New Moon Stamp is Out of this World

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2016 -- Lovers of the night sky will be beaming now that the Postal Service has introduced the new $1.20 Moon Global Forever international rate stamp. This round stamp features a detailed photograph of the moon which captures the brilliant surface of Earth's only natural satellite.

The selvage, or area adjacent to the stamps, features a tree line silhouetted against the night sky. The text that is repeated twice around the circumference of the stamp reads "GLOBAL USA FOREVER 2016."

The art director was William J. Gicker of Washington, DC. Greg Breeding of Charlottesville, VA, illustrated the selvage and designed the stamp with an existing photograph of the moon taken by Beth Swanson of Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

The Global Forever stamp can be used to mail a 1-ounce letter to any country for which First-Class Mail International service is available. As with all Global Forever stamps, this stamp will have a postage value equivalent to the price of a single-piece First-Class Mail International first ounce machinable letter in effect at the time of use. To distinguish this stamp from other Forever stamps, the shape of the international stamp is round and bears the words "Global Forever."

Earth's Natural Satellite

As Earth's only natural satellite, the moon has long had considerable impact on mankind. Its gravitational pull creates ocean tides and affects our planet's motions. The moon and its regular lunar phases have also served as important social, spiritual and mythological influences on various peoples throughout history.

Full moons provide fascination for many cultures and are the subject of a variety of folktales. Due to the regularity of full moons, which occur approximately every 29.5 days, several of them even have names and cultural characteristics associated with them. A full moon occurs when the moon is opposite the sun, with Earth between the two. From our planet, the visible surface of the moon appears fully illuminated and larger than anything else in the night sky. Since the rotation and orbit periods of the moon are the same, the same part of the moon is always seen from Earth.

The U.S. Postal Service issued its first Global Forever stamp, a round stamp featuring a composite image of Earth, in January 2013. The new Global Forever stamps are being issued in self-adhesive panes of 10.

Ordering First-Day-of-Issue Postmarks

Customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store website at usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-782-6724. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

The Moon Stamp
Special Events
PO Box 92282
Washington, DC 20090-2282

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. There is a 5-cent charge for each additional postmark over 50. All orders must be postmarked by April 22, 2016.

Ordering First-Day Covers

The Postal Service also offers first-day covers for new stamp issues and Postal Service stationery items postmarked with the official first-day-of-issue cancellation. Each item has an individual catalog number and is offered in the quarterly USA Philatelic catalog, online at usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24 (800-782-6724). Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-782-6724 or writing to:

U.S. Postal Service
Catalog Request
PO Box 219014
Kansas City, MO 64121-9014

Philatelic Products
There are four philatelic products for this stamp issue:

• 589206, Press Sheet with Die-cut, $120 (print quantity 1,000).
• 589210, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $14.95.
• 589216, First-Day Cover, $1.64.
• 589221, Digital Color Postmark, $2.35.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=39059

CONTACT: Mark Saunders
         202.268.6524
         [email protected]
         usps.com/news