The USA Star coil stamp has been revised and will be issued this winter

By Michael Baadke

The United States Postal Service has tweaked the design of the USA Star nondenominated (5¢) coil stamp issued last year on April 28.

The result is a new coil with a familiar design, which will be issued Feb. 10.

The stamp will be issued in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in conjunction with the American Stamp Dealers Association’s ASDA Winter Postage Stamp Show 2017 at War Memorial Auditorium, 800 NE Eighth St., in Fort Lauderdale.

The first-day ceremony will be held Feb. 10 at 11 a.m.

The show is taking place Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

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The 2016 USA Star stamp was issued only in self-adhesive coils of 10,000. The new stamp will be offered in coils of 3,000 and 10,000.

A permit is required to use the nonprofit mailing stamps on mail. The stamp is intended for use on bulk mailings by authorized nonprofit organizations.

The design changes on the new coil include a smaller central design, and the addition of a blue frame along the outer edges of the stamp.

The stamp is offset-printed in blue and red, with the phrase “Nonprofit Org” printed near the bottom in gray.

Plate numbers consisting of the letter P and three single digits will appear on the bottom of every 27th stamp.

At the time this story was filed, the Postal Service had not released information about ordering smaller quantities of the self-adhesive coil.

When the USA Star coil was issued in 2016, the USPS offered an option of ordering just 25 stamps, rather than the full roll of 10,000.

Technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the USA Star nonprofit-rate coil can be found in the box on this page.  

Nondenominated (5¢) USA Star nonprofit-rate self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000

FIRST DAY— Feb. 10, 2017; city— Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and nationwide.

DESIGN: designer, typographer and art director— Antonio Alcala, Alexandria, Va.; additional designer and typographer— Leslie Badani, Alexandria, Va.; modeler— Joseph Sheeran.

PRINTING: process— offset, microprint “USPS”; printer and processor— Ashton Potter USA Ltd., Williamsville, N.Y.; press— Mueller Martini A76; inks— Pantone Matching System 286C blue, PMS 199C red, PMS 429C gray; paper— nonphosphored, type III; gum— self-adhesive; issue quantity— 105 million stamps (coil of 3,000); 2 billion stamps (coil of 10,000); format— coil of 3,000 and coil of 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 three single digits, every 27th stamp; USPS item No.— 755100 (coil of 3,000), 760200 (coil of 10,000).

First-day cancel ordering information

Collectors requesting first-day cancels are encouraged to purchase their own stamps and affix them to envelopes. Postage on the envelope must total at least the current first-class rate. The first-day cover envelopes should be addressed for return (a removable label may be used), and mailed in a larger envelope addressed to FDOI-Patriotic Nonprofit Stamp, USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services, 8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64144-9900. Requests for first-day cancels must be postmarked by April 10.

The Postal Service’s uncacheted first-day cover for the USA Star nonprofit-rate coil stamp is item No. 760216 at 98¢. USPS order numbers for stamps and FDCs also appear in Linn’s 2017 U.S. Stamp Program.