War of 1812 series concludes with Battle of New Orleans

The first United States stamp to be issued in 2015 will be the last stamp in a series that has continued over almost three years.

The Battle of New Orleans forever stamp will be issued Jan. 8 as the fourth and final issue in the War of 1812 commemorative stamp series.

The first-day ceremony will take place at the Chalmette Battlefield on W. St. Bernard Highway (Louisiana Highway 46), beginning at 9 a.m.

The new stamp pays tribute to the last major battle in a war that pitted America against Britain three decades after the American Revolutionary War.

The self-adhesive stamp will be issued in the same format as the three previous issues in the series commemorating the USS Constitution (Scott 4703, issued Aug. 18, 2012), the Battle of Lake Erie (4805, issued Sept. 10, 2013), and the defense of Fort McHenry (4921, issued Sept. 13, 2014).

The new pane of 20 will include descriptions of the historic event on front and back, with a small vignette in the front selvage showing a 19th-century depiction of the battle, and another on the back depicting Andrew Jackson, who led American forces in the battle.

Greg Harlin of Annapolis, Md., created the stamp artwork for the second issue in a row, having completed the illustration for the 2014 Fort McHenry stamp.

The first two stamps in the series feature 19th-century paintings. The designer and art director for the series is Greg Breeding.

Harlin’s mixed-media art on the new stamp depicts American troops and artillery repelling British forces from behind a mile-long defensive earthwork known as Jackson’s line, according to the Postal Service.

Commanding an army of inexperienced volunteers, militia units and free black men, and outnumbered by British forces, Maj. Gen. Andrew Jackson and his troops held their ground on the battleground at Chalmette, devastating the advancing enemy with artillery fire.

The Americans earned a decisive victory, and with the war’s end, Jackson was celebrated as a hero. His continuing fame and popularity eventually helped him win election as the seventh president of the United States.

Along with the full pane of 20, collectors will be able to purchase press sheets of the Battle of New Orleans stamp consisting of five panes (100 stamps) for $49.

Just 500 press sheets with die cuts were created, and 1,000 press sheets without die cuts.

The Postal Service will also offer two pictorial first-day cancels for this issue.

The black first-day cancel includes the image of a single sword shown horizontally over the name “New Orleans.”

The digital color postmark, available from the Postal Service on a blank stamped white envelope, shows crossed swords behind red and blue lettering.

Technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the new War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans forever stamp are given below. Collectors have a 60-day grace period to mail in requests for the first-day postmark. nNondenominated (49¢) War of 1812:

Battle of New Orleans commemorative forever stamp

FIRST DAY— Jan. 8, 2015; city— Chalmette, La., and nationwide.

DESIGN: designer, art director and typographer— Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, Va.; artist— Greg Harlin, Annapolis, Md.; engraver— WRE/ColorTech; modeler— CCL Label Inc.

PRINTING: process— gravure; printer and processor— CCL Label Inc., Clinton, S.C.; press— Dia Nippon Kiko; inks— yellow, magenta, cyan, black, cool gray; paper— nonphosphored type III, block tagging; gum— self-adhesive; issue quantity— 30 million stamps; format— pane of 20, from 100-subject cylinders; size— 1.42 inches by 1.09 inches (image); 1.56 inches by 1.23 inches (overall); 10.25 inches by 7.25 inches (full pane); plate numbers— none; marginal markings— “The War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans,” descriptive text (side header on front); “©2014 USPS,” “The War of 1812, Battle of New Orleans,” descriptive text, Andrew Jackson portrait, USPS logo, plate position diagram, bar code 589100, promotional text (back); USPS item No.— 589104.

First-day cancel ordering information

Collectors requesting first-day cancels are encouraged to purchase their own stamps and affix them to envelopes. The first-day cover envelopes should be addressed for return (a removable label may be used) and mailed in a larger envelope addressed to The War of 1812: Battle of New Orleans Stamp, Marketing Manager, 701 Loyola Ave., No. 10003, New Orleans, LA 70113-9996. Requests for first-day cancels must be postmarked by March 9.

The Postal Service’s uncacheted first-day cover for the War of 1812: Fort McHenry stamp is USPS item No. 589116 at 94¢. USPS order numbers for stamps and FDCs also appear in Linn’s 2015 U.S. Stamp Program.