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(41¢) American Flag
(Avery Dennison)
Self Adhesive Coil of 100
Scott # 4134 Plate # V1111
Series USPS - NA ~ PNC3 - Flag / Patriotic / Rate Change
Issue Date & City April 12, 2007, Washington, DC 20066 (No First Day of Issue Ceremony)
Nationwide Sale April 12, 2007
Designer Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
Art Director Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
Typographer Richard Sheaff, Scottsdale, AZ
Modeler Avery Dennison, SPD
Engraver WRE / ColorTech
To Press / Initial Quantity Winter 2006 / 1.5 Billion stamps (15 million coils)
Coil Size 100
Printer Avery Dennison, (AVR)
Press Dia Nippon Kiko (DNK)
Process Gravure
Where Printed AVR, Clinton, SC
Where Processed AVR, Clinton, SC
Plate Size & Interval 396 stamps per revolution / plate # every 11 stam
Paper Type Nonphosphored, type III
Adhesive Type Pressure Sensitive
Tagging Type Phosphor overtagged - See Variety below
Die Cut Gauge Serpentine Die Cuts - 8.4 Vertically.
Die Cut Varieties Both PV/VP & VP/PV die cuts are known, with PV/VP being the more common.
Colors PMS 468 (Beige), PMS 423 (Gray), PMS 280 (Blue), PMS 193 (Red)
Image Size (w x h) 0.730 x 0.840 in./18.542 x 21.336 mm
Overall Size (w x h) 0.869 x 0.982 in./22.07 x 24.9428 mm
Back Numbers None
Earliest Known Use April 12, 2007
USPS Order Numbers 784441 Full Coil of 100 - $41.00
784461 First Day Cover - $0.79
Availability  
Official Announcement The Postal Service™ will issue a nondenominated definitive, American Flag (2007) stamp on April 12, 2007, in Washington, DC. The stamp, designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, also goes on sale nationwide on April 12, 2007.

The American flag regularly appears on definitive stamps intended for mail use. The stamp depicts an American flag waving on a flagpole against a tan background. The design of the flag was adapted from an undated postcard in the ephemera collection of art director and designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona.

The stamp will be issued in the following nondenominated formats:

  • Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 (Item 02700).
  • Water-activated gum (WAG) pane of 100 (Item 106400).
  • PSA coil of 100 (Item 784400).
  • WAG coil of 3,000 (Item 784500).
  • PSA coil of 10,000 (Item 785000).
  • Water-activated gum (WAG) coil of 100 (Item 785200).
  • WAG coil of 10,000 (Item 785300).
Varieties 5/18/2007 - Steve Esrati reports that "Al Haake has just discovered a major tagging variety on Avery's undenominated 41c coils (of 100). The ones he and I sent out originally showed the difference most under long-wave UV where the flag shines brightly out of the stamp. Under short-wave UV, the flag is still bright. On the new variety, however, the flag no longer stands out and sort of melts into the yellow background under either type of UV."

I can report that I have both varieties. It may well be that what Steve is describing is the 'High Bright Paper' glowing, but there is a definite difference in the tagging between the two. The non high bright stamps emit an overall 'greenish' glow under short wave UV, and the white flag stripes appear more as a greenish yellow. The stamps with the 'high bright' white stripes don't seem to show any tagging. My local post office currently has what Steve is describing as the 'new' variety, and these have the same tagging as the Avery coil of 10,000.

6/15/2007 - Three Tagging Varieties on the 41c nondenominated Avery Dennison American Flag on Pole coil of 100.

Frank Covey did an article for the July 2007 Coil Line showing the three different known tagging varieties photographed while using an ultraviolet lamp. The article is at www.pnc3.org/Data/41c-flag/TaggingVarietiesAvery(41¢)Flag.pdf.

I have actual copies of all three varieties and can say that the differences are clear under short wave ultraviolet. This is what I have observed while viewing the stamps with a Raytech Ultraviolet Short Wave light. According to the USPS Postal Bulletin, these stamps were printed on untagged paper and then overprinted with tagging. The stamp that has been designated as variety #1 has an overall greenish appearance, and the tagging is very apparent over the whole stamp. The white stripes of the flag are muted because of the overall tagging. Steve Esrati in an article prepared for his August 2007 Price List, notes that the paper is dead under short wave UV. This variety appears to be the most common of the three at this time.

There is a second variety, which Frank Covey describes as having olive green tagging. Steve Esrati says that the white flag stripes are brighter than on the dead stamps (variety #1), but not nearly as bright as the high bright stamps, which would be variety #3. My observation is that only the flag appears to be tagged, the white strips having a greenish hue, and the tan background being darker and the rest of the stamp shinier and not exhibiting the tagging that shows on the first variety. The paper appears to be high bright, and that aspect shows through the tagging of the stripes.

A third variety, which also appears to be printed on high bright paper, does not appear to have any tagging. The white stripes of the flag are WHITE, and I could not detect any tagging in the area of the flag. There might actually be tagging on the tan ink, but if so, it is masked by the very bright white stripes of the flag. Under the UV lamp, the tan color tends to look subdued and a lot lighter than the tan background color of the second variety.

It looks to me as if the stamps were printed on two different papers and then tagged differently producing the three varieties.

Note 2007 Blue date at the base of the flagpole.
Note These coils are shrink wrapped in a 'clothesline' of five coils.
How to Order 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™, by telephone at 800-STAMP-24, or at The Postal Store® Web site at www.usps.com/shop. 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:
American Flag (2007) STAMP
POSTMASTER
SPECIAL CANCELLATIONS
PO BOX 92282
WASHINGTON DC 20090-9998
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. All orders must be postmarked by June 13, 2007.
How to Order First Day Covers
Stamp Fulfillment Services 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. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:
INFORMATION FULFILLMENT
DEPT 6270
US POSTAL SERVICE
PO BOX 219014
KANSAS CITY MO 64121-9014
Philatelic Products
There are five philatelic products available for this stamp issue:
  • Item 10276, First Day Cover, $0.79.
  • Item 106461, First Day Cover, $0.79.
  • Item 784461, First Day Cover, $0.79.
  • Item 784561, First Day Cover, $0.79.
  • Item 785061, First Day Cover, $0.79.
Distribution: Item 784400 Nondenominated ($41.00 Value) American Flag, PSA Coil of 100
All SDOs will receive automatic distributions of this nondenominated ($41.00 value) American Flag, PSA coil of 100. Distributions will be in multiple waves. Wave 1 shipments, which began March 13, 2007, were completed March 29, 2007. Wave 2 shipments, which began March 13, 2007, will be completed April 12, 2007. Wave 3 shipments, which began March 26, 2007, will be completed April 18, 2007. Wave 4 shipments, which begin April 23, 2007, will be completed May 16, 2007. Additional Waves 5 and 6 will ship as needed. Distributions are rounded up to nearest master carton size (800 coils).
Initial Supply for Post Offices
SDOs will not make a subsequent automatic distribution to Post Offices according to availability using PS Form 17. This automatic distribution to Post Offices supports the April 12, 2007, first day of issue. SDOs must not distribute coils to Post Offices before April 6, 2007.
Additional Supply
Post Offices requiring additional quantities of Item 784400 must requisition them from their designated SDO using PS Form 17. SDOs requiring additional coils must order them from the appropriate accountable paper depository (APD) using PS Form 17.
For fulfilling supplemental orders from SDOs, APDs will receive additional quantities of Item 784400. For fulfilling supplemental orders from APDs, the Kansas City Stamp Services Center will also receive additional quantities of Item 784400.