From the U.S. Postal Service announcement on November 17, 2020:
From the USPS: Garden Beauty celebrates America’s love of flowers and gardens with 10 new stamp designs in a booklet of 20. The stamps include a pink flowering dogwood; a rose-pink and white tulip; an allium, or ornamental onion; a pink and white Asiatic lily; a magenta dahlia; a yellow and pink American lotus; a pink moth orchid with mottled petals; a pink and white sacred lotus; an orange and yellow tulip; and a yellow moth orchid with a pink center. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs by Allen Rokach.
Additional information will be posted below the line, with the most recent at the top.
Updated April 6th:
The Scott catalogue numbers for this issue are:
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5558 Pink Flowering Dogwood
- 5559 Orange and Yellow Tulip
- 5560 Allium
- 5561 Pink Moth Orchid with Mottled Petals
- 5562 Magenta Dahlia
- 5563 Yellow Moth Orchid with Pink Center
- 5564 Pink and White Sacred Lotus
- 5565 White Asiatic Lily
- 5566 Rose Pink and White Tulip
- 5567 Pink American Lotus
- a. Block of 10, #5558-5567
- b. Convertible booklet pane of 20, 2 each #5558-5567
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Updated February 19th:
Here are the first-day postmarks; the pictorial is a late addition:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.96″ x 1.47″
The pictorial postmark measures 2.59″ x 1.22″. The previously announced “killerbar” (“FIRST DAY OF ISSUE”) hand cancel is also available.
Updated January 14th from the Postal Bulletin:
On February 23, 2021, in Bloomfield, IN, the United States Postal Service® will issue the Garden Beauty stamps (Forever® priced at the First-Class Mail® rate) in 10 designs, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) booklet of 20 stamps (Item 683100). These stamps will go on sale nationwide February 23, 2021, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
Garden Beauty stamps celebrate America‘s love of flowers and gardens with 10 new stamp designs in a booklet of 20. Each stamp features a close-up photograph of one of the following flowers:
- A pink flowering dogwood;
- A rose-pink and white tulip;
- An Allium or ornamental onion;
- A pink and white Asiatic lily;
- A magenta dahlia;
- A yellow and pink American lotus;
- A pink moth orchid with mottled petals;
- A pink and white sacred lotus;
- An orange and yellow tulip; and
- A yellow moth orchid with a pink center.
Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamps with existing photographs by Allen Rokach.
No automatic distribution.
How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark:
Customers have 120 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office™ or at The Postal Store® website at usps.com/shop. They must affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
FDOI – Garden Beauty Stamps
USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services
8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300
Kansas City, MO 64144-9900
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 June 23, 2021.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: Garden Beauty Stamps
Item Number: 683100
Denomination & Type of Issue: First-Class Mail Forever
Format: Double-sided Booklet of 20 (10 designs)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: February 23, 2021, Bloomfield, IN 47424
Art Director: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Designer: Ethel Kessler, Bethesda, MD
Existing Photos: Allen Rokach, Rokach Photography
Modeler: Sandra Lane/Michelle Finn
Manufacturing Process: Offset
Printer: Banknote Corporation of America
Press Type: Alprinta 74
Stamps per Booklet: 20
Print Quantity: 600,000,000 stamps
Paper Type: Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Orientation: Horizontal
Image Area (w x h): 1.05 x 0.77 in./26.670 x 19.558 mm
Stamp Size (w x h): 1.19 x 0.91 in./20.226 x 23.114 mm
Full Booklet Size (w x h): 2.375 x 5.743 in./60.325 x 145.872 mm
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black
Plate Size: 800 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “B” followed by four (4) single digits
Marginal Markings: Header: GARDEN BEAUTY • Twenty First-Class Forever Stamps • USPS logo • Barcode • Plate number in peel strip area • ©2020 USPS in peel strip area • Promotional text in peel strip area
