Newest USPS low-denomination Fruit stamp debuting soon

By Denise McCarty

The United States Postal Service is continuing its new low-denomination definitive series featuring fruit with the 1¢ Apples stamp to be issued Aug. 12 in coils of 3,000 and coils of 10,000.

The issue date was announced in the Aug. 4 USPS Postal Bulletin.

The two other Fruit definitives issued earlier this year — a 10¢ Red Pears stamp on Jan. 17,  and a 5¢ Grapes stamp on Feb. 19 — were only printed in coils of 10,000.

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Like those two stamps, the new Apples coil features a pen-and-ink and watercolor stamp illustration by John Burgoyne.

The Postal Service describes the illustration as showing “two apples on a branch surrounded by leaves.”

According to article by Gwenn Friss about the artist and the Fruit stamps in the Feb. 29 Cape Code Times, the design depicts an Albemarle Pippin apple.

Illustrations by Burgoyne also appear on the 33¢ Apples set of four (Scott 4727-4730) issued Jan. 17, 2013. Those stamps each show a single apple of a different variety: Baldwin, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and Northern Spy. The 33¢ denomination paid the postcard rate.

USPS art director Derry Noyes designed the new Apples stamp, as well as the 2013 set of four, and the two Fruit coil stamps issued this year.

Ashton Potter printed the 1¢ Apples coil stamps by offset with microprinting in the design.

No first-day ceremony is planned. Kansas City, Mo., is designated as the official city of issue.

Will there be more low-denomination Fruit stamps?

In the aforementioned report by Friss, William Gicker, manager and creative director of stamp development for the Postal Service, is quoted as saying: “We’re using his [John Bugoyne’s] art for any low denominations between 1- and 10-cent stamps. This set will all be fruit because if you needed two low denomination stamps, we want them to match. It will be a massive amount by the time we update that whole series.”

He added, “To replace the series will likely total billions of stamps.”

Technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the 1¢ Apples coil stamps can be found below.

1¢ Apples stamp, coils of 3,000 and 10,000

FIRST DAY— Aug. 12, 2016; city— Kansas City, Mo., and nationwide.

DESIGN: artist— John Burgoyne, West Barnstable, Mass.; designer, typographer and art director— Derry Noyes, Washington, D.C.; modelers— Joseph Sheeran.

PRINTING: process— offset with microprinting; printer and processor— Ashton Potter USA Ltd., Williamsville, N.Y.; press— Muller A76; inks— cyan, magenta, yellow, black, Pantone Matching System 4 warm gray, PMS 7671C brown; gum— self-adhesive; paper— nonphosphored type III; issue quantity— 150 million stamps; format— coils of 3,000 and 10,000, from 594-subject cylinders; size— 0.73 inches by 0.84 inches (image); 0.87 inches by 0.98 inches (overall); plate numbers— “P” followed by six single digits, plate number every 27th stamp; marginal markings— none; USPS item No.— 782300 (coil of 3,000); 780000 (coil of 10,000).

First-day cancel ordering information

Standard ordering instructions apply. Collectors requesting first-day cancels are encouraged to purchase their own stamps and affix them to envelopes. The envelope must be franked with at least 47¢ in first-class postage. The first-day cover envelopes should be addressed for return (a removable label may be used), and mailed in a larger envelope addressed to Apples Stamp, Cancellation Services, 8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210, Kansas City, MO 64144-0001.

Requests for first-day cancels must be postmarked by Oct. 12.