Wedding Cake Stamp Adds Bliss to Nuptial Invitations

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Jan 22, 2013, 10:34 ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Postal Service reissued the Wedding Cake stamp in a 66-cent version to accommodate the 1-cent price change that goes into effect Jan. 27.

http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130122/DC46124

Available in panes of 20, customers may purchase the stamps at usps.com/stamps, by phone at 800-STAMP24 (800-782-6724) and at Post Offices nationwide.

The stamp was dedicated in Louisville during the American Philatelic Society's AmeriStamp Expo at the Kentucky International Convention Center.

The Wedding Cake stamp, introduced in 2009 and sold at the two-ounce price, accommodates the heavier weight of an invitation, as well as other mailings such as oversize cards or small gifts that require extra postage. The stamp art features a photograph taken by Renée Comet of Washington, DC, of a three-tier wedding cake topped with white flowers. The cake was created and designed by pastry chef Peter Brett of Washington, DC. Art director Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, MD, designed the stamp.

Ordering First-Day 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 usps.com/stamps, or by calling 800-STAMP24 (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:

Wedding Cake Stamp
Retail Manager
US Postal Service
4500 Annshire Ave.
Louisville, KY 40213

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. All orders must be postmarked by March 18, 2013.

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 800-782-6724. 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 seven philatelic products available:

579706, Press Sheet with die cuts, $132.00 (Print Quantity of 2,500).
579708, Press Sheet without die cuts, $132.00 (Print Quantity of 2,500).
579710, Keepsake (Pane of 20 & Digital Postmark Set), $15.95.
579716, First Day Cover, $1.10. 579721, Digital Color Postmark, $1.81.
579731, Stamp Deck Card, $0.95.
579732, Stamp Deck Card w/Digital Color Postmark, $2.16.

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

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation — 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office™ Boxes. The Postal Service™ receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com®, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $65 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. In 2011, Oxford Strategic Consulting ranked the U.S. Postal Service number one in overall service performance of the posts in the top 20 wealthiest nations in the world. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency for six years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.

Follow the Postal Service on www.twitter.com/USPS and at www.facebook.com/USPS.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service