Stars and Stripes theme for new U.S. presorted standard coils

A new set of three coil stamps for bulk mailers will be issued Feb. 27 by the United States Postal Service.

Each nondenominated Stars and Stripes stamp is inscribed “Presorted Standard” and has a nominal postage value of 10¢.

The USPS design image pictured here shows the stamps directly adjacent to one another, but it is more likely that the actual stamps will be issued with spaces in between them to facilitate use in stamp-affixing machinery.

These new coil stamps fulfilling the presorted standard bulk rate will be issued in rolls of 3,000 and rolls of 10,000. Both rolls are printed and processed by Banknote Corporation of America for Sennett Security Products.

Collectors might be able to purchase smaller strips from the coil rolls, but as of press time, order numbers for strips had not been released by the Postal Service.

The most recent previous coil stamp issue for bulk mail is the Snowflake set of five issued Oct. 1, 2013 (Scott 4808-4812). Prior to that, three versions of the Patriotic Banner presorted standard coil were issued in 2007 (4157-4158) and 2009 (4385).

The new Stars and Stripes stamps will be issued with an 11 a.m. first-day ceremony at the Texpex stamp show and exhibition.

The show is taking place Feb. 27-March 1 at Hilton DFW Lakes Executive Conference Center, 1800 Highway 26 E., Grapevine, Texas. Admission and parking is free, and the first-day ceremony is open to the public.

The stamps are illustrated by Nancy Stahl, who is familiar to collectors for her U.S. definitive stamps showing wildlife, including the 2003-04 37¢ Egret (Scott 3829-3830D), the 2007 26¢ Florida Panther (4137, 4139, 4141-4142), and the 2014 34¢ Hummingbird (4857-4858).

Along with other U.S. stamp designs, Stahl illustrated an earlier presorted self-adhesive standard coil stamp, the 2000 nondenominated (10¢) New York Public Library Lion (Scott 3447). A lick-and-stick variety of the same stamp was issued in 2003 (3769).

According to the Postal Service: “The design of the three presorted standard stamps, which together form elements of a waving flag, puts a contemporary spin on an American classic. The stamps feature wavy red and white stripes, a blue field, and five-pointed stars. Along the bottom of each stamp are the words USA Presorted Standard.”

The three stamps connect to create a single flag-theme design. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.

“When creating the design, artist Nancy Stahl incorporated an array of colorful dots that help give the stamps a contemporary look,” the Postal Service noted.

In preliminary artwork provided by the Postal Service, the stamp at left has alternating red and white stripes at left and part of the blue field of white five-pointed stars at right.

The center stamp is dominated by the blue field with white stars, showing only part of a white stripe below it.

The stamp at right has the blue field at upper left, and stripes across the rest of the design.

The preliminary artwork also has a pattern of what appear to be teal-colored dots of varying sizes across all three stamps, accentuating the billowing shape of the flag design.

The designs of the first and third stamps seem to align at the edges to create a continuous pattern that will repeat throughout the coil roll.

The terms “bulk mail” and “presorted mail” are used interchangeably by the Postal Service to refer to larger quantities of mail prepared for mailing (with a permit) at a reduced postage rate.

“Standard” mail, known years ago as third-class mail, is also known today as advertising mail, and that will be the primary use for these stamps.

Technical details and first-day cancel ordering information for the Stars and Stripes coil stamps can be found below.

Nondenominated (10¢) Stars and Stripes presorted standard
self-adhesive coils of 3,000 and 10,000

FIRST DAY— Feb. 27, 2015; city— Grapevine, Texas, and nationwide.

DESIGN: illustrator— Nancy Stahl, New York, N.Y.; designer, art director and typographer— Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, Va.; modeler— Donald Woo.

PRINTING: process— offset; printer and processor— Banknote Corporation of America, Browns Summit, N.C.; press— Alprinta 74; inks— PMS 186 (red), PMS 570 (teal), PMS 662 (blue); paper— nonphosphored, Type III; gum— self-adhesive; issue quantity— 60 million stamps in coils of 3,000; 1 billion stamps in coils 10,000; format— coils of 3,000 and 10,000, from 540-subject cylinders; size— 0.73 inches by 0.84 inches (image); 0.87 inches by 0.98 inches (overall); plate numbers— “S” followed by three single digits, every 27th stamp; USPS item No.— 783140 (coil of 3,000), 783240 (coil of 10,000).

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 first-day cover envelopes should be addressed for return (a removable label may be used), and mailed in a larger envelope addressed to Stars and Stripes Stamps, Postmaster, Grapevine Main Post Office, 1251 William D. Tate Ave., Grapevine, TX 76051-9998. Requests for first-day cancels must be postmarked by April 28.
The Postal Service’s uncacheted first-day cover set of three Stars and Stripes stamps is item 783216 at $3. USPS order numbers for stamps and FDCs also appear in Linn’s 2015 U.S. Stamp Program.

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