Stamps rise to 39 cents Jan. 8 2006; new designs: Sports, superheroes, history & more

New stamps in 2006: History and superheroes, bikes and baseball


WASHINGTON (AP) — Motorcycles and skiers, baseball players and lovers, a 40-stamp series featuring America’s biggest, tallest and deepest, from sea cliffs to bison to waterfalls and lakes. They’re all commemoratives planned for next year by the U.S. Postal Service.

Comic book superheroes brighten one set of stamps. Others feature Benjamin Franklin, explorer Samuel de Champlain, Florida wetlands and snowflakes.

With the price of a first class stamp climbing to 39 cents on Jan. 8, most of the new issues will carry that rate.

But the first to be released won’t have a price on it, since it had to be printed in advance to be ready for distribution in early January. That’s the latest Love stamp: Entitled True Blue this year, it depicts two birds on a branch looking devotedly at each other with the space between them forming a heart. A revised version with the 39-cent price will be issued in March.

Love, of course, often leads to marriage and the post office is prepared.

A white dove is featured on a set of wedding stamps in one- and two-ounce rates designed for sending wedding invitations and reply envelopes. They are due in March.

And, not yet done with matters of the heart, in April there will be a set of romance stamps featuring Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie and Lady and the Tramp.

On Jan. 11, a stamp featuring a downhill skier will commemorate the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

It’s the first of several sporting stamps planned for the year.

Boxer Sugar Ray Robinson will be featured on a stamp in April, and during the summer there will be a set recalling baseball sluggers Roy Campanella, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Mantle and Mel Ott.

At the end of January, Hattie McDaniel, who won the 1939 Academy Award as best supporting actress for her role in “Gone with the Wind,’’ will be honored in the Black Heritage series.

Maintaining the entertainment theme, the post office’s annual Legends of Hollywood stamp, scheduled for June, will feature Judy Garland, the 1940 Academy Award winner for her performances in “Babes in Arms’’ and “The Wizard of Oz.’’

Also entertaining is a January set of stamps featuring favorite children’s book animals such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Curious George and Fox in Socks....
Much more: http://www.dhonline.com/articles/2005/12/01/news/nation/nat14.txt

Postal Service Unveils 2006 Commemorative Stamps; 50 Stamps Highlighting Four Subjects to Be Dedicated at Washington 2006 Stamp Exhibition


(Note ... I'm just picking out a few. Click on the link to see them all!) -- PrayersFor Maura


WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- What do Baseball, Batman, Brooklyn's Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, Hattie McDaniel and Harley Davidson have in common? They're all just a sampling of American icons that will be highlighted on 2006 Commemorative postage stamps, the Postal Service announced today.

Our 2006 program commemorates a wide range of diverse American icons with something that will appeal to everyone," said Postmaster General John E. Potter in describing stamps that will honor Baseball sluggers, comic book heroes, the world's longest bridge span, the first African-American to earn an Oscar and America's love affair with motorcycles.


Love: True Blue
The Postal Service begins the New Year in early January by issuing the "Love: True Blue" stamp. The colorful First-Class non-denominated stamp depicts two birds perched on a branch sharing a devoted gaze, with the space between them forming a heart. The denominated version will be issued in March (Please reference background information issued separately. To view the stamp images click: http://www.usps.com/communications/news/stamps/2005/sr05_054.htm).



Our Wedding
Brides to be, get ready. In early March, the "Our Wedding" stamp booklet, designed especially for mailing invitations and RSVPs, will be dedicated at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York City. The booklet contains 20 one-ounce and 20 two-ounce First-Class stamps. Apply the one-ounce stamp to the RSVP envelope to be enclosed with the wedding invitation. Apply the two-ounce stamp to accommodate the heavier weight of the wedding invitation with enclosures. Both stamps feature an illustration of a white dove -- a time-honored symbol of peace, love, and fidelity -- and a heart, surrounded by calligraphic flourishes set against a lavender background (one-ounce denomination) and a light green background (two-ounce denomination).



AMBER Alert
In May, the Postal Service continues its tradition of drawing attention to important social causes by issuing the "AMBER Alert" stamp in Washington, DC, to honor a program dedicated to the rapid recovery of abducted children. Named after nine-year-old Amber Hagerman, who was tragically kidnapped and murdered in 1996, AMBER is an acronym for America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. When law enforcement officials have sufficient information about the circumstances of abduction, and believe the child is in imminent danger, they partner with media and state transportation officials to broadcast an alert. The chalk pastel illustration shows a reunited mother and child entwined in each other's arms.



Judy Garland
In June, Judy Garland becomes the 12th honoree in the Legends of Hollywood series. In 1940, Garland won a special Academy Award "for her outstanding performance as a screen juvenile" for her performances in the 1939 films Babes in Arms and The Wizard of Oz. "Over the Rainbow" is one of the many classic songs she introduced to her audience. The "Judy Garland" stamp image is based on a publicity photo from A Star is Born, and the side of the stamp sheet depicts her as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.



Hattie McDaniel
In the Los Angeles metropolitan area the end of January, to launch February's Black History Month activities, actress Hattie McDaniel will be recognized as the 29th inductee into the Black Heritage Series. McDaniel worked behind the scenes to change Hollywood's view of minorities. The "Hattie McDaniel" stamp image is based on a photograph of her in the dress McDaniel wore when accepting the 1939 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "Gone with the Wind." McDaniel appeared in more than 300 films and extended her acting career into television.



Favorite Children's Book Animals
Also in January, children and adults alike in the U.S. and U.K. will delight when eight cherished characters from children's literature are featured with the "Favorite Children's Book Animals" stamp pane, issued in Findlay, OH at the Children's Storybook Museum. Two of the stamps -- The Very Hungry Caterpillar ("The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carles, 1969 and 1987) and Maisy ("Maisy's ABC" by Eric Carles, 1994 in the U.K. and 1995 in the U.S.) -- will be jointly issued with the United Kingdom's Royal Mail, Jan. 10. The sheet of 16 stamps also depict Wild Thing ("Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak, 1963); Curious George ("Curious George Flies A Kite" by Margaret and H.A. Rey, 1958); Wilbur ("Charlotte's Web" by Garth Williams, 1952); Frederick ("Frederick" by Leo Lionni, 1967); Olivia ("Olivia" by Ian Falconer, 2000), and Fox in Socks ("Fox in Socks" by Dr. Seuss, 1965).




And there are so many more that I can't even begin to choose which to past for you, so visit this link and you will even learn more about the individual stamps. It's a lot of info!

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051201/dcth012.html?.v=38

Those are all so neat, thank you for posting! I love new stamp designs.

Since stamp collecting is very popular it's yet another way to earn money money for services that will never need to be rendered.

I do so much of my bill paying an even "letter writing" of sorts online, that I rarely mail things any more, but there are those birthday cards, holiday cards, and certain bills that I do still mail ... greeting cards aren't the same via email. And it's neat to put a fancy little stamp on the envelope.

Some of my friends are into the hobby of making cards and they've made some really neat ones. I'm not so creative, but I sure like getting them! :blowkiss: