Apparently due to the poor quality of Ashton-Potter's product, BCA was given the contract for the 2004-05 edition debuting July 1.

Many experts consider the only other existing imperforate federal duck stamp errors, from the original 1934 issue, to have originated from printer’s waste rather than from sales to the public.

Apfelabaum Gets Probation for Bid-Rigging: (04/20/04) John D. Apfelbaum, a well-known Pennsylvania stamp auctioneer and dealer, was sentenced to three years’ probation on March 31 for participating in an auction bid-rigging scheme that lasted for 18 years beginning in 1979.

Two weeks later, New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced a $680,000 restitution fund had been set up for victims of the “Ring,” as the conspiracy of the group of stamp dealers who participated in the scheme are known.

To carry out the scam, the conspiracy's members conducted a secret auction before the public bidding, and agreed that only the winner of the secret auction would bid on the stamps at the public auction. The other ring members then agreed to withhold bids, and were compensated by the winning conspirator after the auction through an elaborate system of pay-offs. These pay-offs typically totaled thousands of dollars per auction.

The restitution funds results from a lawsuit filed in June of 2001 by Spitzer and the Attorneys General of Maryland and California in federal court in New York City. The lawsuit alleged that Anthony Feldman, John Apfelbaum, Earl P.L. Apfelbaum, Inc., Davitt Felder, Davitt Felder, Inc., Stephen Osborne, Dana Okey, Etienne de Cherisey, Kees Quirijns, and Lewis Berg participated in the conspiracy.

For his part, Apfelbaum was personally fined $20,000. His company was fined $130,000 and will also pay $200,000 into the restitution fund.

Individuals who feel they were a victim of the “ring” and seek restitution should check out: www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2004/apr/apr21a_attach.pdf.

USPS to Charge Premium for New Prestige Booklet: (04/09/04) The U.S. Postal Service will charge a $1.55 premium on the Lewis & Clark Bicentennial prestige booklets it's releasing on May 14. According to the pricing in the summer edition of USA Philatelic, the booklets will sell for $8.95, even though the value of the postage within is only $7.40. The previous two U.S. prestige booklets, Submarines and Old Gory, sold for postage value. Great Britain, the pioneer of the concept, has never charged a premium over the face value of the stamps.

Another item in USA Philatelic has an even greater markup; a pad of 12 Disney stamped letter sheets is priced at $14.95-the postage is worth only $4.44!

JAY STOTTS WINS GRAND AT TEXPEX '04 STAMP SHOW: (04/04/04) William K. McDaneil won the TEXPEX '04 Grand Award for his exhibit U.S. Three-Cent 1851-57 Issues: Production and Usage. The opus will advance to World Series of Philately competition at the APS StampShow 2004 to be held August 12-15 in Sacramento, California

The Reserve Grand Award winner at the 108th annual exhibition and convention of the Texas Philatelic Association was Santiago Cruz for The Valiente SCADTA Issue. James Fabbre's National Jamboree of the Boy Scout of America of Covers was winner of the Texas Stamp Dealer Association's "Most Popular Exhibit" award. Also at the show, Denise Stotts of Houston, received the "Distinguished Philatelic Texan" medal from the Texas Philatelic Association for her contributions to philately, as detailed in a news release from the TPA. For more information on all the 2004 exhibit award winners, visit the official TEXPEX website.

Initially, the 9½" by 12½" envelopes will be exclusively available via the Postal Store web site at http://www.ups.com/shop or by calling 1-800-STAMPS-24. If the tear strip is used to open the package, the stamp design is ripped through, just like when stamps are placed in the space provided on the current non-stamped Priority Mail envelopes.

2¢ NAVAHO NECKLACE DEFINITIVE SLATED (12/26/03) A new two-cent stamp depicting a Navaho Necklace, apparently a part of the American Design series, will be issued August 20, 2004 in Indianapolis, Indiana, during the annual convention of the American First Day Cover Society. The stamp will come in panes of 20.

LUNAR NEW YEAR SOUVENIR SHEET COMING IN '05 (12/15/03, UPDATED 12/29/03) On December 29, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the first of its 2005 issues, a souvenir sheet containing stamps utilizing all 12 designs used in the Lunar New Year series. The stamps in the sheet, however, will be denominated at 37¢ or the current first-class rate. The series began when the first-class postage was 29¢.

ATHENS, TEXAS TO SHARE OLYMPICS FIRST DAY: (11/28/03) Athens, Texas joins namesake cities in Georgia and Ohio as first day sites for the U.S. Summer Olympics issue, due out in June. The issue's design, expected to be a single stamp, has not yet been officially unveiled. The 2004 Olympiad will be held in Athens, Greece.

SNOWY EGRET BOOKLET VERSION DUE: (11/24/03) As expected, the 37¢ Snowy Egret stamp will come in a booklet version. The booklet will be issued January 30 of next year during the winter APS show in Norfolk, Virginia; the coil version was released October 24.

GUMMED 37¢ FLAG DEBUTS NOV. 24: (11/14/03) A gummed version of the ubiquitous denominated 37¢ Flag stamp, in panes of 100, debuts November 24 nationwide, with Washington, D.C. being the official first day city. It replaces last year's non-denominated 37¢ Flag, also issued in panes of 100.

APS SELLS STATE COLLEGE BUILDING: (09/10/03) The American Philatelic Society has sold its headquarters building in State College, Pennsylvania. The buyer, Oakwood Centre, LP., will lease the building back to the APS until enough work is done on the new headquarters, a match factory being renovated in nearby Bellafonte. The society's director of administration, Frank Sente, expects the move to occur by May 2004. A contract was signed on Sept 10 for the contractor to begin work on Phase II of the Match Factory renovation.

2004 U.S. STAMP PROGRAM INCLUDES DISNEY: (08/07/03; updated 08/09/03, 08/19/03, 09/26/03, 11/04/03 and 12/30/03.) In announcing its 2004 stamp program, the U.S. Postal Service has confirmed there will be a Art of Disney quartet depicting familiar cartoon characters: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy; Bambi and Thumper; Simba and his father, Mufasa; and Jiminy Cricket and Pinocchio. The program features 30 stamp and stationery issues with 78 designs.

Other high impact se-tenant issues scheduled are a 15-design Cloudscapes featuring various cloud formations, a 10-design Art of the American Indian depicting crafts, and a 5-design set with the sculptures of Isamu Noguchi. Another 10-stamp Nature of America series entry is scheduled, with the subject being Pacific Coral Reefs. Featured in a foursome of American Choreographers are Alvin Ailey, Martha Graham, Agnes de Mille and George Balanchine.

The third U.S. prestige booklet will honor explorers Lewis and Clark. There will be two designs, with Lewis on one and Clark on the other. A third design, featuring both explorers, will be issued separately in panes of 20.

Spencer Tracy gets the nod in the Legends of Hollywood series. Other issues in continuing series include Year of the Monkey (Lunar New Year), actor and singer Paul Robeson (Black Heritage), and black novelist James Baldwin , and the painting Giant Magnolias on Blue Velvet Cloth by 19th century Romantic painter Martin Johnson Heade (American Treasures).

Other individuals receiving recognition on single stamps are children's writer Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel, television and movie composer Henry Mancini, geodesic dome architect R. Buckminster Fuller, and dramatist/stage director Moss Hart.

Miscellaneous single commemoratives will appear for U.S. Air Force Academy 50th Anniversary, the dedication of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC., the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, the USS Constellation and Sickle Cell Anemia Awareness.

There will be 10 special stamps issued; the most unusual being two stamps featuring flowers, in 37¢ and 60¢ denominations, for use on wedding invitations. The theme of the four-design contemporary Christmas issue is Ornaments while Lorenzo Monaco's Madonna and Child a ppears on the traditional stamp. Two candy hearts will appear on a new Love stamp, to be issued only in a 37¢ denomination, while there will be new designs for Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps.

One definitive issue is slated, a 23¢ adhesive in the Distinguished Americans series honoring Olympic athlete Wilma Rudolph.

Two post cards are on the way, one honoring Columbia University on its 250th anniversary and the other depicting Harriton House, home of Continental Congress secretary Charles Thomas.

For the 2004 program schedule in date order, go to our resources page.

OHIO UNIVERSITY POSTAL CARD DUE IN OCTOBER: (08/07/03) A postal card will be issued on October 11 in Athens, Ohio for the bicentennial of Ohio University. The institution's 200th anniversary occurs in 2004, but celebrations will begin in this fall, so university officials requested issuance this year instead of next.

HENRY MANCINI STAMP UNVEILED: (08/06/03; updated 08/19/03) One of the most successfull composers in the history of cinema and television, Henry Mancini, will be honored on a U.S. stamp next year. The stamp's design was unveiled August 16 in conjunction with the Henry Mancini Institute's 2003 Mancini Musicale at UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. The winner of 20 Grammys and four Oscars is known for such catchy tunes as Peter Gunn, Moon River and The Pink Panther.

MICKEY MOUSE MAY HEAD '04 U.S. STAMP PROGRAM: (08/04/03; updated 08/06/03) According to an article in the July 24 Hollywood Reporter on the Walt Disney Company's promotion of Mickey Mouse's 75th birthday in 2004: "the U.S. Postal Service will recognize Mickey and his friends with a three-year stamp campaign." The entire article can be read at HollywoodReporter.com. So far, the only confirmed issue for next year is one honoring composor Henry Mancini, the design to be unveiled August 16. The Postal Service will announce it's 2004 stamp program during Stampshow '03, being held August 7-10 in Columbus Ohio.

DC DIAMOND DUE IN SEPT.: (07/31/03) A diamond-shaped 37¢ commemorative recognizing the District of Columbia, will debut in September on a date yet to be announced. Among those present at a July 31 unveiling ceremony was congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, who lobbied for the stamp after the 69-square mile government center was omitted from recent Greetings From America series of 50 stamps. When created at the end of the 18th century, the District of Columbia was originally a 100 square mile diamond consisting of land ceded by Maryland and Virginia. In the mid-1800s, about a third of the district was restored to Virginia, and the diamond shape was no more.