From the USPS press release November 15, 2024:
Useful for mailing a 1-ounce letter to any country in which First-Class Mail International service is available, this stamp carries with it a bit of history. The colorful compass rose was drawn in a school geography notebook by Lucia Wadsworth, the aunt of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, when she was 10 years old. Greg Breeding, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp.
Updates will be added below line, with the most recent at the top.
Updated February 28th:
The Scott catalogue number for this issue is 5956.
Updated December 26th:
Here are the first-day postmarks for this issue:
The Digital Color Postmark measures 2.76″x1.25″
There is no pictorial postmark for this issue (although a show cancel is likely).
Updated December 12th:
On January 24, 2025, in Peachtree Corners, GA, the United States Postal Service® will issue the 1794 Compass Rose Global Forever® International rate stamp, in one design, in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 10 stamps (Item 581700). This stamp will go on sale nationwide January 24, 2025, and must not be sold or canceled before the first-day-of-issue.
[This is the location and first day of the Southeastern Stamp Expo.]
1794 Compass Rose is a new Global stamp that can be used to mail a one-ounce letter to any country in which First-Class Mail International® service is available. A compass rose is a round figure on a map that helps users of the map orient themselves by showing the direction of north and other points of the compass. The stamp is round and features a colorful compass rose from the Collections of Maine Historical Society, drawn by Lucia Wadsworth, the aunt of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, in her school geography notebook when she was 10 years old. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp.
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 – 1794 Compass Rose Stamp
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 May 24, 2025.
Technical Specifications:
Issue: 1794 Compass Rose Stamp
Item Number: 581700
Denomination & Type of Issue: Global Forever International Rate
Format: Pane of 10 (1 design)
Series: N/A
Issue Date & City: January 24, 2025, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
Art Director: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Designer: Greg Breeding, Charlottesville, VA
Existing Art: Lucia Wadsworth
Modeler: Joseph Sheeran
Manufacturing Process: Offset, Microprint
Printer: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. (APU)
Press Type: Muller A76
Stamps per Pane: 10
Print Quantity: 40,000,000
Paper Type: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag
Adhesive Type: Pressure-sensitive
Stamp Orientation: Round
Image Area (w x h): 1.2000 x 1.2000 in. / 30.4800 x
30.4800 mm.
Stamp Size (w x h): 1.4100 x 1.4100 in. / 35.8140 x
35.8140 mm.
Full Pane Size (w x h): 8.5000 x 4.0900 in. / 215.9000 x 103.8860 mm.
Colors: Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black, PMS 3546 C, PMS 575 C
Plate Size: 180 stamps per revolution
Plate Number: “P” followed by six (6) single digits
Marginal Markings:
Front: Plate number in four corners of pane
Back: © 2024 USPS • USPS logo • Barcode (581700) behind each stamp • Plate position diagram (9) • Promotional text
