United States Postal Cards

Interesting history of US Postal Cards from USPS:
https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/p...al-cards.pdf

The UPSS has a great ePublication United States Postal Card Catalog full of valuable and helpful information as a downloadable PDF at
http://www.upss.org/code/epublicati...4fe47e863e86

USPS will issue a Tree stamped postcard - single, double reply, sheet of 4 printed by APU on May 28th,2014 - possibly a Forever postcard rate.

It seems the USPS will issue a Fanciful Flowers postcard(s) in 2015 - I suspect it may be in a booklet form with different flowers.

According to Linn's and The Washington Post, USPS is planning to issue a Biplane postcard(s) in 2016. Again I suspect it will be in booklet form.

Possible images?
https://www.google.com/search?q=Bip...1664&bih=775

Unlike the USPS to plan that far ahead.

USPS Tree 34c forever postal card item #'s are
227904 single @ $.38 FDC 227916 @ $.50
233004 double @ $.76 FDC 233016 @ $.88

Haven't seen item # on sheet yet?

The Tree on the USPS postcard to be issued later this month appears to be a illustration of an old latanus occidentalis, also known as American sycamore, American planetree, occidental plane, and buttonwood. It is one of the species of Platanus native to North America. It is usually called sycamore here in North America, a name which can refer to other types of tree in other parts of the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV5NCub8up4

On March 28, 2014, New York, NY, at the American Stamp Dealers Association Spring Postage Stamp Show held at the New Yorker Hotel, the U.S. Postal Service® will issue a Tree stamped card (Forever® priced at 38 cents) in one design. The card will go on sale nationwide March 28, 2014. This graphic depiction captures the look of a fanciful tree, in greens and browns, amid birds and tall grasses. Art director Ethel Kessler designed the stamped card using an illustration created by artist Cathie Bleck. I am sure by the discription and imiage on postcard itself it is an American Sycamore tree.



The Tree stamped card will be available in the following formats:

n Single-cut cards (Item 227900).

n Double-reply cards (Item 233000).

n Sheet of 40 cards (Item 234000).

The trees that I have been calling "sycamore" all my life do not look much like that tree.

http://texastreeplanting.tamu.edu/D....aspx?tid=67

Note the straight, long trunk, for example.

In fact, I'd look at that gnarly trunk and say "tamarisk", but that's me ;)

http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-pho...mage31193922

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

As noted in a previous post, the illustration used on the Tree Stamped Card is that of an illustration by Cathie Bleck. Here's a scan of the actual illustration upon which the Tree Stamped Card is based, attributed to Cathie Bleck and entitled "The Sycamore":

Here in southern Louisiana we see lots of very old trees including Sycamore. Here are some images:

https://www.google.com/search?q=old...1588&bih=775

On a lighter note:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St_E7ccNvwM

Does anyone know how the regular USPS postcards like the Tree are usually laid out on uncut sheets of 40; i.e 5 across & 8 up? Looks like one has to purchase an uncut sheet of 40, then cut down to sheets of 4 to end up with a sheet for their postal card collection. Anyone planning on doing this?

The new USPS Tree postal card sheet has 4 cards across and 8 cards
up - perfect for cutting into 8 sheetlets of 4 cards each simular to the dozen or so past sheetlets (1994 Love, 1999 Victorian Love, 2000 Stars & Strips, 2000 Deer Greetings, 2001 Santa, 2002 Teddy Bears, 2002 Snowmen Greetings, 2003 Reindeer, 2009 Koi, 2012 Sailboat, 2013 Deer Forever postal cards). Easy to put into album. Maybe better go to one of the office supply or copy stores and use their large paper cutter or have them cup for nominal fee.

acanalizo, Greetings:

I do not have a lot of faith in Google image tags - that is why I offered something more authoritative - but, even so, the great majority of the trees in that link have smooth trunks (thought by no means all) and an upright canopy. While I agree that the artist has drawn what she has drawn, and calls it a sycamore, I am happy to say again that what she has drawn does not resemble what I have been calling Sycamore all my life.

Back when I lived down near you, I had a chance to see a lot of wildlife paintings & drawings. The behavior, body language, modes of movement, etc, of the birds & animals that I had seen in the wild did not bear a close resemblance to what many of these folks were drawing & painting.

Grumble, grumble, grumble, but I don't like her gnarly-droopy sycamore.

Cheers,

/s/ ikeyPikey

I hope this is a good thread to discuss postcards. What is the Scott number on these two cards?

https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net...636857_n.jpg

Probably a UX33 ... but can't tell for sure from your picture. Would need to see a close up of the Thomas Jefferson indicia to identify certain points of the printing to confirm.

here is a larger pic scanned

https://scontent-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net...595828_n.jpg