U.S. self-service kiosks won’t vend new Christmas labels in 2019

By Michael Baadke

For the first time in seven years, the United States Postal Service does not plan to issue a self-service kiosk postage label with a holiday theme for the Christmas mailing season.

The self-service kiosk is an automated mailing station found in thousands of U.S. post offices. Customers can use the kiosk to weigh and mail parcels, flats and letters.

The kiosk vends illustrated nondenominated forever postage labels for letter mail, and larger undecorated labels with tracking information for certain parcels.

The kiosk postage labels are listed in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers under the category Computer Vended Postage Stamps.

During most of the year, the kiosks vend a forever postage label with a full color Flag design.

Beginning in 2012, the Postal Service has substituted a different holiday illustration each year for forever postage labels dispensed from the kiosk during the Christmas mailing season.

The first of these showed an open rural mailbox with wrapped holiday packages and greeting cards inside (Scott CVP88). The design bears some resemblance to the 13¢ Rural Mailbox postage stamp issued in 1977 (Scott 1730).

A new holiday label was offered each year after 2012, usually vended from self-service kiosks beginning somewhere between mid-October and early November. The postage label designs have been based on recent contemporary Christmas postage stamps.

The 2018 kiosk label for the Christmas season (Scott CVP109) reproduced the Santa portrait from the nondenominated (50¢) Santa Claus and Wreath forever postage stamp issued Oct. 11, 2018, as part of the Sparkling Holidays Santa stamp set (5333).

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