Show Them the Love

The Postal Service Makes it Easy With the New Love Stamp, Pansies in a Basket

KANSAS CITY, Mo., April 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In time for Mother's Day, ideal for birthdays, and perfect for expressing that little word that is sometimes hard to say, the new Love: Pansies in a Basket postage stamp was dedicated today at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial.

Featuring a white woven basket brimming with dark and light purple pansies and the word "Love," the Postal Service's 2010 44-cent love stamp design is a detail from a Hallmark card that was first issued as a Mother's Day card in 1939.

"The very name of the flower — pansy — comes from the French word 'pensee,' which means thought," said Stephen Kearney, senior vice president, Customer Relations. "This museum serves as a place of remembrance, and it is fitting that we should gather here to celebrate the issuance of a stamp with the image of flowers that have long been recognized as symbols of remembrance."

The Postal Service began issuing its popular love stamps in 1973, and over the years, these stamps — featuring swans, cherubs, candy hearts, Victorian lace, modern art, and the word "Love" itself — have announced marriages, births, and graduations; and delivered congratulations.  

"It truly is an honor to join with the Postal Service in unveiling this beautiful new stamp," said David Hall, president, Hallmark, North America. "For more than a century, Hallmark has enjoyed a special relationship with the Postal Service. After all, exchanging greeting cards often involves buying stamps, addressing envelopes and dropping cards into mail boxes. I'm sure this new stamp will quickly become a favorite."

Since Hallmark began tracking sales in 1942, almost 30 million cards with this pansy design have been purchased — more than any card in history. The original Hallmark card was designed from a watercolor created by the late Dorothy Maienschein, an employee of Hallmark Cards, Inc. The stamp was designed by Derry Noyes.

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

How to Order the First-Day-of-Issue Postmark

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 www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. 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:

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 June 22, 2010.

How to Order First-Day Covers

Stamp Fulfillment Services 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. Customers may request a free catalog by calling 800-STAMP-24 or writing to:

Philatelic Products

There are four philatelic products available for this stamp issue:

• 575261, First-Day Cover, $0.82.
• 575265, Digital Color Postmark, $1.50.
• 575291, Ceremony Program, $6.95.
• 575299, Digital Color Postmark Keepsake, $10.95.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service