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Scan courtesy of Jill Ambrose
| Scott # 4769a, strip of 4, or Plate strip of 5 or Plate strip of 9 | Scott # 4766 - Autumn Scott # 4767 - Winter Scott # 4768 - Spring, Plate # V1111 Scott # 4769 - Summer |
| Series | USPS - NA ~ PNC3 - Flag - First Class Rate |
| Issue Date & City | May 3, 2013, Weston, MA 02493 (Spellman Museum of Stamp & Postal History) |
| Nationwide Sale | May 3, 2013 |
| Designer | Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA |
| Art Director | Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA |
| Typographer | Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA |
| Artist | Laura Stutzman, Mountain Lake Park, MD |
| Engraver | WRE |
| Modeler | Avery Dennison, Designed and Engineered Solutions |
| To Press / Initial Quantity | Winter 2012, 1 Billion stamps |
| Coil Size | 100 |
| Printer | Avery Dennison (AVR) |
| Press | Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK) |
| Process | Gravure, Microprinting (USPS) |
| Where Printed | AVR, Clinton, SC |
| Where Processed | AVR, Clinton, SC |
| Plate Size & Interval | 480 stamps per revolution / Plate # every 20 stamps |
| Paper Type | Prephosphored, USPS Type II |
| Adhesive Type | Pressure Sensitive |
| Tagging Type | Prephosphored |
| Die Cut Gauge | 10 x 10 Peak / Valley (PV) and 10 x 10 Valley / Peak (VP) Vertically |
| Colors | Yellow, Magenta, Cyan, Black |
| Image Size (w&nx&nh) | 0.73 x 0.84 in./18.54 x 21.34 mm |
| Overall Size (w x h) | 0.87 x 0.92 in./22.10 x 24.94 mm |
| Back Numbers | None |
| Earliest Known Use | May 3, 2013 |
| USPS Order Numbers | 789602 Full Coil of 100 - $46.00 789616 First Day Cover - $3.60 (Set of 4) (Probably a random set of 4) |
| Availability | |
| Official Announcement | On May 3, 2013, in Weston, Massachusetts at the Spellman Museum of Stamp and Postal History, the Postal Service™ will issue A Flag for All Seasons First-Class Mail® stamp (Forever® priced at 46 cents) in four designs in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) coil of 100 stamps (Item 789600). The stamps will go on sale nationwide May 3, 2013. In 2013, the U.S. Postal Service® proudly presents A Flag for All Seasons, featuring four different stamp designs. Each stamp shows an American flag, viewed from below, flying from a pole at full staff against a background of trees that evoke one of the four seasons of the year. Artist Laura Stutzman worked with art director and stamp designer Phil Jordan on this stamp art. To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit www.beyondtheperf.com. |
| Security | The microprinted “USPS” is in different places on each stamp. |
| Note | These stamps are normally collected as PS9 (plate strips of 9) with the plate numbered stamp in the middle and the same design without a plate number at each end. |
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| Distribution: Item 789600, A Flag for All Seasons First-Class Mail (Forever priced at 46 cents) PSA Coil of 100 Stamps |
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| Stamp distribution offices (SDOs) and stamp distribution centers (SDCs) will receive their normal automatic distribution quantity of A Flag for All Seasons stamps. Distributions are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 800 coils. |
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| Initial Supply to Post Offices |
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| SDOs/SDCs will not make any automatic distribution to Post Offices™. Post Offices requiring these items must requisition them from their designated SDO/SDC using PS Form 17, Stamp Requisition/Stamp Return. Post Offices may preorder these stamps 30 days prior to first-day-of-issue through the eBuy2 SEAM Catalog. Post Offices should not sell the stamp prior to first-day-of-issue. |
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| Sales Policy |
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| All Post Offices should maintain a sufficient inventory level of this item until the stamp is officially withdrawn from sale. If supplies run low, Post Offices must reorder additional quantities using their normal ordering procedures. |
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| How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark |
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| Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at www.usps.com/stamps, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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: |
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| A Flag for All Seasons Stamp Retail Specialist 25 Dorchester Avenue, Rm. 3011 Boston, MA 02205-9600 |
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| 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. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by July 3, 2013. |
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| How to Order First-Day Covers |
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| The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp and stationery issues. These items are postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at www.usps.com/stamps or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to: |
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| U.S. Postal Service Catalog Request PO Box 219014 Kansas City, MO 64121-9014 |
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| Philatelic Products |
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| There are two philatelic products available for this stamp issue: |
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| Items with an asterisk (*) will use the 128 barcode from Stamp Fulfillment Services. All other philatelic products will continue to use barcode series A, with the exception of the Yearbook and the Guide Book. |
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