Image courtesy of Jill Ambrose

 

<49¢> Ferns (5 Designs)
(CCL Label, Inc.)
Self Adhesive Coil of 10,000

Scott # 4878a	Plate # C1111
Scott # 4874 Scott # 4875 Scott # 4876 Scott # 4877 Scott # 4878 Scott # 4878a	<49¢> Fortune’s Holly Fern coil stamp <49¢> Soft Shield Fern coil stamp <49¢> Autumn Fern coil stamp (The plate number is on this stamp) <49¢> Goldie’s Wood Fern coil stamp <49¢> Painted Fern coil stamp Strip of 5, #4874-4878
Series	USPS - NA ~ PNC3 - Flora and Fauna
Issue Date & City	March 6, 2014, Kansas City, MO 64108 (No First Day of Issue Ceremony)
Nationwide Sale	March 6, 2014
Designer	Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Typographer	Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Art Director	Phil Jordan, Falls Church, VA
Modeler	CCL Label, Inc.
Engraver	WRE
Existing Photos	Cindy Dyer
To Press / Initial Quantity	Winter 2013 - 10,000 - 50 Million
Coil Size	10,000
Printer	CCL Label, Inc.
Press Type	Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Process	Gravure
Where Printed	Clinton, SC
Where Processed	AVR, Clinton, SC
Plate Size & Interval	300 stamps per revolution / plate # every30 stamps
Paper Type	Nonphosphored, USPS Type III
Adhesive Type	Self Adhesive
Tagging Type	Phosphor Tagged Overall
Die Cut Gauge	10.9 Vertically - 12 x 12 Valley/Peak
Colors	Yellow, Magenta, Green (7482), Black
Image Size (w x h)	0.73 x 0.84 in. / 18.54 x 21.34 mm
Overall Size (w x h)	0.87 x 0.98 in. / 22.09 x 24.89 mm
Back Numbers	Back numbers occur every 10 stamps along the roll, with the highest numbers on the outside of the roll.  They are printed halfway between the top and the bottom on the back of the liner.   On a given roll, the back number is always in the same position relative to the plate numbered stamp because of the plate # interval of 30. Back numbers can be found in all positions relative to the plate numbered stamp including # on #.
Earliest Known Use	March 6, 2014
USPS Order Numbers	777304 Full Coil of 10,000 - $4900.00 777303 Folded strip of 25 - $12.25 777305 Unfolded, Boxed strip of 100 - $49.00 777316 First Day Cover - Set of 5 - $4.65
Availability
Official Announcement	On March 6, 2014, in Kansas City, Missouri, the U.S. Postal Service®  will issue the Ferns (Forever® priced at 49 cents) definitive stamp in five designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) 10K coil of stamps (Item 777300). The stamp will go on sale nationwide March 6, 2014. Issued earlier this year at the 49-cent First-Class Mail® rate, these five stamps celebrating the beauty and elegance of ferns will now be available as Forever stamps. Each of these stamps depicts a close-up photograph of a different species of fern —autumn fern, Goldie’s wood fern, soft shield fern, Fortune’s holly fern, and painted fern. The shapes and textures of the fronds stand out against a stark white background, highlighting the placement of the leaflets along each fern’s stem. Art director Phil Jordan designed the stamps using existing images by photographer, Cindy Dyer. To learn more about the stories behind the stamps, visit https://www.usps.com/stamps/
Note	The date, 2014, is in the lower left corner of the stamp.
Coil Label

Distribution: Item 777300, Ferns (Forever priced at 49 cents) Coil of 10,000 Stamps

Stamp Distribution Offices (SDOs) and Stamp Distribution Centers (SDCs) will receive their standard automatic distribution quantity for a PSA Coil of 10,000 stamps. Distributions for coils of 10,000 are rounded up to the nearest master carton size of 10 coils.

Initial Supply to Post Offices

There will be no automatic distribution of these items to Post Offices™. Offices will be notified when these stamps are available to order through eBuy2.

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

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/shop, 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:

Ferns Forever Stamp (10K)
Cancellation Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210
Kansas City, MO 64144-0001

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 May 5, 2014.

How to Order First-Day Covers

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items 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 https://store.usps.com/store/, or by calling 800-782-6724. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products

There are two philatelic products for this stamp issue:

n 777316*, First-Day Cover set of 5, $4.65.

n 777321*, Digital Color Postmark set of 5, $8.20.

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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Updated March 17, 2014