2012 Forever Stamped Envelope - Purple Martin Bird

The latest 2012 issue announced by the US Postal Service. This time for a "Forever" stamped envelope featuring the Purple Martin:






[edit] USPS Facebook suggests the envelope "will be available" on January 23, 2012. Presumably that will be the first day of issue.

Yet another January 2012 issue!

The latest Postal Bulletin (#22327) posts a list of withdrawals that includes all of the Seabiscuit envelopes.

USPS.com has reduced their mint envelope offerings to a single set of 6 Liberty Bell PSA envelopes (3 sizes, window and regular).

You can still get the Liberty Bell's in a minimum box of 50 with a preprinted return address in all sizes (12, 21, 23), types (regular and window) and gums (WAG and PSA).

You have to wonder if the Liberty Bells will be axed as soon as the Purple Martins get up and running. There were lots of collectible varieties in the Liberty Bells.

I saw that withdrawal list, too, although it occurred to me that the Seabiscuit envelopes were the denominated 44-cent variety. The Liberty Bells are "Forever" envelopes, so there's no need to necessarily withdraw them as no additional postage would need to be affixed even with the upcoming postal rate increase.

Of course, the USPS still withdraws stamps and stationery items periodically, even though it doesn't make much sense when you consider the savings that could be had by using up old inventory ... but I guess they can justify it as needing the space in all post offices to make way for all the new issues coming out.

Pretty!

Here's an interesting ("philatelic"?) item relating to this 2012 Stamped Envelope issue.

According to the new USA Philatelic Catalog, there is a new item available with this issue, that being a #10 envelope with a "seal" to dress up the reverse side of the envelope. The only thing is that they are available in lots of ten (10) #10 envelopes at a seemingly overpriced $7.95.

Without the seal, the envelopes would cost $0.56 each or $5.60 for a set of ten (10). To order them with the seal, the price escalates to $7.95 for a set of ten (10). This suggests those so called "seals" cost the consumer an additional $2.35 or 23.5 cents extra for each "seal".

Doesn't this seem like price gouging? Is there really a market for a 23.5-cent seal for the back of an envelope? Or is this a philatelic marketing scheme for collectors who will want to acquire all variations of these envelopes?



I wonder if it will be listed in the Scott catalog as a variety of this postal stationery item. (I doubt it.)

If this news article is accurate, the water activated gum (WAG) version of the new Purple Martin Envelopes are ONLY available from USPS SFS and will NOT be made available from local post offices.

http://www.chattanoogan.com/article...e_217852.asp

This may be the very reason why the specifications for the stamp suggests a very limited run for the WAG 6-3/4" envelopes.

Who knows...the limited distribution may make it a future collectors item.

I never noticed it up until now, but these Purple Martin Stamped Envelopes have "USPS" microprinting at the location shown in this illustration: