Canada Geese federal duck stamps to be issued June 23 in Little Rock, Ark.

By Michael Baadke

Two $25 Canada Geese federal duck stamps will be issued June 23 with an event scheduled in Little Rock, Ark.

The stamps, each featuring a painting by James Hautman of three Canada geese in flight, will be issued with a water-activated adhesive in a perforated pane of 20, and as a self-adhesive die-cut stamp in a pane of one.

This year’s stamp design is the fifth to feature the Canada goose since the federal stamps were introduced in 1934. New stamps are issued annually by the United States Department of the Interior.

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Although not valid for postage, the federal duck stamp, also known as the migratory bird hunting and conservation stamp, is a popular collectible. They are illustrated and listed as “hunting permit stamps” in the Scott Specialized Catalogue of United States Stamps and Covers and in Vol. 1 of the Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue.

The stamps are sold by the U.S. Postal Service, through an online vendor, and from sporting goods stores and similar outlets. The stamp with water-activated gum is sold through USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services.

Press sheets also are offered, with 20 sheets available for each variety (10 from the USPS, and 10 from the Duck Stamp Office). The water-activated gum version is priced at $1,950, and the self-adhesive sheet is priced at $585.

A first-day ceremony will take place Friday at 10 a.m. at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, 1 Bass Pro Drive, near the Outlets of Little Rock.

Hautman is scheduled to participate in the event, along with 12-year-old Isaac Schreiber, the Virginia artist who painted the winning design for the 2017-18 junior duck stamp. Both artists will be available to autograph their stamps.

The U.S. Postal Service will provide a special postmark for collectors. A U.S. postage stamp for the first-class mailing rate must be affixed to obtain the postmark. Instructions for obtaining the postmark by mail have not been released, but will be published in Linn’s Postmark Pursuit column when they become available.

Waterfowl hunters are required to obtain the federal duck stamp as an annual license, but the stamps are also purchased by stamp hobbyists and outdoor enthusiasts.

According to the Fish and Wildlife Service, for every dollar spent on federal duck stamps, 98¢ goes toward the acquisition or lease of habitat for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Technical details for the $25 Canada Geese federal duck stamps can be found in the box on this page.

$25 Canada Geese federal duck stamps

FIRST DAY— June 23, 2017; city— Little Rock, Ark., and nationwide.

DESIGN: artist— James Hautman; art director— Suzanne Fellows, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; modeler— Joseph Sheeran.

PRINTING: process— offset, microprinting “FWS”; printer and processor— Ashton Potter USA Ltd., Williamsville, N.Y.; press— Stevens, Vari-Size Security; inks— cyan, magenta, yellow, black, invisible fluorescent; paper— nonphosphored type III; gum— water-activated (pane of 20), self-adhesive (pane of one); issue quantity— 51,000 stamps (pane of 20); 2.39 million (self-adhesive pane of one); formats— pane of 20, from 60-subject cylinders; self-adhesive pane of one, from 18-subject cylinders; size— 1.762 inches by 1.289 inches (image); 1.89 inches by 1.417 inches (overall); 10.25 inches by 7.085 inches (pane of 20); 6.125 inches by 2.625 inches (pane of one); 18 inches by 22 inches (press sheet); plate numbers— “P” followed by five single digits (pane of 20), none (pane of one); marginal markings— “Artist: James Hautman” in four positions, “Department of the Interior 20 × $25.00” in four positions, silhouetted image of ducks in different ink colors (front of pane 20); bar codes on four corners of pane, federal duck stamp information on back of each stamp (back of pane of 20); “U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service,” “2017-2018 Migratory Bird Hunting & Conservation Stamp,” “Peel Here,” “Artist: James Hautman,” “Canada Geese,” “If applicable sign your stamp,” “Be Part of Conservation … Buy Duck Stamps!,” informational text (front of self-adhesive pane of one); verso text, bar code, ordering information, black and white purple martins image, U.S. Department of the Interior logo, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service logo (back of self-adhesive pane of one); USPS item No.— 335604 (pane of 20), 335704 (self-adhesive pane of one).

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