Red Pears return on new 10¢ definitive stamp

By Michael Baadke

The United States Postal Service will issue a new variety of red pear on March 23 — the 10¢ Red Pears definitive stamp, that is.

The new stamp will be issued in Cleveland, Ohio, and nationwide in a pane of 20. A 10¢ Red Pears coil stamp using the same design was issued Jan. 17, 2016 (Scott 5039).

The 2016 coil was the first issue in a new Fruit definitive series that has since seen the release of a 5¢ Pinot Noir Grapes coil on Feb. 19, 2016 (Scott 5038), a 1¢ Albemarle Pippin Apples coil on Aug. 12, 2016 (5037), and a 5¢ Pinot Noir Grapes stamp in a pane of 20 issued Feb. 24.

The illustrations for the stamps in this definitive series were created by John Burgoyne. The stamp designer is USPS art director Derry Noyes.

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Burgoyne is a member of the New York Society of Illustrators and an alumni of the Massachusetts College of Art, according to information on their website.

The website features the artist’s food portraits that include fruits and vegetables, cookies and pastries, British cheeses, pickles, crustaceans and much more.

Also on display are other flora and fauna, medical illustrations, golf course drawings, maps, automotive images, architectural depictions and other artwork. The website’s miscellaneous link includes portraits of people plus an image of the four different 33¢ U.S. stamps from 2013 that are illustrated with his images of apples (Scott 4727-4730).

Burgoyne’s artwork has been featured in National Geographic, Cooks Illustrated, Golf Digest and other publications. It is all hand-drawn; his illustration for the 10¢ Red Pears stamp was created with ink and watercolor.

The new 10¢ stamp is offset-printed by Banknote Corporation of America, which also printed and processed the 2016 coil.

The stamp will be issued on the first day of the Garfield-Perry Stamp Club’s annual March Party stamp show and exhibition, which is taking place Thursday through Saturday, March 23-25, at La Villa Banquet Hall, 11500 Brookpark Road in Cleveland.

Admission is free for both the stamp show and the planned noon first-day ceremony, with free parking available.

Technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the new 10¢ Red Pears stamp can be found in the box on this page.

10¢ Red Pears stamp, pane of 20

FIRST DAY— March 23, 2017; city— Cleveland, Ohio, and nationwide.

DESIGN: artist— John Burgoyne, West Barnstable, Mass.; designer, typographer and art director— Derry Noyes, Washington, D.C.; modelers— Michelle Finn and Sandra Lane.

PRINTING: process— offset with “USPS” microprinting; printer and processor— Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, N.C.; press— Alprinta 74; inks— cyan, magenta, yellow, black, Pantone Matching System 4 warm gray, PMS 7619 red; gum— self-adhesive; paper— overall phosphor tagged paper; issue quantity— 150 million stamps; format— pane of 20, from 400-subject cylinders; size— 0.73 inches by 0.84 inches (image); 0.87 inches by 0.98 inches (overall); 5.30 inches by 4.88 inches (pane); plate numbers— “B” followed by six single digits; marginal markings— plate numbers in four corners (front); “©2015 USPS,” USPS logo, pane position diagram, bar code in two corners, promotional text; USPS item No.— 111500.

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 49¢ 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 FDOI-Pears 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 May 23.

The Postal Service’s uncacheted first-day cover for the 10¢ Red Pears stamp is item No. 111516 at $1.03.