Save Vanishing Species semipostal to go off sale Dec. 31

By Bill McAllister, Washington Correspondent

The United States Save Vanishing Species semipostal stamp (Scott B4) will go off sale Dec. 31.

That’s the decision of the U.S. Postal Service after Congress passed legislation that supposedly extended sales of the stamp.

Postal Service spokesman Roy Betts informed Linn’s of the action after he was asked about the semipostal’s future based on the mention of the stamp in the massive COVID-19 relief measure passed by Congress Dec. 21 and then sent to the White House for signature.

“The legislation extended the sale of the Save Vanishing Species stamp through the end of 2020,” Betts said. “USPS will remove the stamps from sale at the end of the day on December 31, 2020.”

The COVID-19 relief bill text states: “That the Postal Service may not destroy, and shall continue to offer for sale, any copies of the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp, as authorized under the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 (Public Law 111–241).”

The legislation did not specify a date for the sales to end.

The semipostal, which shows an Amur tiger cub, was issued in 2011. Since then, it has raised more than $6.1 million from its surcharge, according to the USPS website.

Connect with Linn’s Stamp News: 

    Sign up for our newsletter
    Like us on Facebook
    Follow us on Twitter